Shropshire Star

Victory for Shropshire hedgehog charity in KFC cups fight

A tiny Shropshire charity can now add international fast food giant KFC to those it has taken on and beaten after a second David and Goliath-style battle.

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The global corporation has agreed to alter its packaging in the UK after pressure from hedgehog lovers based in the South Shropshire Hills.

It is the second such international giant to bow to the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS), which has just 11,000 members, after McDonalds redesigned its McFlurry cups to be hedgehog friendly in 2006 following calls from the group.

Hedgehogs had been found with their heads stuck inside the McFlurry ice-cream cups, and last year BHPS became aware of reports that KFC Krushems milkshake cups were causing the same problem.

Fay Vass, chief executive of BHPS, based in Dhustone, in the Clee Hills near Ludlow, said "We are delighted that KFC are changing their packaging to prevent littered cups from harming hedgehogs.

"The problem is that the hedgehog senses the sticky sweet stuff inside and tries to get to it. But when its head goes in its prickles come up on the inside and get lodged inside the lid."

The predicament was a very serious one for the humble hedgehog, she said, as it could result in death by dehydration and starvation as the animals cannot get the cup off their head.

She said the society first became aware of the problem with KFC cups when a member of the public uploaded a Youtube video of one poor creature they had found.

But KFC had been much faster in taking action than McDonalds, which only changed its packaging after a five-year campaign that started in 2001.

"It took about eight months to get to the stage where KFC agreed to order new cups," Ms Vass said.

"That video was the first notification we had of it, and we saw it was the same thing that happened with McDonalds' McFlurry cups - so we knew there was a fairly easy solution and we got in touch with KFC."

She said the hole in the top of the cups had now been reduced from 4.8cm to 2.4cm, so that hedgehogs could no longer get their heads in.

But, she said: "Obviously the problem would be solved entirely if people just stopped dropping litter in the first place, but we can't control that - so we have to make sure if it is dropped it is as safe for wildlife as possible."

The McDonalds McFlurry cups even had the word "litter harms wildlife" added after the redesign, she said, to help raise awareness.

Asked if she had her eye on any other international corporations to take on, she said: "Not at the moment, but we'll take on all comers if there is problem with their packaging."

A spokesman for KFC said: "From today, KFC in the UK and Ireland will cease production of the current lid for the Krushems cup.

"After consultation with the British Hedgehog Preservation Society, KFC UK/I has developed a new lid with a smaller aperture to prevent potential harm to wildlife and will introduce this into all restaurants over the coming months."

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