Le hamster commun (Cricetus cricetus L.) en Belgique: statut actuel et ancien des populations

Fossif remains of hamsters from the late Pleistocene were found in Belgium. But this animal seems to have disappeared between that period and the mid 19th century. When again registrated it was only found in the "le pays de Herve" between Herve and Limbourg. Then it progressively reached the center of Brabant, the westernmost part of its range. In the early 20th century, hamsters were so numerous that people were going through an aradication campaign to prevent the damaging of their crops. However, we believe that the major reasons of its present scarcity were the sound modifications of the agricultural technology and landscape (mechanization, regrouping of land, deep ploughing after the harvest...) Hamsters live now in Hesbaye, the Pays de Herve and in the east of Brabant. But they are so few that it appears to take some conservation measures