LONDON (Reuters) - Hedgehogs have finally humbled burger giant McDonald’s after years of campaigning, forcing the company to redesign its killer McFlurry ice-cream containers.

Up to now the opening in the container has been large enough for hedgehogs to get their heads into for a lick of the left-over dessert — a trap they have then been unable to withdraw from, so dying of starvation in untold numbers.

But from September 1, the wide-mouthed opening in the lid of the McFlurry containers will be reduced in size, making them too small for the sugar-loving animals to get their heads into.
(full story here…)

There are many things in our lives that we do on a regular basis that affect other living beings and the environment in ways we couldn’t predict or understand. I think this story is a good example of that. I can’t imagine that the designer of the McFlurry cups sat there and thought “hey, I want to ensure that these cups kill small animals… like hedgehogs.” It was an unfortunate consequence of making something new.

Perhaps it’d be easy to criticize McDonald’s for taking five years to implement a solution, but if it’s true that they spent that time doing “significant research and design testing” to ensure that the new lids don’t create a new problem for a different animal or for other creatures, then I think they deserve a thumbs-up for this.

Let’s give two thumbs-up and a big high-five to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society for being persistent about getting this problem addressed. Those without a voice deserve an advocate. Thank you for being theirs.