France Is Spending 3 Million Euros to Save the Great Hamster of Alsace

[n2doc]

By Mary Beth Griggs

There are only a few hundred Great Hamsters of Alsace left in Alsace. The only wild hamster in Europe, the Great Hamster of Alsace (also known as the European Hamster), grows to be about 10 inches long and has adorable black and white markings.

But being cute, as has been proven time and again, doesn't save a species from extinction. (Although, it doesn't hurt when battling against other species for conservation funding.)

Once considered a farmyard pest, the Great Hamster was systematically killed to the point where only 200 were left in the wild. Then, in 2011, the European Court of Justice intervened, threatening France with fines as high as $24.6 million if they didn’t protect the hamster.

So, now France is protecting the hamster.




Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/saving-great-hamster-alsace-180951359/

[First Speaker]

1. Hey--it's a better use of money than the Maginot Line...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

2. Some "Great Hamster." Teach 'em to eat a mini burrito and we'll talk.

[Kaleva]

3. I thought they were talking about just one hamster who somehow became known as "Great".

[KittyWampus]

4. Headlines and OP Titles don't get much better than that, IMO.

[JI7]

5. i wish roaches would go extinct

[femmocrat]

7. And take stink bugs with them.

ugh

[femmocrat]

6. That little cutie pie is worth every sou!

It seems that they would reproduce rapidly though.

[McCamy Taylor]

8. They should build a theme park, call him "Hubert le Hamster"

and start a entertainment empire based around him. If they do, I promise to visit. Just be sure to write a song better than "It's a Small World After All."

[Aerows]

9. It's precious :)

at 10 inches long, it's about the size of a rat. But far cuter.