I thought they looked like rats – but apparently they are a type of rare squirrel without the bushy tails. Strictly speaking a Souslik. They should all have been hibernating when we saw them – obviously climate change has confused them.

If you think they are inconsequential – then better check with the neighbouring Czechs (sorry). At the time of writing, the Prague bid for the 2016 Olympics is being hampered because the site of a proposed new stadium is one of the protected habitats for Spermophiles.