Beringian ground squirrels, known in Kamchatka as evrazhki, have become a real symbol of the region. These curious and brave animals willingly make contact with humans, causing universal emotion. It is important to understand that their population is not in danger of extinction — they successfully reproduce and even develop territories near tourist routes and settlements. Being an integral part of the ecosystem, Eurocats benefit by loosening the soil with their burrows and promoting the spread of plant seeds. However, their gullibility and growing dependence on humans are turning into a death trap.
Since 2020, when Avachinsky Pass became a free-to-visit zone, the situation has become critical. Many tourists come here for the sole purpose of “feeding the evrazhek!”. This phenomenon, in which wild animals adapt to life next to humans, is called synanthropy. As a result, European cats lose touch with their natural habitat and lose vital survival instincts, becoming dependent on handouts.
Human “care” often turns out to be a death sentence for ground squirrels. Their digestive system is not adapted to digest the foods that tourists lavish on them. Bread, biscuits, sausage or cheese cause rapid inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract in animals. Tourists only see how the gopher happily takes food from their hands, but they do not see what happens next. Unsuitable food can lead to intestinal blockage and acute intoxication, from which the animal dies during the day, hiding in its burrow. So, with the best of intentions, a person repeatedly makes a tragic mistake.
The natural diet of the European bird consists of plant foods, as well as, in rare cases, bird eggs, small insects and caterpillars. In summer, their diet is based on green vegetation, and closer to autumn, in preparation for hibernation, they switch to roots, lingonberry and blueberry berries, mushrooms and shrub shoots.
It is strictly forbidden to offer sausage and flour products, cheese, sweets, bread and biscuits to gophers. Chocolate poses a separate and most serious threat. The theobromine contained in it is for many animals the strongest toxin that affects the cardiovascular system. Even a small piece of chocolate can lead to the death of an animal. The real concern for wildlife lies in responsible behavior. Watch, photograph and enjoy the company of these amazing creatures, but never feed them, so as not to condemn them to a painful death.