Hamster are one of the most endangered mammals in Germany. Especially the intensive agriculture and building projects, make them their habitat in dispute. But now they get support.
The cute hamster (Cricetus cricetus) have lost the fight against modern agriculture. There is hardly anyone left in Germany. In the meantime, you were in this country on the brink of extinction. Overall, are expected to live in Germany, barely 100,000 of the small rodents. Most of them are in Bavaria and Saxony-Anhalt.
Although – or precisely because – at risk of not 25 centimeters of small animals so strong, prepare for some people major problems. Sometimes people are subject to the Hamsters such as in the dispute. So was it the billionaire Dietmar Hopp. The chief of the Software giant SAP and patron of the football Bundesliga club HSG Hoffenheim and the city of Mannheim, wanted to jointly build a sports arena. But the terrain was, of all things, recognised as one of the last hamster colonies in Baden-württemberg – with 92 animals.
Consequently, the stadium is a few hundred metres from the planned site had to be built. “Hamster move SAP-Arena”, “money hoarders” or “an ecoterrorist group” – these were the creative headlines in the press then.
In 1999, the EU had initiated Commission due to massive neglect of the hamster population, an infringement procedure against the Federal Republic of Germany. The then environment Commissioner, Margot Wallström, was threatened with a prosecution before the European court of justice.
More: Why the government millions for hamster?
The hamster as a Phantom
In Aachen, the construction of a German threatened to fail-Dutch business parks because of the hamster problem, which the European Commission subsidies in the amount of the equivalent of tens of millions of euros put on ice.
12,000 new jobs were at the location on the Dump. The allegation: The German authorities had failed during the planning phase, to examine both Alternatives for the location of the commercial space as to search for a potential new habitat for the animals. The proponents of the Park, countered: there was never a Hamster.
With Lobby – without the habitat of the European hamster
In North Rhine-Westphalia in the field hamster in 2005, was even save for the election campaign-figure: The Green wanted him, but because they did not know where the type was exactly, blocked the former government party, several of the areas and construction projects. Whereupon the leader of the opposition, Jürgen Rüttgers (CDU), who led the animal as a Symbol, to show how the state government is environmental protection, advancing to operate anti-business policies. In a some speech he made to accommodate ten times the word “hamster”. The fronts were hardened.
In the daily press, the hamster was a scapegoat: “a Hamster is more important than jobs”, “Hamster more important than brown coal-fired power plants” and “economic brake with a thick fur”, so some of the Headings were.
The heavy state of the field hamster has to do today with the fact that he earlier had a bad reputation. In the GDR he was regarded in the 1970s as a “crop pest”. The hamster plague was controlled by the fact that a man was forced to sew the fur coats and hats.
Race against time
There are many more reasons that brought the mammals almost to the brink of extinction: The application of too much manure and arable drugs, intensively used and fertile soils, the loves, the Art.
Development and urban sprawl of the landscape by roads, rail, residential and commercial areas. The growth of mono-cultures, always earlier Harvests, following barren Lands, the animals no cover for enemies from the air are vulnerable, thorough harvesting machines, the each grain, and thus the Hamster is the basis of the food escape. There is a lack of protection, food, and Material for the build of the animals.
Hopefully soon more of them: the field hamster mother with young animal in the building
According to the European Flora-Fauna-Habitat-Directive has been determined to the hamster as a ”strictly protected species” and is on the Red list of endangered species.
Used it has little – in Spite of the relocation of the hamster remains in many places, disappeared. In view of the dramatic situation, Heinz Kowalski from North Rhine-calls-Westphalian nature protection Federation Germany (NABU), greater efforts in the implementation of species protection programs, no development of the last of field hamsters inhabited areas, and an emergency breeding program.
Meanwhile, conservationists have brought with official permission five hamsters in the Netherlands. In the Gaia Zoo in Kerkrade, to be bred since 1999, and hamster.
The city of Mannheim in 2001, a species aid programme initiated. “It’s so far managed to keep the hamster from extinction,” says its Director, Ulrich Weinhold. He admits: “to get back to a viable, stable populations of Hamster, it needs, above all, a ‘greener’ agriculture, which brings more diversity and structure in the cleared field corridors. Here are the biggest conflicts.”
The biologist has been working for his diploma thesis with the genre. In the meantime, he has made a name for himself internationally as a field hamster Pope. In the course of his research activities, he have learned “that this knitted superficially so simple, and for us all the same-looking animals have a very complex beings and just as much individuality to show as we are.”
The Evolution’ve brought 1.370.000 animals and 300,000 species of plants in the world. We humans are only a species of it and should not feel, therefore, authorized the Use of animal – or plant species to be questioned, he replies on the question of the Use of the hamster.
Weinhold operates the Institute for Faunistics in Heiligkreuzsteinach. In the nearby Heidelberg Zoo has a breeding station set up. 170 hamsters are bred per year, pelts were used in clothing, then on suitable land in the Federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Weinholdmonitored the Population on behalf of the German wild animal Foundation. He has charted to build, and contracts with growers closed, which can take a compensation payment for the Habitat maintenance of the hamster.
If the mowers Stubble, you can hide the animals from birds of prey.
In the case of the crop in a targeted area of Cereals to be allowed to stand. On the harvested areas, the farmers grow alfalfa to cover, as a source of food and building material. “If we don’t manage to save the hamster, is a fairly undemanding species for food and habitat, then it is also not the types to succeed in communities in the field to preserve the corridor,” says the biologist.
In addition to the hamsters, the so-called farmland birds suffer as Skylark and partridge under a system of farming that over the decades into the life of the enemy has become. “We have to reclaim more land for the species in the agricultural landscape and habitat network. If this succeeds, the Hamster will survive. This sounds simple but it’s damned difficult,” says Ulrich Weinhold and now receives prominent support of the policy.
“Germany should be hamster of the country”, expressed the Federal environment Minister, Svenja Schulze (SPD), which created the eponymous project. The agricultural landscapes in five States should be designed so that they provide the hamster habitat. This also includes field to be trained hamster protectors.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersAs well as unknown
No other wild cat is little explored, such as the black-footed cat. One of the reasons: The shy animals are difficult to spot. They are only about half as big as house cats. A full-grown cat and weighs only about 1.9 kg, females 1.3 kilograms. Researchers estimate the inventory to only about 10,000 animals. In South Africa and Botswana, they are strictly protected.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersAn inhospitable home
Black-footed cats live in the low precipitation in the arid zones of southern Africa, in the savannahs and semi-desert of the Karoo and Kalahari. Main distribution South Africa, Namibia and Botswana. A couple of black-footed cats live in Zimbabwe and Angola.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersGood Hunters
Other animals should be good on the hat: On their nightly raids of a black-footed cat catches approximately every 50 minutes, a Rodent or a bird. As this Gackeltrappe – it is after all, a half a Meter tall. The wild cats can catch birds even in flight. Up to 1.4 meters high and 2 meters wide of a black-footed cat can jump.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersCourage and readiness to fight
Black-footed cats are shy, to fight bravely against attackers, even against the snakes. Here is a cat just before the attack. Black-footed cats eat the non-poisonous snakes. Clear be less defensive animals-like easy prey. About a Cape hare, which is smaller than a hare, but with up to 2.5 kilograms, significantly larger than the cat itself.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersA case for Dr. Sliwa!
Even if the black-footed cats live in the vicinity of settlements, it may be that the inhabitants know nothing of their existence. The animals are very shy. Alexander Sliwa of the Black-Footed Cat Working Group is looking at here is a aerial animals, which he equipped with radio transmitters. Since 1992, the zoologist is researching the Cologne Zoo black-footed cats.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersThe entrance to the cat Kingdom
Currently, twelve animals are fitted with Radio collars. Sometimes, however, the zoologists also need to get closer. But how? The animals live in the buildings of spring hares, bristle squirrel, Porcupines and the basement, visitors are. Abandoned termite mounds are popular with them as well-air-conditioned dwellings.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersProtection from predators
In the cat apartments, cat babies are safe. A black-footed cat throws up, usually one or two Young after a gestation period of 63 to 68 days. The mother animals change their shelter on a regular basis. So you want to prevent jackals or other Prey to find grab, the Small.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersThere is only the pickaxe helps
The zoologists want to get a cat out of such underground construction, you must take heavy equipment: pickaxe and shovel. In the heat of the day in the South African December summer, the right hard work.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersCaught!
The cat sits in the network now, just don’t let him go! Firm grip is necessary if you want to examine the pet on the heart and kidneys. So the cat is not too stressed out, there is immediately an anesthetic syringe. Then the investigation can begin.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersRobbers explore
Since 2005, there is an international working group on the protection of black-footed cats. Researchers from the USA, South Africa and Germany meet once a year for three weeks, to catch animals with collars. Here you see the cats blood, feces, urine, saliva, adipose tissue and semen.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersThe Proof
The foot is black! To Climb the feet of cats are not so well suited as in the case of little cats – it is in your home easy too little trees. They are excellent runners: A cat lays back in the night up to 30 kilometers.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersFatal Metabolic Disease
In the case of the captive animals, the zoologists pay particular attention to signs of a rare metabolic disease, amyloidosis. The cats die. The disease is diagnosed, researchers first, in the case of zoo animals and led to a dramatic decline in stocks. In 2015, it showed the disease for the first time in an animal from the wild.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersWoke up!
According to the investigation, there is a growth medium for the kitten. Then they will be put back in their construction and can recover from the shock. But for the researchers, the work begins now in earnest. You want to not only check the health of the cats, but also their behavior and daily routine understand.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersVideo surveillance in the desert
With Photo the zoologists, what happens to the released cats to watch: they behave according to the Wake up normal? You are well? Let’s see, who is now the first to put his nose out of the construction. The video to falling catch in the Moment-to-films, where in front of the lens anything moves.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersSmile please!
The cats tend to react a bit suspicious on the devices. The to beats, but then often quickly in curiosity. This Blackfoot, the procedure has survived kitten appears to be well and to look at whether the weird, researchers are finally gone.
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Rare, elusive, tiny desert raidersOn the Red list
The zoologist Alexander Sliwa has found for the first time Details about prey choice, areas and reproductive behaviour of the black-footed cats. So it was possible that the threat of the species to realistically assess. The world conservation Union IUCN classifies the species as “endangered”.