10-Year-Old Girl Advocates for Hedgehog Ownership

African pygmy hedgehogs are tiny and adorable.

However, they’re not allowed in Markham – unless you get special permission from the council, like a certain 10-year-old girl did on Tuesday night.

Ward 5 Coun. Colin Campbell mentioned that a young resident came to him months ago because she wanted to adopt a hedgehog as a pet. The problem was that Markham’s animal control bylaws prohibited residents from owning these little creatures.

The girl began researching these animals, investigating why they had been banned and looking for possible solutions. She also discovered that other nearby cities, such as Toronto, permit people to have hedgehogs.

Campbell brought the issue up at a general committee meeting in February.

Minutes from Markham’s general committee meeting on Feb. 6, 2017.

Earlier this month, the city’s animal care committee backed a report recommending that council approve an exemption to the animal control bylaw for this case.

Exemptions can be granted with council approval through an application process along with a $200 fee. On Tuesday, Campbell proposed another motion to waive that fee specifically for the young girl.

This motion ended in a tie vote of six to six.

“I’m really disappointed that six of them couldn’t see it – to waive the $200 fee – when we’ve only applied it once in six years,” Campbell told CBC Toronto. “That makes no sense to me.”

‘Trying to do the right thing’

Council spent a total of 28 minutes discussing the hedgehog issue on Tuesday evening.

While presenting his motion, Campbell told council that the little girl was just “trying to do the right thing.”

“We’re trying to build citizens,” he said. “It seems around here if you do the honest thing you get kicked to the curb.”

Coun. Campbell is seen here at an event last June. (Colin Campbell/Twitter)

Deputy mayor Jack Heath informed council he did not support an exemption due to health concerns raised in the animal care committee’s report. The committee indicated that hedgehogs require high maintenance, leading to an “extremely high relinquishment rate.”

The report noted that these animals are vulnerable to a neurological disease called Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome and can carry salmonella as well.

Ward 1 Coun. Valerie Burke pointed out valid reasons for keeping hedgehogs off the permitted list.

“The bigger issue is the animal trade of exotic animals,” she told council. “The world is a very different place now.”

Others like Ward 6 Coun. Amanda Collucci supported granting an exemption, arguing that pet ownership offers valuable lessons for children.

Councillor Campbell says the hedgehog debate was ‘a waste of time.’ (Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Ultimately, council approved allowing the young girl to get her hedgehog by a vote of nine to three.

Afterward, Campbell shared with CBC Toronto his thoughts on how long it took: “I thought I’d be fighting for more affordable housing or better traffic management – those are issues I wanted focus on; this should have been straightforward and settled months ago,” he said.

“We get too involved and that’s part of the problem.”

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