No, this is not another story about that woman who was burned by hot coffee. This time hedgehogs are in danger from a McDonald McFlurry (icecream) cup. Apparently the little creatures are lured by the sweet residue in discarded McFlurries but then die after they push their head through the lid; their quills prevent them from pulling back out and thus they starve to death. Good to hear that the fast-food giant is going to use a different design, but I could not help but wonder about their claim regarding the significance of their effort to resolve the problem:

McDonald’s said in a statement the design change had resulted from pressure from the society which prompted “significant research and design testing” to develop new packaging.

I heard NASA won the contract. Or maybe it was Halliburton. Either way, I expect the four years of R&D into a safer McFlurry container should result in some impressive changes.

The Hedgehog Welfare Society in the UK led the campaign. Hard to know if the 2003 deal between McDonalds and SEGA to market Sonic The Hedgehog on Happy Meals is in any way related.

Personally, I say forget the fancy lid and cups. What ever happened to the old “cone” concept of an edible/degradable container?