At least one MP says no: “Do we want to have as our national symbol an animal that sleeps for six months of the year?” asked Rory Stewart.
Boris Roessler / AFP / Getty Images
Tory MP Oliver Colvile argued in the House of Commons on Tuesday night that the hedgehog should be "our designated national species".
But environment minister Rory Stewart said on Wednesday he did not think the prickly creature was suitable. "Do we want to have as our national symbol an animal which when confronted with danger rolls over into a little ball and puts its spikes up?" he said.
"Do we want to have as our national symbol an animal that sleeps for six months of the year? Or would we rather return to the animal that is already our national symbol? I refer, of course, to the lion, which is majestic, courageous, and proud."
Oliver Colvile
BBC
The MP for Plymouth, Sutton, and Devonport said hedgehogs had been chosen as the "best natural emblem for the British nation" in a BBC wildlife poll. "The British people have taken hedgehogs to their hearts," he said.
He warned that hedgehog numbers had declined by around a third in the last decade, mainly because of the loss of habitats. He said he would set up an all-party parliamentary group on hedgehogs – and called for an inquiry by the Commons environment committee into how they could be saved.
Pointing out that 21 November is Hedgehog Day, Colvile added: "Now is the time to increase the public's awareness of the plight of these plucky characters."
from BuzzFeed - Animals http://ift.tt/1SICu4J
via IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment