Stamps Wiki:EUROPA2021/3

Belarus

EUROPA. Endangered National Wildlife

4 May 2021

On 4 May 2021 the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus issued 2 stamps "Endangered National Wildlife" bearing the EUROPA logo.

The postage stamp depicts a European hamster, a large rodent with a beautiful variegated colour. The rodent has been assigned the highest wildlife conservation status of critically endangered species. A few decades ago, the European hamster was so widespread that it was considered a dangerous pest to agriculture and was subject to destruction. This led to a sharp decline in its numbers. To save hamsters in Belarus, the “Hamster, gopher and flying squirrel: save super rodents!” initiative is implemented. This is a search for hamsters holes, with the aim of transferring their habitats to a protected area. The species is included in the Red Book of the Republic of Belarus, Appendix II of the Berne Convention, the European Union Directive on habitats.