the hamsters of alsace - nature picture library · 2014-10-17 · the hamsters of alsace in pockets...
TRANSCRIPT
THE HAMSTERS OF ALSACE
In pockets of low-lying farmland in France, a small rodent is the subject of much controversy, stirring up tensions between politicians, farmers and conservationists.
The rodent in question is the Black-bellied hams-ter. Previously considered a pest, this species has been formally protected by ministerial decree since 1996, along with the wolf, bear and lynx.
Yet, despite this protection the species has been in steep decline since 2010, and the disappearance of this little known species would have a dramatic impact on the structure of the local ecosystem.
A Threatened Symbol of Biodiversity
All images © Eric Baccega / naturepl.com
The Black-bellied hamster (Cricetus cri-cetus), also known as the European or Common hamster, is the only member of the Cricetus genus.
They are much larger than their more familiar relative the Syrian hamster, growing to lengths of 25-30cm and weighing up to 400g. The hamsters act as an indicator of good ecological health, as their pres-ence not only provides a food source for foxes, eagles and other predators, but also demonstrates that the habitat is suitable for other small mammals and birds such as partridge and pole-cats.
They live a solitary nocturnal or cre-puscular life in the wild, and inhabit a complex system of burrows which can reach depths of 2 meters.
They are fiercely territorial and each burrow is occupied by one individual, with the exception of a mother and her young.
Native to large areas of Eurasia, the Black-bellied hamster ranges from Belgium to the Altai Moun-tains in Russia.
Originally favouring a habitat of fertile steppe and grassland, as human activities encroached on their range hamsters have suc-cessfully spread into man-made environments including mea-dows, croplands and field edges.
Globally the population of Black-bellied hamsters is not conside-red to be vulnerable, yet locally in areas of Belgium, France and Ger-many populations are critically endangered.
Distribution & Habitat
Many European populations, including that of the Alsace in France, are now small and fragmented due to historical perse-cution. The threat to this population is further compounded by changes in agricultural practice.
Lucerne fields are ideal habitat for hamsters, but are no longer
financially viable for farmers.
Hamsters prefer habitat created by sowing a mix of crops such as wheat, barley or oats, and perennial legumes such as alfalfa (lucerne). The maize monoculture, which now occupies 80% of the agricultural land in the Alsace region causes a number of problems.
Maize provides very little cover in spring which is when the hamsters are breeding and at their most active, which
leaves them very vulnerable to predators. Maize monocultures, while easier for farmers
to manage and harvest, reduce the amount of habitat suitable for
hamsters.
The evolution of ever more efficient techniques for cereal cultivation also impacts on the hamsters’ sur-vival, and could lead to local extinc-tion.
Modern machinery leaves a greatly reduced stubble layer in autumn meaning there is less food and cover for young when they are born.
Deep ploughing and early tillage also pose threats to hamsters’ survival.Agricultural Conflict
In 1993 the Association for the Protection of Wildlife (L’association Sauvegarde Faune Sauvage, SFS) was created in Elsenheim in the Lower Rhine Valley.
The Black-bellied hamster was declared a protected spe-cies by the French government and they established a program to rear, breed and reintroduce black-bellied hamsters into the wild.
However by 2009 it was still considered among ‘the most endangered mammals in Europe’ by the Euro-pean Commission because the number of burrows continued to decline, from 1,167 in 2001 to 161 in 2007, a trend which continued until 2009.
In 2011 the Court of Justice in Luxembourg ruled that France had failed to protect the Black-bellied hamster. The court said that if France did not adjust its agricul-tural and urbanization policies sufficiently to protect the Black-bellied hamster, the government would be subject to considerable fines of as much as 800,000 Euros per day.
In August 2012 a ministerial decree was issued which required that a radius of 600 metres around each bur-row located be managed in such a way as to be suitable for hamsters to breed.
This ruling was not well received by local politicians and even the SFS feared it may lead to the mass des-truction of hamster burrows, in order to prevent fu-ture urban development projects being blocked.
The SFS now runs 3 breeding centres which are dedicated to the breeding and reintroduction of Black-bellied hamsters into the Alsace region, with the aim of reintroducing approximately 500 hamsters per year.
Breeding Centres
The females are very aggressive and must accept a male for mating. As a precaution, the male is kept in a cage before they can be properly introduced.
Under the watchful eye of scientist Celine Boulage, the hamsters breed once before being released back into the wild.
This system has proved successful as a repro-duction rate of around 30% is achieved.
Breeding Programme
The female gives birth to a litter of 5 young on average. Gestation lasts 21 days, and the young are weaned 21 days later.
The babies are born deaf and blind. On their se-cond day they show black pigment on their back.
By the fifth day the back has a light covering of dark fur and black hairs appear on the belly.
2 days old
5 days old
Once the hamsters are old enough they are re-leased by ONCFS (National Office for Hunting and Wildlife).
82% of the hamster population is concentrated in five communities situated in the Lower Rhine.
Reintroduction
Martin Klipfel, Mayor of Grussenheim, shown with Jean-Paul Burget (President of SFS), supports the hamster project, but understands the frustration felt by farmers who find their construction projects blocked due to the pres-ence of hamster burrows on their land.
On 8th June 2013, 115 hamsters were released in 3 hectares of standing wheat, which will not be harvested, to allow the hamster reintroduction the best possible chance of success.
He is taking part in the hamster reintroduction project and holds one of the 3 breeding centres on his land, and certain of his fields are dedicated solely to the hamster reintroduction.
The standing wheat, which will not be harvested, will allow the ani-mals to find food and shelter from spring until autumn. In return for his co-operation in the reintroduction project, he receives com-pensation from the government.
Christian Schmitt is a local farmer who owns around 100 hectares of land at Elsenheim, where he grows maize, lucerne and wheat.
Monitoring the existing population and success of the reintroductions is another aspect to the work done by SFS, and they work closely with the ONCFS to achieve this.
Monitoring Wild Populations
On land where farmers have accepted the presence of hamsters, the ONCFS applies the new protocol for protecting the hams-ters. At Blaesheim the recent releases have allowed a new wild population to emerge.
In the spring, as the breeding season approaches, the ONCFS conducts a new census of the burrows and tags animals in order to find out more about their biological cycle.
Males are released immediately, but any females caught are sent to the CNRS in Strasbourg where a vet implants a heat sensitive transmitter in their abdomen to allow their movements to be tracked. Once fitted with this device, the females are released and the ONCFS staff conduct a radio check twice a week.
The hamsters are caught by placing tasty morsels such as carrots and onions in a “sexing box”.
The aim of this project, set up as part of the 2012-2016 National Action Plan, is to unders-tand the demographic parameters of a wild hamster population evolving in optimal condi-tions.
This study will also allow the researchers to esta-blish the correlation between the permanent ground cover vegetation and the number of litters, in order to determine the causes for the decline of the Black-bellied hamster and its hopes for survival.
To find solutions which both protect the species and agricultural production is a challenge to which both ONCFS and DREAL (the Regional Office for Environment, Development and Hou-sing) are working to find a solution.
The Black-bellied hamster of Alsace has the potential to become, like the white stork, an emblematic animal for the region.
However, it still suffers from the negative image of an animal which is harmful to crops which prevailed in the past. An image which may well be difficult to change.
