McDonald's tackles prickly issue of hedgehog-friendly ice cream

US fast-food giant McDonaldÕs has announced it is now hedgehog-friendly, following a long-running campaign waged by British lovers of the prickly mammals.

McDonaldÕs says it has redesigned cups and lids for its McFlurry ice cream so that they are no longer a danger to the animals.

The British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) has spent more than five years campaigning against the containers, claiming that countless creatures had died by getting their heads stuck inside when trying to eat leftover ice cream.

McDonaldÕs UK said it has invested Òsignificant research and testingÓ into designing their new cup, which features a smaller opening, meaning customers have to remove the lid to eat the dessert.

In a statement the firm said: ÒWe are delighted to announce that we have now introduced a new lid with a smaller aperture for our McFlurry dessert.Ó
ÒThe smaller aperture of the lid has been designed to prevent hedgehogs from entering the McFlurry container in the unfortunate incidence that a lid is littered and is then accessible to wildlife.Ó

Relieved BHPS chief executive Fay Vass said life would now be a lot easier for foraging hedgehogs with a taste for ice cream.

McDonaldÕs Òalways said they were listening but nothing seemed to happenÓ, she said.

ÒThen we got press coverage and public support followed and they tried a different design.Ó

ÒWe were getting quite a few calls, enough to concern us, so now itÕs one less danger for hedgehogs to worry about.Ó