Hedgehog cull suspended

The board of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has decided to suspend its cull of hedgehogs in the Western Isles.

The organisation is to have the animals gathered and transported from the Uists to the mainland.

The cull was started to protect the eggs of rare wading birds. The agency had previously said hedgehogs would not survive relocation.

However, animal welfare campaigners began their own programme of trapping and transporting the hedgehogs.

SNH says it will continue to catch the hedgehogs and then hand them over to a welfare organisation.