It all began in 1930 with one mother and twelve young hamsters
that a zoologist found in the Syrian Desert (situated in the
Middle East to the north of Israel). Deep in a burrow eight feet
underground he came upon a hamster mother and her litter. By the
time he got his tiny family back to his laboratory in Jerusalem.
All but three of them had died or escaped. These three, however,
continued in excellent health and within four months the first
litter of Golden Hamsters ever to be born in captivity was
delivered.
As they matured, these babies were interbred, and as the tame
hamsters multiplied they were used in research experiments. Soon
they began to attract widespread attention in the scientific
world. Because hamsters were so disease-free and bred so rapidly
(they can have a new litter every month!) and because they were
so friendly and easy to handle, they came to be highly regarded
as laboratory animals and their fame spread throughout the world
accordingly. They're often used for cardio-vascular research,
as their cardio-vascular system is remarkably similar to that of
the human.
From Jerusalem, scientists took them to laboratories in
France, England and, in 1938, to the United States. All
present-day Golden Hamsters in captivity with the exception of
a few brought back by travelers and military men are the
descendants of that first tiny family found in Syria.
In Syria and other Middle Eastern countries where hamsters
are common, the farmers do not only harvest their own fields,
they dig into the hamsters' granaries as well. In each burrow
they find a storage bin which may hold anywhere between 30 and 60
pounds of grain which the hamsters have stored away for the
winter.
Hamsters got their name from an old German word associated with
storing food. (The word "hamper" comes from the same root.) One
of the characteristics of the hamster, like many rodents, is to
stuff their cheeks full of food, which is a hamster-like activity.
