Rat plague in Vienna favorites: Feldhamster protection prevents control!

Rat plague in Vienna favorites: Feldhamster protection prevents control!

In Vienna favorites, an unexpected sight causes excitement: an attentive Viennese has spotted several rats in the Searchwirtpark and immediately reported this to a newspaper. What surprises many is the fact that this park enjoys a special protection status, as Feldhamster occurs here, which are strictly protected under European Law and the Vienna Animal Welfare Act. However, the legal requirements consider considerable the options for action of the authorities, which leads to the challenge of rat control.

In recent years, the problems related to the rat population in Vienna have increased. This situation becomes even more complicated by the protective status of the field hamster, which is considered critically at risk, as animal welfare Austria has found. The rarest type of wild hamster in the world can neither be disturbed nor caught or even killed, which significantly limits the effective control measures for rats in smaller parks.

protective measures for Feldhamster

The Viennese city gardens therefore work intensively on legal and effective strategies against the plague of rats, in cooperation with the environmental protection department (MA 22) and specialized pest control companies. The responsibility between the consideration of species and health protection is shared. Current measures include monitoring and evaluation of the rat population and the development of solutions that meet both the legal requirements and effectively control the rat population.

Another challenge is to preserve the field hamster, the inventory of which was already carried out in 2015. The state of preservation of the species was last examined in 2020. The field hamster is listed as endangered as part of the IUCN Red List of Threatrated Species, which increases the pressure of action.

Alternative approaches in rat control

in Vienna there has been a rat regulation since 2005, which provides for rodents to combat rodents. However, a look beyond the borders shows that in some cities in the United States, birth control is already taking place against rat infestation. An innovative approach that the city gardens could also rethink.

In addition, the German Wildlie Foundation with the “Feldhamsterland” project has given important impulses for the active protection of the Feldhamster populations. This project, which has been coordinated since 2018, offers guidelines to preserve the field hamster from extinction. The aim is to create sustainable habitat for the small rodents through the cooperation with farmers and the implementation of effective agricultural environmental measures such as targeted ear harasses and flowering areas.

The challenges are diverse in Vienna. While the city gardens are trying to solve the rat problem, the protection of the field hamster remains a central concern - and not only for biodiversity, but also for the quality of life of the city dwellers.