October 29, 2021

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has further strengthened the protection of the habitat of the European hamsters, which are threatened with extinction

This emerges from a judgment of the ECJ published on Thursday (case C-357/20).

Accordingly, the term “breeding site” includes all areas that are necessary for the successful reproduction of an animal species – including the area surrounding the breeding site.
In the case of the threatened European hamster, a different interpretation of the term could mean that the areas required for the reproduction and the birth of the young animals would not be protected, the ECJ found.

The background to the judgment is a request from the Vienna Administrative Court.
It is about the interpretation of an EU species protection directive. Specifically, it is about construction work in Austria for which a construction road was laid.
Not only was there no permit for this, they also destroyed entrances to hamster burrows.

As a result, an administrative authority imposed a fine on the manager of the company commissioned with the construction.
The latter then lodged a complaint with the administrative court.

European hamster on the red list since 2020

In an earlier judgment on the case, the ECJ had already ruled that resting and breeding sites for field hamsters may not be destroyed even if the animals no longer use them, but may return there.

The European hamster has been on the Red List as critically endangered since 2020 and could not survive for the next 30 years.
Environmentalists see the main reason for the intensive agriculture, which takes the cute animals away from their habitat.

In their new ruling, the judges have also clarified the differences between “damage” and “destruction” of a breeding site or resting place.

Accordingly, it denotes the gradual reduction in ecological functionality or its complete loss – regardless of whether this is done on purpose.

https://www.geo.de/natur/tierwelt/europaeischer-gerichtshof-schuezt-feldhamster-30876114.html

And I mean…It is estimated that the European hamster population has declined by 99 percent since the 1950s.

Not only modern agriculture with the use of chemicals and powerful technology is a threat to the European hamster, but also the land consumption by humans.

In the industrialized country of Germany, around 60 hectares are sealed every day, i.e. more than 80 football fields are built with asphalt or buildings. This area is lost to nature.
And also the habitat of many animals.

The European hamster is dependent on the agricultural landscape. There he finds steppe-like habitats in which he digs his burrows and finds rich food.
But because modern agriculture brings in the harvest earlier and almost completely, the European hamster not only lacks cover and thus protection from enemies, but above all sufficient food for wintering.
If they fail to gather enough food, they will not survive the winter.

Now the ECJ has finally strengthened the right of endangered animals to their habitat: not only their burrows should be protected, but the entire environment.

This is really good news and we are very happy.

My best regards to all, Venus

Once upon a time, infamous drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar decided to use a portion of his obscene wealth to establish his own private zoo at his home in Colombia.

What began as four hippos — dubbed “cocaine hippos” due to their association with Escobar — over the past almost forty years has grown into a population of 100 hippos living in Colombia’s Magdalena River.

They wound up there through no fault of their own and are just making a home for themselves. But now, the Colombian government wants to kill them all off.
We can’t let that happen!

Luckily, these hippos aren’t without defenders.
The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) is suing the government of Colombia to stop these killings, and the case is ongoing in court.
But already, the case has yielded an amazing new result.

The U.S. courts became involved in a small portion of the lawsuit — and for the first time, have now legally declared animals as persons under U.S. law.
In this particular instance, that includes the hippos!

Legal personhood for the hippos is a huge deal, because it means they (and maybe in the future, other animals) can have lawyers represent their interests, and to have matters concerning their health and wellbeing heard in court.

Legal personhood is a hugely important tool for protecting animals’ rights and preventing cruelty.
Right now, it’s being used to help these descendants of Escobar’s cocaine hippos.

In the future, it could potentially help neglected and abused animals at roadside zoos, or whales at SeaWorld.

In Colombia, animals — including these hippos — actually already have legal standing, meaning they can have lawyers and bring lawsuits to ensure their interests are protected.

According to Newsweek, in July, Colombian attorney Luis Domingo Gómez Maldonado filed a lawsuit on behalf of the animals to prevent them from being slaughtered, claiming that sterilisation was a preferable alternative.
But having it in the U.S. now too gives them one more leg up in this battle for their lives.

Now that the U.S. and Colombia are both in agreement that hippos have legal personhood, it’s time for the Colombian government to also abandon its horrible plan to kill off these hippos who did nothing wrong.

If the hippos can’t live where they’ve been existing in the Magdalena River, that’s fine — but there are other alternatives besides mass slaughter.

Sign the petition to demand protections for these 100 innocent hippos!

https://www.thepetitionsite.com/de/741/636/634/

And I mean…Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, the most famous drug dealer on earth was shot dead in 1993.

A man with more cash than Bezos, Pablo amassed a huge collection of exotic animals for his private zoo in the Medellin.
Illegally smuggled into the country, the media quickly nicknamed them ‘Cocaine Hippos’.

The ‘cocaine hippos’ are the descendants of animals Escobar illegally imported to his Colombian ranch in the 1980s when he reigned over the country’s drug trade.

After his death most animals were relocated with the exception of four hippos.

Although its generally believed they escaped, rumours were rampant they were intentionally set free. Their numbers greatly increased in the wild, today it’s estimated over one hundred hippos are swimming in the waterways, and are believed to be the biggest herd outside Africa

Some autorities might approve extreme measures such as culling the animals. They say the hippos pose an immediate threat to the local ecology and humans.

Other experts believe they are “restoring ecological services” that have been lost for thousands of years owing to “human-driven extinctions.”

And we say: They are like the village pets.
People must be more afraid of the snakes than the hippos.

In addition: Rescuing them is a matter of principle, and really part of a larger movement that works to ensure that the interests of animals are represented in court.

We are not asking for a new law to be passed. We only demand that animals have the opportunity to enforce the rights already granted to them.

Therefore-sign and share the Petition

My best regards to all, Venus