European ground squirrel
The European ground squirrel (Spermophilus citellus), otherwise known at the European souslik or simply souslik, is an endangered rodent species and is one of Europe’s rarest mammals.
Habitat
Sousliks can be found in short grassy areas such as meadows, pastures, vineyards, orchards, golf courses and grassy airports. They dig extensive burrows which they use to hide from predators during the day, sleep in at night and also for hibernating in during autumn and winter. Their diet mainly consists of plants and grasses found in the environment around them.
Conservation status
Until the 1960s, sousliks were a common part of agricultural land not only in the Czech Republic, but across Central and South-Eastern Europe. Since then, its abundance has declined significantly and it’s now very rare.
In the Czech Republic they are now categorised as critically endangered and it is forbidden to catch or kill them.
WHERE CAN YOU FIND SOUSLIKS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC?
Currently, Sousliks are found in the vineyards and orchards of these villages:
- Velké Pavlovice
- Čejč
- Hrušovany
- Brno
- Valtice
- Hnanice
- Miroslav
Website
For detailed, further information about sousliks, please visit our website entirely dedicated to sousliks.
The site provides addition to information about the souslik status in the Czech Republic and also details about the winemakers and orchard owners who help support sousliks. Information about our registered trademarks “Souslik friendly vineyard” and “Souslik friendly orchard” can be found there as well.
Projects
You can find out more information on our souslik projects here.