Already saved 15 red book furry animals: how the Wild Hamster Rescue Center works
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During half a year of work, the Center for the Rescue of Wild Hamsters managed to save 15 rodents in the Chernivtsi and Vinnytsia regions. These animals are listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.
As noted by the Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (UNCG), hamsters often cause damage to people, and therefore animals may be threatened with destruction. Because of this, an initiative to save rodents was launched in the summer of 2023.
“When we receive a message that someone has a hamster living on their property, we come and inspect the area. If there really is this animal, we catch it“, says teriologist Mykhailo Rusin.
In a comment to “UP. Life”, he said that the Hamster Rescue Center is the only one in Ukraine. This practice is not common even in Europe.
| PHOTO: Ukrainian nature protection group |
“Wild hom‘how he likes to live in gardens and eat potatoes. Unfortunately, people kill them, especially in villages. There are no data for Ukraine, but, for example, in Hungary, farmers and gardeners kill up to 100,000 such animals every year“, he says.
If on the scale of a farm, these fluffs do not cause much damage, then on a small dacha or vegetable garden, the damage from them is noticeable.
“We talked with farmers of Kyiv region and other regions. They say they don’t see much difference in yields between fields with and without wild hamsters. Some 10 kilograms of grain, what are they with‘are eaten, in fact, are invisible among the tons of crops.
Therefore, our project is more aimed at private households, where people are harmed by wild hamsters and are even ready to kill the animal, just to save those few kilograms of potatoes“, Rusin adds.
After rescue, the animals are released as far as possible from populated areas. And if they need veterinary care (due to injury or infection after a “meeting” with cats and dogs), they are taken for an extended stay.
“Our goal is not only to save hamsters, but also to make people understand why they cannot be destroyed, to teach humane treatment of rodents. And the ultimate goal – so that people learn to coexist with wild animal species“, the teriologist explains.
What to do if you saw a wild hamster on your property?
The Center provides an algorithm of actions:
- take a photo of the animal, or better – shoot a video;
- go to the page of the Hamster Rescue Center and report the find, adding photos and videos;
- do not touch the animal with your hands: a hamster can bite because it has strong jaws and sharp teeth;
- if the animal has already been caught, it should be kept in a deep bucket, you can feed it with what grows in the garden;
- do not set traps for hamsters, do not hunt, do not feed dogs on them.
Earlier we wrote that Red Book hamsters were brought to Odesa and settled in the steppe of the landscape reserve “Tarutinsky Steppe” of the Bolgrad District.
Read also: The largest bison herd in Ukraine lives in Lviv region
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