It is only around 30 centimeters tall and weighs only 200 grams – but the rodent, which feels at home in Lower Franconia, among other places, is important when it comes to species protection. Because the European hamster is threatened: According to estimates, it could be extinct by 2030. A bad sign for the measures taken by the Free State to protect the species. The animals, which are also acutely threatened with extinction elsewhere, find one of the last refuge areas in Germany in Lower Franconia.
One of the worst problems for hamsters: the intensive agricultural use of its natural habitat. Because he prefers fields and adjacent meadows. But construction projects and the surface sealing that goes with them also pose a threat to the animals. When the giant excavators approach, hamsters have little chance of escaping. Because the hamsters, which are not counted as part of the root family for no reason, live in tunnel systems that they dig into the ground. The European hamster apparently also reacts very sensitively to the consequences of climate change and light pollution. One consequence of this: the females become pregnant later and the number of young animals born each year has decreased by around two thirds compared to the beginning of the 20th century. A dramatic decline that has now also called the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on the scene. Last week he passed a verdict in favor of the rodents.
In Bavaria the “species aid program for hamsters” has existed since 2006. It includes various measures, such as the creation of strips of grain that are not harvested. But the program is still voluntary. Ultimately, the decision-making power to actively protect European hamsters lies with the farmers. And indeed: An inquiry from the Greens revealed that of the 103 hectares of European hamster retreats that were cultivated in Lower Franconia in 2019, only 93 hectares were left in 2020. A clear case for the Bavarian Greens: “Bavaria’s hamsters are in need,” explains Patrick Friedl, nature conservation spokesman for the parliamentary group. “Even in the fifteenth year of the hamster species aid program, there is no breakthrough for hamster protection in Bavaria.”
The European hamster could now get help from Brussels. In one case in Austria, the entrances to the underground structures were destroyed when a construction road was laid. The European Court of Justice has now ruled that the term “breeding site” includes all areas that are necessary for the successful reproduction of an animal species. And that includes the environment of the breeding site. Lucky for the European hamster – because its shelters could soon be bigger again. For Bavaria, Friedl demands: “We urgently need to expand the measures to protect the European hamster.”