poor tuffy

[Guest guest]

Hamster extinction could cost France millions

 

The rapid disappearance of an endangered hamster -- yes, a hamster -- could cost

France millions of dollars in fines from the European Commission.

 

Just 161 black-bellied hamsters (Cricetus cricetus) remained in France last

year, down from 1,167 in 2001. Once considered a pest, the hamster was poisoned

into near extinction in the 1990s. Today, conservation efforts are trying to

preserve the species, but France hasn't had much luck. The failure, the EC has

warned, could bring France fines of about $26 million (€17 million).

 

While poisoning the rodents is no longer an issue, habitat loss and modern

farming methods continue to devastate the remaining population. Corn, a popular

crop in France (and as we know, just about everywhere else), has replaced other

crops the hamsters once ate, and the critters are starving as a result.

 

Black-bellied hamsters aren't the world's most endangered species, but they are

considered threatened in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Austria, where

they are protected under the European Community Habitats Directive. Meanwhile,

oddly enough, they also remain popular as pets and as medical lab animals.

 

This situation does bring a lot of questions to my mind: Will the threat of a

massive fine inspire France to save the hamster from extinction? Will this type

of punishment give nations a reason to protect their biodiversity? Does the EC

only care because they think the hamster is " cute " ? It's too soon to know the

answers to these questions, but I think we'll be revisiting them in the

not-too-distant future.

 

 

Posted by John Platt on Jun 6, 2008 at 10:16 AM

 

 

“We now know that a neo-conservative is an arsonist who sets the house on fire

and six years later boasts that no one can put it out.†- Bill Moyers