European ground squirrel conservation

The European ground squirrel used to be common in meadows and pastures until the 1950s. The species is endemic to central and south-eastern Europe, in countries such as Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.

In just forty years, the species has declined sharply and is today classified as Critically Endangered on the international IUCN Red List. The European ground squirrel has been eradicated from both Germany and Croatia. The reduction is due to the habitats of the weasel disappearing as steppe lands were cultivated and the landscape grew again when the proportion of grazing animals decreased. Today, European ground squirrel often hang out in man-made places such as golf courses, playgrounds, airports, campsites and colony farms – places where they are unfortunately not very welcome.

Many of the remaining populations are small, fragmented and at risk of local extinction. To save the European ground squirrel from extinction, direct rescue efforts are required. Release projects for the species are underway in several countries around Europe.

What we do at Nordens Ark

In the Czech Republic, a release project is underway to reintroduce the European ground squirrel to its former range. The project mainly works with strengthening remaining populations, re-establishing the species in new locations through releases, and restoring habitats so that they are suitable for the European ground squirrels. The conservation work also involves surveying areas that can or will become suitable habitats for European ground squirrels through future releases. Research, education and spreading awareness are also important parts of the project.

To contribute to the re-establishment, Nordens Ark sends young ground squirrels born in the park to the release project in the Czech Republic. In 2021 we sent our first 18 individuals for release and the following year 19 individuals. There are several zoos around Europe that contribute European ground squirrels to the releases. Which European ground squirrels are to be sent for release is determined by the project in order to get as wide a genetic variation as possible, therefore it is not every year that Nordens Ark directly has the opportunity to contribute.

European ground squirrel during a health check before release in the Czech Republic.

News from the project – January 2026

During the summer of 2025, a total of 115 European ground squirrels were released at five different sites in the Czech Republic, in cooperation with both Czech and international organisations.

Of these, 55 individuals, including 35 from Nordens Ark, were released at two sites in south-eastern Czech Republic, in an area known as Moravia. Both sites are areas where ground squirrels are already present, but where numbers have declined in recent years and existing populations are in need of reinforcement.

The release took place on 17 July. The two sites are located close to each other, separated only by a river, and there are three additional ground squirrel populations in the surrounding area. One week later, on 24 July, a further 60 ground squirrels from European zoos and Czech rescue centres were released at three sites within the protected Central Bohemian Highlands, a mountain range in north-western Czech Republic. Two of these sites were established in recent years through earlier releases within the project. The newly released animals are expected to help increase population sizes and improve long-term viability.

Establishing these new populations forms part of the project’s efforts to create a connected network of populations, known as a metapopulation, around the existing core population in the area.