An Ancient Landscape
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The Uists form the long southern tail of the Scottish Outer Hebrides. A necklace of islands, they include North Uist, South Uist, Benbecula and a host of smaller islands, islets and skerries.
Mostly low lying and dotted with lochs, in places there is more water than land. The east of South Uist is mountainous with geology dating back 2.9 billion years, the oldest rocks in Britain. Today, North Uist is home to 1,250 people who connect to neighbouring islands by causeways and ferries. Many families maintain a traditional crofting lifestyle, more secure now with moves to community land ownership with Scottish land reform. Community connections are also pivotal to the successful eradication of introduced hedgehogs. Lochmaddy is the main town with a ferry to the Isle of Skye, a route we unfortunately had to follow sooner than planned ahead of an approaching Atlantic storm. |
Predator Eradication Project
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Island Size
Large 303 sq.km |
Target Predators
Hedgehogs |
Eradication Methods
Live trapping |
Project Stage
Late stage eradication |
Visited
October 2018 |
North Uist Image Gallery
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Read more about predator eradication on North Uist below.
Read more about predator eradication on North Uist below.
Eradicating Hedgehogs
The Task
Hedgehogs do not naturally occur on the Scottish Hebrides. In 1974, they were introduced to South Uist from Great Britain to control garden pests. As with many introductions of non-native predators their impacts have been greater than expected as hedgehogs began destroying the nests of ground nesting waders.
North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist provide internationally important grassland nesting habitat for waders such as lapwing, dunlin, ringed plover, redshank and snipe. While the causes of decline of migratory waders can be complex, involving factors in other countries the birds visit, research on South Uist demonstrated that hedgehogs were responsible for 50% of nest failures through predation of eggs and young.
Hedgehogs do not naturally occur on the Scottish Hebrides. In 1974, they were introduced to South Uist from Great Britain to control garden pests. As with many introductions of non-native predators their impacts have been greater than expected as hedgehogs began destroying the nests of ground nesting waders.
North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist provide internationally important grassland nesting habitat for waders such as lapwing, dunlin, ringed plover, redshank and snipe. While the causes of decline of migratory waders can be complex, involving factors in other countries the birds visit, research on South Uist demonstrated that hedgehogs were responsible for 50% of nest failures through predation of eggs and young.
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The Problem
Initially, Scottish Natural Heritage attempted to eradicate hedgehogs from North Uist by live trapping and euthanising animals by lethal injection. However, this methodology generated community opposition both on the islands and from the British mainland, and led to significant protest action. Protests included public pressure from celebrities and financial pressure on conservation organisations supporting the cull through donations and bequeaths being withheld. Some community members were so against the killing of hedgehogs they began relocating animals to other parts of the island to frustrate the eradication programme. |
The Solution
Opposition to the hedgehog cull led animal welfare groups to establish Uist Hedgehog Rescue and begin capturing hedgehogs for translocation to Scotland. Island residents were offered a bounty of £5.00 per live hedgehog, later raised to £20.00, and when research showed the two year survival rate of translocated animals was higher than expected, culling stopped and catch and release continued. Captured hedgehogs are held at a welfare centre to acclimatise before release into appropriate habitat in a two pronged approach to removing hedgehogs from the Uists and helping hedgehogs that are under increasing conservation pressure in their natural range. |
Eradication Management
The Results
The fraught history of attempts to eradicate introduced hedgehogs from North Uist shows the importance of officialdom working closely with local communities to develop predator management programmes that are acceptable to everyone. Neglecting this can lead to the road ahead becoming increasingly rocky.
After a difficult start, the North Uist hedgehog eradication project has likely successfully achieved its objective of eradicating hedgehogs from the island. Only one hedgehog was trapped in 2017 and a two year monitoring period between 2018 and 2020 will hopefully confirm the eradication is complete.
Success relied on building trust with the local community and working with farmers and crofters to ensure the project did not conflict with how people lived their lives and managed their land. Having the project managed and implemented by community members helped, and developing a significant information management system meant that issues such as property access could be managed effectively.
From 2001 to 2014, a total of 2,441 hedgehogs were trapped on North Uist. The total cost was £2.68 million or £1,100 per hedgehog removed.
The Future
With the islands of North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist being joined by causeways, and with hedgehogs still present on both Benbecula and South Uist, hedgehog re-invasion of North Uist is an ever present risk.
Hedgehogs did partially recolonise North Uist in 2013, but were quickly removed. Ongoing surveillance will need to continue until hedgehogs are also removed from neighbouring islands and it is estimated this may require the removal and relocation of 4,000 animals. Funding of £3.5 million to attempt this has been sought but how Britain's decision to leave the European Union might affect this is yet unclear.
The fraught history of attempts to eradicate introduced hedgehogs from North Uist shows the importance of officialdom working closely with local communities to develop predator management programmes that are acceptable to everyone. Neglecting this can lead to the road ahead becoming increasingly rocky.
After a difficult start, the North Uist hedgehog eradication project has likely successfully achieved its objective of eradicating hedgehogs from the island. Only one hedgehog was trapped in 2017 and a two year monitoring period between 2018 and 2020 will hopefully confirm the eradication is complete.
Success relied on building trust with the local community and working with farmers and crofters to ensure the project did not conflict with how people lived their lives and managed their land. Having the project managed and implemented by community members helped, and developing a significant information management system meant that issues such as property access could be managed effectively.
From 2001 to 2014, a total of 2,441 hedgehogs were trapped on North Uist. The total cost was £2.68 million or £1,100 per hedgehog removed.
The Future
With the islands of North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist being joined by causeways, and with hedgehogs still present on both Benbecula and South Uist, hedgehog re-invasion of North Uist is an ever present risk.
Hedgehogs did partially recolonise North Uist in 2013, but were quickly removed. Ongoing surveillance will need to continue until hedgehogs are also removed from neighbouring islands and it is estimated this may require the removal and relocation of 4,000 animals. Funding of £3.5 million to attempt this has been sought but how Britain's decision to leave the European Union might affect this is yet unclear.
Page Header Image: A view looking west across North Uist near Lochmaddy, Outer Hebrides, Scotland.
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