Germany´s Cologne bans robot mowers at night in bid to protect hedgehogs

The western German city of Cologne has issued a ban on using robotic automated lawn mowers at night to protect hedgehogs, the city announced on Tuesday, reported dpa.

The order comes into force with immediate effect, according to the city. Some smaller municipalities have already taken similar steps.

If the small spiny animals come across the robotic mowers with their sharp blades while foraging, they can suffer very serious or even fatal injuries.

The city, in explaining the ban, said that hedgehogs generally don't flee from the robotic lawnmowers but instead curl up into a defensive ball. That leaves them vulnerable to the mower.

The animals forage for food at dusk and at night.

Animal rights activists had called for significant restrictions on the operation of automated robotic lawn mowers to protect wildlife.

An expert from the German Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) told dpa that a ban on night-time operation was the "very least" the city could do to protect the animals.

As the robots carry out their work unattended and almost silently, garden owners often prefer to turn them on at night.