In Germany over the pas years, many hedgehogs have met a sticky end; they got their heads stuck in Mc Flurry containers and starved.
BUND, Germany's largest environmental group, has lobbied for hedgehog friendly lids for the past two years. Mc Donalds' German spokesman has said they have been experimenting with lids ever since the first reports came to light, but have only this week decided on the same design as the UK did in 2006, when the same problem was occuring there.
The new cups have started to be introduced into Germany and shall be available all over the country by the end of March. Just in time hopefully, as, because of the milde weather in Germany, the hedgehogs are coming out of hibernation early.
Hedgehogs are native to Europe, Asia and Africa, but the Mc Flurry isn't sold in every country. I know that the Dutch cups did change format last year, but didn't know why. What I'm left wondering at the moment, is why the European Mc Donalds didn't change their cups at the same time when the problem first occured and a solution was found.
I definitly won't be buying anything from Mc Donalds when I'm in Cologne next week, I might not just throw my rubish away on the ground, but really can't get over the fact that it has taken them so long before actually changing the cups.