You’ve probably seen them scurrying across the road at night. With a round body full of spikes, they can almost look a little dangerous. But the porcupine loses easily in the face of predators, lawnmowers and cars. The animal is actually on the red list of endangered species. That is why there are several organizations in Norway that work to save as many porcupines as possible from death. Now two of the organizations have got into a heated argument. ENDANGERED: Porcupines are on the red list of endangered species in Norway. Photo: Nils Henrik Rønning I think they are defamed The conflict is between the organizations Arken Care and Hedgehog Aid. The two disagree about how the porcupine should actually be helped. In addition, Hedgehog Aid believes that Arken Care has written defamatory messages about them on social media. That is why they have now taken Arken Care to court. They demand NOK 400,000 in compensation. – Arken Care owes the Hedgehog Aid, among other things, for not answering when people call, for giving bad advice, and almost for killing porcupines by giving bad advice, says Linnéa Tereza Karlberg, who is the Hedgehog Aid’s lawyer. Disagreement about porcupines The manager of Arken Care, Miriam Emina Mæland, says the conflict started when she saw what she thought were misunderstandings and harmful advice on the pages of the organization Pinnsvinhjelpa. She also claims that she received up to 60 phone calls from distraught people who wondered if the advice the Hedgehog Aid had given was actually correct. – They had been told to only put injured porcupines back out. Small porcupines bite in mid-October. They would have died within a week if I hadn’t taken them in, says the leader. She believes she had no other choice but to share on social media that the Hedgehog Aid’s advice was wrong. – After all, lives are at stake. It is not about defamation, but about warning people against making mistakes that can take lives, says Mæland. Do they think they fought over funds The very atmosphere at court shows the Hedgehog Aid to a defamation judgment from last year. There, a teacher had compared a student to the terrorist on Utøya and the government quarter in 2011. The teacher was sentenced to pay NOK 200,000 in compensation to the students. The hedgehog aid estimates that they should receive twice as much in compensation. – Isn’t it a bit special that two non-profit organizations for an endangered animal species are in conflict in this way? – Yes, it’s a bit special, but it’s not so strange when you target the same group of members. We feel that the other party has tried to position itself, says Karlberg. – In a fight for funds and members? – Yes, quite simply, replies the lawyer. QUARREL ABOUT PURPLE: The organization Pinnsvinhjelpen admits that “it’s a bit special” that they have ended up in conflict with another organization that works for exactly the same purpose. Photo: Gorm Kallestad Arken Care: Willing to cooperate Miriam Emina Mæland in Arken Care completely disagrees that the statements made by the organization have been about positioning and funds. – No, no, no, no, no. It is certainly not about money. I just want the animals to get help. I don’t find myself materialistic at all, she says. She thinks the amount is hair-raising and hopes the two organizations can work together in the future. – If they had sharpened up now, then I could publish the finest posts, about what a fantastic job they did. Together, we could have helped quite a few more, she says.
ttn-69
The hedgehog aid sues Arken Care for defamation – news Vestland
