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Pleasing breeding success: field hamsters are returning to Northern Saxony!
The EU-funded species protection project to release field hamsters into the wild in Saxony will start in 2025 with initial positive results.
Pleasing breeding success: field hamsters are returning to Northern Saxony!
In May 2025, the second year of release of an important species conservation project to save the endangered European hamster began. A total of 179 field hamsters were successfully released into the wild on two specifically selected fields in northern Saxony. This project, which is being carried out by Leipzig Zoo in collaboration with the Saxon State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG) and the North Saxony District Office, is already showing initial success: the first young animals have been spotted in the fields using wildlife cameras.
The zoo's own breeding station at Leipzig Zoo has so far reported 9 litters with a total of 15 healthy young animals. Although the nests are only opened after two to three weeks in order not to disturb the mother, a comprehensive analysis is carried out regarding litter size, sex ratio and health check. Project manager Thomas Liebenstein expressed the hope that the number of young animals will continue to increase in the coming weeks.
European funding for species protection
From October 1, 2025, the field hamster protection project LIFE4HamsterSaxony will receive financial support from the European Union. The total volume of the project amounts to an impressive 12.2 million euros, 75% of which comes from the EU. This funding is particularly important to ensure the long-term stability of the European hamster population in Central Germany and the entire biodiversity of the region. Zoo director Prof. Jörg Junhold emphasizes the importance of this support for the future of field hamsters.
The project application was submitted in autumn 2024 and benefits from the excellent cooperation of the working group for cooperative field hamster protection, which has existed since 2008. This initiative is critical to the success of the application and the implementation of conservation measures that benefit both the species and the ecosystem.
Public Information and Referral
To raise awareness of the endangered European hamster and provide further information, there are extensive resources on the LfULG website and on the Leipzig Zoo website and under lanu.de. These platforms offer detailed insights into the state of the European hamster population and the importance of species protection measures in Saxony.