The number in northern France is currently estimated at more than 100,000. They bred in the wild and in 20 years numbered nearly 20,000. In 1980 17 chipmunks were released at a park in Brussels. They were first imported from Asia in the 1970s and are now on the European Union's list of 100 most-invasive species. 'These rodents are not shy, and in fact very approachable.'Īlthough everything has been done to control the Siberian chipmunk - Tamias sibiricus - in the UK, they spread very rapidly once established. Lyme disease is a terrible condition, and the chipmunks are a major carrier. Researcher Jean Louis Chapuis said: 'They should not be up for sale. Wildlife experts are pressing the French government to ban such sales. This is just the type of behaviour that will lead to the chipmunk getting to Britain in huge numbers, possibly as early as this summer.' 'There is a particular problem in the woods around Paris, attributed mainly to people who bought the animals as family pets and then got rid of them. Naturalist Guy Bruel said: 'Everything is being done to control this rodent, but the public must be on its guard at all times. Some unscrupulous French pet shops are offering chipmunks for less than £10 each, despite repeated warnings of the danger. Officials have also warned tourists not to smuggle them into the UK as pets. Many carry ticks infected with the Borrelia bacterium that causes Lyme disease, a nerve illness that can disable and even kills victims if not treated early enough.įrench experts warn that the animals, which can also carry rabies, could soon reach Calais and sneak aboard vehicles and vessels heading to Britain. Thousands of chipmunks carrying potentially fatal diseases have been spreading west across Europe and have reached Paris. It may look cute and cuddly, but this little rodent is dangerous - and heading our way. If everything goes according to plan, the region will be open again by the weekend.Beware: The chipmunks could bring Lyme disease and rabies to Britain Instead, regional authorities essentially trap the rodents, anesthetize them, comb them for fleas and then. Rather, the fleas which really carry the plague will be wiped out. Good, because this next part could have easily had us very troubled:įortunately, the chipmunks themselves will not be targeted in federal agency’s abatement efforts. “It’s something that visitors need to take precautions about, but it’s not something that they need to worry about.” Surprisingly, though, plague in rodents at higher elevations – a la our squirrel friends – is not all that rare.Īccording to Lake Tahoe public affairs specialist Lisa Herron, bubonic plague is “naturally occurring in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and (Lake Tahoe) region”. Public Health Officer Dr Nancy Williams had previously announced the plague as detected in humans last year, urging that individuals: “take precautions for themselves and their pets when outdoors, especially while walking, hiking or camping in areas where wild rodents are present.” Symptoms typically include a sudden onset of fever, headache, chills, and swollen, painful lymph nodes known as buboes – yikes! We sure as hell don’t want to catch this thing. It would better to mount a campaign about how “the Plague” is eminently curable today and look for treatment if you have symptoms rather than closing the lake, which will do nothing unless they exterminate chipmunks wholesale, and then spray for fleas.
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