Night driving ban for robotic lawnmowers: Erfurt protects hedgehogs and nature!

Night driving ban for robotic lawnmowers: Erfurt protects hedgehogs and nature!

Erfurt, Deutschland - In Cologne there is now a night driving ban for robotic lawnmowers. This regulation was published on July 2, 2025 by the Lower Nature Conservation Authority and relies on the protection of Igeln and other nocturnal animals. The ban comes into force half an hour before sunset and ends half an hour after sunrise. An important goal of this measure is to reduce the dangers for the increasingly threatened hedgehog, which is under nature conservation, and to protect its habitats. The hedgehogs are particularly concentrated in urban and marginalized areas, which underlines the need for this regulation to take protective measures gabot.de.

The dangers for these animals are real. During the nightly search for food, hedgehogs can be injured or even killed by the robotic lawnmowers. In Leipzig, for example, around 400 hedgehogs are hunted by such devices every year, 10% of the injured animals die from the consequences. This clearly illustrates how urgently the protection of these animal roommates is necessary ZDF today.

background and other measures

The night driving ban not only extends to Cologne, but also affects other cities such as Leipzig, Göttingen and Mainz. These measures are based on the sudden declines in the hedgehog population. The Nature Conservation Association (NABU) and other nature conservation organizations are calling for a nationwide ban on night robotic operations [wether.com] (https://weather.com/de-de/news/2025-05-23-Maeherbot-gartenspreis-garten-kommunen- anhalt).

For many citizens, compliance with the new regulatory regulations will be a real challenge. In the event of violations of the night driving ban, fines of up to 50,000 euros threaten. The cities of Cologne and Leipzig see the need for a regulation, but remain skeptical about practical enforceability. City representatives, such as Andreas Geisler from Leipzig, say whether the controls can be effective ZDF today.

recommendations for garden owners

Citizens and garden owners are asked to rely on devices that are equipped with modern sensors when buying robots. These can recognize obstacles and bypass you, which reduces the risk of nocturnal animals. Experts emphasize that noise emissions and the use of robots are particularly problematic without supervision at night. Efficient action from the good principle of maintaining biodiversity could therefore play a vital role in urban nature and animal protection.

The new regulations are a step in the right direction to actively protect the natural habitat of the hedgehogs and other night animals. The awareness of this topic is growing in different cities in Germany, and this may show a positive movement towards more environmentally friendly use of garden and landscape maintenance.