Animals face many dangers in their daily lives. These include climate change, habitat loss, and pollution. Mayors in Germany have highlighted new danger – robot lawn mowers. These are small machines that automatically go up and down people's gardens to cut grass. German mayors say devices are killing hedgehogs and other small animals, especially at night. cities of Munich and Cologne have started night-time ban on the use of the lawn mowers. However, officials want nationwide ban. Hedgehogs are particularly at risk. They curl up into ball when they sense danger. This makes it more difficult for robot mower's sensors to detect curled-up hedgehog.
Hedgehogs are protected under German law. People who injure, trap, or kill them could get fine of up to €65,000 ($75,000). animals have been on "near threatened" list of International Union for Conservation of Nature since 2024. This is because their numbers dropped by over 30 per cent in previous decade. Mayor Claudia Kalisch has asked lawn mower makers to do more to protect hedgehogs. She said: "We are calling on manufacturers to find solutions to ensure that small animals are no longer endangered by robot lawn mowers." She added: "This is key step towards protecting animals and enriching quality of life in city through biodiversity."
