Scientists from IBER-BAS participated in the conference of the Federal Working Group on Small Mammals (BAG Kleinsäuger e. V.) in Chemnitz, Germany

Photos: Björn Jordan, Tino Vogel and Yordan Koshev 

From 17 to 19 October 2025, the regular conference of the Federal Working Group on Small Mammals (BAG Kleinsäuger e. V.) took place in Chemnitz, Federal Republic of Germany.
The Working Group on Small Mammals is an association of zoos, research centers, universities, and private individuals who breed and raise small mammals. This is often done for conservation purposes—to ensure their protection and long-term survival. Examples of such species include the common hamster (Cricetus cricetus), the Syrian (golden) hamster (Mesocricetus auratus), among others.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Yordan Koshev and PhD student Yasen Gensuzov from the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (IBER-BAS) presented activities from the project “Securing the recovery of the endangered Saker Falcon in Bulgaria and Southern Romania” funded by the European Union’s LIFE Programme.

Yasen Gensuzov gave a lecture titled “Keeping, breeding and re-introduction of the Romanian hamster (Mesocricetus newtoni),” which was met with great interest. The Romanian hamster is endemic to Bulgaria and Romania and is practically unknown to science, making any information about its biology and ecology highly valuable to scientists worldwide.