France diverts 3 million euros to save wild Hamsters

France has one of the biggest network of highways in Europe and also one of the most industrialized agriculture on the continent. However, this brought only bad news for the Great Hamster.

Now the country has to spend 3 million euros in an attempt to save the endangered specie. It is the only wild specie of hamster living in Europe and the country has failed to protect it. The numbers of wild hamster has been reduced dramatically in the last two decades. The European Union has criticized France on not doing enough to save the small rodent.

Official figures show that the population has less than 1,000 members, Authorities in Alsace (fifth smallest region in France) launched this week operation “Alister”. 3 million euros have been diverted to boost the endangered specie in the next years.

Authorities plan to create small passageways under existing highways and roads so wild animals could move around and also inform large farmers that the Alsace Hamster is not a pest. The wild Hamster has been protected by law since 1993, but its number plummeted ever since. It now lives only in a few regions in Alsace.

A few years ago France has been criticized again by the European Court of Justice on the same subject. The court said back then that France isn't doing enough to save the endangered specie and threatened the government with fines up to 20 million euros.