A Eurasian Hamster (Cricetus cricetus) in a cemetery in Vienna
Dear Readers, the only time I have ever seen a wild European hamster was when I spotted a very dead and squished one on a path above Sölden in Austria, but it appears that I was looking in the wrong place. Although this little rodent is critically endangered across its whole range (generally eastwards from Belgium), there is a growing population in the cemeteries of Vienna. There, the hamsters are said to steal the candles from the graves and pull them into their underground dens: the wax is a a useful source of fat during the cold Viennese winters. I for one would not begrudge them.
Another Viennese cemetery hamster (Photo Sphoo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
What is especially interesting to me is that the Vienna Cemetery people have welcomed a citizen science project, where people record their wildlife sightings – there have been a dozen species of mammals (including foxes, who will no doubt enjoy the occasional hamster as a light snack), 80 species of birds, and hundreds of species of other animals across their 46 cemeteries. How fascinating it would be to record something similar in our local cemeteries! I might try and get something going when I retire. I suspect, however, that the presence of endangered species in one of ‘my’ cemeteries might be extremely inconvenient for the management of some of them, where large areas are already being cleared for additional graves.
Most people’s exposure to hamsters consists of having a golden hamster as a pet – these are actually Syrian hamsters, and if handled from very young can become ridiculously tame. We had a ‘free-range’ hamster called Hammy (such imagination) and she was feisty enough to run up to our rabbit (Ben the Bun since you ask) and steal whole baby carrots from him while he looked on with an expression of disbelief. We also had a pair of Russian hamsters, who look adorable but are extremely bitey little things. Nowadays, I can’t help but feel sorry for small animals of all kinds in cages and hutches if they don’t have access to a bigger, more exciting space, and the freedom to live out their lives as they were meant to.
A rather adorable Syrian hamster (Photo By Harpoen – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23278931)
But back to the hamsters of Vienna. The European hamster is the largest hamster in the world (though admittedly not all that big) and can grow to the hefty weight of one whole pound (that’s 460 grams for anyone metrically minded). The species can also live to eight years, and, as it can start breeding at 43 days, and has litters that number up to 15 young, you would think that the world would be overrun, in much the same way as it was with Tribbles in Star Trek. Alas, between the intensive farming, the light pollution (hamsters are nocturnal), climate change (the hamsters usually hibernate but the warmer temperatures are confusing them) and persecution. Honestly, who could persecute a hamster? We really are shocking sometimes.
A European hamster with cheekpouches full of something tasty (Photo SgH Vienna, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)
One good thing is that although usually solitary, the European hamster breeds well in captivity – there are breeding programmes all over Europe which aim to release the hamster back into its native habitat, where suitable areas can be found. I note that in 2011, France was threatened with fines of up to 25m Euro by the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to protect the animal because of their agricultural and urbanisation policies. By 2014 France had started a captive breeding programme which aims to release 500 hamsters into the countryside every year, in areas where the farmers are paid not to harvest their fields. Well, this sounds like a rare and most welcome tiny victory for rodents everywhere.
And just in case you fancy watching a pair of European hamsters having a tussle in a Viennese cemetery, have a look here.
And here is one getting some food in for the winter.
Honestly, I know where I’m going next time I’m in Vienna.