Robotic lawnmower at night: death trap for hedgehogs in your own garden!

Robotic lawnmower at night: death trap for hedgehogs in your own garden!

For many garden lovers, spring means the time for lawn care, often with the help of robotic lawnmowers. However, these practical devices do not only bring advantages; They also pose a serious danger to local hedgehogs, especially during the night hours. The Baden-Württemberg newspaper reports that the Federation for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research are calling for a night driving ban for robotic lawnmowers in order to protect the endangered hedgehog population.

The decline in the hedgehog population in Germany is alarming. In 2020, the hedgehog was placed on the early warning list of the Red List for Germany, and in 2024 it was added to the international Red List. This trend is compounded by numerous factors, including habitat loss due to intensive agriculture and road traffic, which are pushing hedgehogs into urban areas. In these urban areas, the animals are often active at night, which makes their injury from robotic lawnmowers a serious threat as they are usually unable to react in time.

Injuries caused by robotic lawnmowers

A comprehensive analysis by Leibniz-IZW shows that a total of 370 cases of cut injuries to hedgehogs were documented between June 2022 and October 2023. A disturbing 47% of these injured animals did not survive, indicating the urgency of the problem. Many of the injured hedgehogs were found hours or days after the accidents, often with serious, untreated wounds reported. Scientists point out that robotic lawnmowers cannot recognize animals as threats; Tests of 19 robotic lawnmower models showed that 16 of these devices caused injuries to hedgehogs.

Animal rights activists therefore strongly recommend a night driving ban for robotic lawnmowers. The hedgehogs have poor eyesight, but react very strongly to noises. They are overly shy and tend to curl up when threatened rather than flee. This makes them particularly vulnerable to robotic lawnmowers reported.

Prevention measures and recommendations

Some manufacturers, like Stihl, have already taken measures to reduce the risk of injury, such as implementing ultrasonic sensors. These sensors can detect obstacles and largely avoid night use. Nevertheless, experts emphasize that current models are not enough and it is absolutely necessary to develop robotic lawnmowers with AI image recognition that could potentially be hedgehog-friendly, but no model has yet existed.

In Germany, some municipalities, including Cologne and Mainz, have already introduced night driving bans for robotic lawnmowers. The BUND also recommends not mowing certain parts of the garden in order to provide shelter for hedgehogs and other animals. Careful observation of the operating times before and after sunrise and sunset is also recommended.

The topic of robotic lawnmowers and their impact on biodiversity is to be addressed by the Federal Environment Ministry in 2026. Conservationists are calling on the public to take more responsibility when using these devices and to support initiatives aimed at ensuring the safety of our native species.