After over 100 hedgehogs were killed by murderous McFlurry containers in Germany, the powerful German hedgehog lobby sprang into action. In perhaps the first example of hedgehog irony, the creatures were entering the cups, getting stuck, and then dying by starvation inside a McFlurry container. The lobby, called BUND (Ballerinas, United, Naked and Dead) brought the full force of its influence down on the lowly McDonald's Corporation. The result? Newly redesigned lid flaps and sizes to allow hedgehogs both access and exit from the delicious containers.
In this article on msnbc.com, Alexander Schramm of Micky D's said, "There were no solid statistics on hedgehog deaths caused by McFlurry lids. But, because our company had confronted the same problem in the U.K. in 2006 and had already changed the product line, we decided to do the same in Germany." Who would have thought that German hedgehogs would love McFlurries just as much as English ones? I mean, you'd have to be a freaking genius to make that leap of logic!
This hedgehog's name is Augustus Gloop. Editor's note: Is it just us? Or does this video prove nothing about the merits of the new containers?
As a result of the new containers, hedgehog health has taken a severe downturn. A spokesperson from McDonald's issued another statement: "There has been no conclusive scientific evidence linking McDonald's McFlurries and hedgehog diabetes and/or hedgehog obesity."
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Comments
Ummm... Is it just me, or am I missing something? I mean, why couldn't hedgehog owners just remove the lid from the McFlurry?
Posted by: Umlud | March 7, 2008 12:33 PM
Umlud, I think the idea was that hedgehogs in the wild would crawl into discarded containers and then be unable to escape. Wherever McDonald's goes, litter is sure to follow.
Posted by: Elf Eye | March 7, 2008 2:19 PM
Once while working for Animal Control I came across a similar situation but instead of a hedgehog, it was a skunk with its head in the McFlurry container. While trying to catch it to take the container off we managed to knock the cup off, but the lid remained. At least it could see and was no longer wandering around on the road.
Posted by: Anon | March 7, 2008 4:54 PM
Skunks are notorious for getting their heads stuck in Yoplait containers, which are wider on the bottom than on the top, and the short-legged skunks can't push the container off. I rescued one from a neighbor's yard a couple years ago....
Posted by: Theodosia | March 8, 2008 5:55 PM