Pest

Introduction:

Hedgehogs have been reported to kill and eat chicks of a variety of ground-nesting birds, as well as eggs of riverbank breeding birds such the banded dotterel and black-fronted tern. We need to mount an attack to mitigate the harm that hedgehogs cause. A single pronged attack will not work. We need to use a range of approaches. Hedgehogs are a huge problem and they need to be wiped out before it's too late.

Paragraph 1:

British colonists brought hedgehogs to New Zealand in 1870 to remind people of their origin. When hedgehogs were first introduced, they didn't handle the environment well and soon faded away, but after a few attempts by the British colonists they were successfully introduced into New Zealand. In many areas of New Zealand, there are now estimated to be between 2 and 4 hedgehogs per hectare (and in some areas as many as 8). Hedgehogs have been reported to kill and eat chicks of a variety of ground-nesting birds, as well as eggs of riverbank breeding birds such the banded dotterel and black-fronted tern. Hedgehogs have been discovered to be responsible for one out of every five predator attacks on nests in the Bay Of Plenty.

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Why are hedgehogs a pest? Hedgehogs have a negative impact on New Zealand's ecology because they consume enormous numbers of native invertebrates and eat the eggs and chicks of our native ground-dwelling birds. And despite appearing healthy and tidy, can carry Salmonella infections in their droppings. Germs can quickly spread from their bodies to their habitats, toys, bedding, and everything else in their environment.

Hedgehogs can be found all across New Zealand. In many areas of New Zealand, there are now estimated to be between 2 and 4 hedgehogs per hectare (and in some areas as many as 8). Hedgehogs are a serious danger to many of our indigenous species. They feed on the eggs of ground nesting birds, invertebrates, and tiny reptiles at night. They also carry infections that damage humans, birds, pets, and livestock.

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In this paragraph we will talk about the first control method, trapping. Pluses: very effective, easy to use, humane. Minuses: Has to be reset frequently, needs new bait frequently, can kill other animals like native birds. Method 2-Bait stations. Pluses: very effective, easy to reset, only has to be reset 4 times per year. Minuses: can kill other animals like native birds, the poison itself is expensive, when they do need to be reset it takes a very long time as there is one every 50 meters. Method 3-Shooting: Pluses: Is fun, good exercise, gives you a lot of practice. Minuses: if you're not very very good with a gun you will miss 80% of the time, needs a lot of people, very tiring.

Conclusion:

I have talked about who brought them here, how many there are, what impact they have on their food web, what impact they have on the environment and much more. Hedgehogs are a huge problem and they are having huge impacts on our native wildlife. They are a very big problem and they need to be eradicated before it is too late. In conclusion I hope you learned something by reading this report otherwise I didn’t do a very good job. Thank you for reading.

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