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The common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) occupies a controversial position among mammals inhabiting agricultural areas, as it is possibly the only critically endangered species that is legally targeted by lethal control methods, making it a conflict‐generating pest. We surveyed various stakeholders, agrarian consultants, wildlife rangers, and residents for the first time in Hungary, with two interrelated questionnaires to obtain accurate information about hamster populations, and to learn about the participants knowledge of, and attitude toward hamsters in order to provide fundamental information for planning and strengthening social embeddedness. Additionally, we prepared the current distribution map of the hamster. Based on the relatively wide distribution and locally high abundance of the species, Hungary has a key role in hamster conservation. We identified several factors, which can contribute to successful species protection. The results indicated that more than 60% of the respondent's liked hamsters. In contrast, only a few residents considered hamsters in their settlement to be beneficial. Our results suggest that the hamster's reputation is disproportionately negative due to vaguely known perceptions of harm as compared with actual reported damage. This imbalance could be rectified through enhanced communication efforts. Improving the species' reputation is integral to effective species conservation initiatives. Current pest control practices (poisons and snap traps) kill the hamsters, even though 82% of the residents would prefer to keep the hamsters alive, conforming to conservation efforts. The results also indicated that the hamster could be a flagship species in Hungary. Knowledge of the protected status of the hamster predicted a positive attitude toward the species and related to nature conservation consciousness. We conclude that requirements of residents should be included in the species action plan along with the experts' knowledge, as this could contribute to successful, long‐term conservation of the hamster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this review is to provide a brief summary, based on a decade and a half of intensive research, of the past and future of the rodent species currently known as the Hungarian birch mouse, Sicista trizona (Frivaldszky, 1865). The species is endemic to the Carpathian Basin and listed as Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature. Past evidence is reinterpreted to provide an updated perspective on the species' probable historical distribution and to discuss expectations for the future. In addition, a brief summary of previously unpublished results is provided: vegetation surveys of the known habitats, annual census and monitoring, genetic studies, and the launch of a captive breeding programme. Ten years ago, experts working on the conservation of this species were very pessimistic about its future, but today the results of the latest surveys, having knowledge of the appropriate management techniques and new directions in the species conservation, are encouraging. If we are able to maintain the Sicista research and conservation programme based on the results, and environmental factors do not change drastically, there is a good chance that we can manage to ensure long-term protection and maintenance for the population of Hungarian birch mouse. With five figures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Southern birch mouse ( Sicista subtilis) is a small-sized rodent species characteristic of the Palearctic steppes with westernmost occurrences in central Europe. The species was considered to be extinct in Transylvania (central Romania), but in our field survey we captured three living individuals near the city of Cluj-Napoca. On the basis of nuclear interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 sequences, we assessed the taxonomic status of the newly found S. subtilis population by comparing them to available sequences, including the sequences of its subspecies. The Transylvanian samples were found to be genetically closest to the Hungarian samples of S. subtilis trizona. These new records extend the known geographic range of this rediscovered species and provide additional information on its habitat preference and external morphological features. Moreover, our phylogenetic tree reconstruction for seven Sicista taxa provides a basic insight into the phylogenetic relationships of the genus, placing the northern Eurasian taxa ( S. betulina and S. subtilis) at the crown of the tree and the central Asian taxa at the base of the tree. The Transylvanian occurrence of S. subtilis trizona, which is endemic to the Carpathian Basin, is of high faunistic value as a result of an increase in the number of known populations of this subspecies - one of the most endangered rodents of Europe - from one to two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the distribution and morphometric variations of the Southern birch mouse or Sicista subtilis found in East-Poland. For the study, researchers examined owl pellets found in the Lublin region. Researchers found a morphometric variation of Sicista subtilis which has a craniometrical size generally smaller compared to the Ukranian core population. They hypothesized that the Sicista subtilis found in Poland may be influenced by differences in prey base, resulting from various habitats.