Field hamsters are being released back into the wild in northern Saxony

Field hamsters are to be released into the wild again this year in northern Saxony. The animals are to be released into the wild on two fields, according to the Saxon State Environment Agency. The project is part of an EU-funded species conservation project involving Leipzig Zoo and the State Environment Agency, among others. Field hamsters have already been released into the wild in northern Saxony in 2024 and 2025.

Breeding since 2022

The rodents have been bred at Leipzig Zoo since 2022, now supported by the Bergzoo in Halle and the Tierpark in Berlin. According to the Environment Agency, 226 young animals were bred in 2024 and 265 hamsters in 2025. The areas where the animals are later released into the wild are reportedly "managed in a hamster-friendly way". It was observed that the released animals also had offspring again.

The hamster project will run for six years and is being funded with 12.2 million euros. 75 percent of this is provided by the European Union. The rest is shared by the state of Saxony, Leipzig Zoo and the district of North Saxony.

Field hamsters threatened with extinction in many places

The field hamster is considered to be threatened with extinction in many regions in Germany or - as in Berlin, Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - has already been extinct for some time. According to the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation, it is not possible to quantify how many animals still exist.

The breeding project in Saxony is one of three major projects for the conservation of the species in Germany. The species conservation center in Metelen in North Rhine-Westphalia and Heidelberg Zoo in the Rhine-Neckar region are also breeding hamsters.