Rare hazel dormice born and bred at the Wildwood Trust’s Escot park near Ottery St Mary have helped a national conservation programme reach a key target of 1,000 dormice released into the wild.
Fifteen breeding pairs of dormice have been introduced into an undisclosed woodland location in Cumbria this week – eleven of them born at Wildwood Kent while two more came from the conservation charity’s Escot park.
The release this week is part of a major conservation effort to save the species from extinction in the UK. Numbers of hazel dormouse have declined by a staggering 51 per cent since 2000. They became extinct in 17 English counties.
Some of the 30 dormice were originally intended for the 2020 release but had to wait an extra year because of the pandemic.
Hazel Ryan, senior conservation officer and dormice expert at the Wildwood Trust, explained: “Sadly, the total number of hazel dormice able to be released this year is less than usual due to Covid affecting the quarantine facilities at other wildlife parks.
“Added to this, we knew that because the release was delayed last year we were in danger of some of the animals being too old to release at all if we weren’t able to go ahead this year.
“Despite all this, we’re delighted to have played a part in reaching this significant milestone and will continue our efforts to help secure the future of this endangered species.”
The dormice have been released into the wild as part of Wildwood Trust’s dormouse conservation programme, in partnership with the People’s Trust for Endangered Species and the Common Dormouse Captive Breeders Group.
Carefully releasing healthy, captive bred dormice into the right habitat (that is managed via correct woodland management practices) is the key to bringing them back from the brink. Dormice need a biodiverse habitat with a wide range of trees and shrubs to provide food throughout the year.
Before being released into their new home, each dormouse underwent a nine-week quarantine period at ZSL (Zoological Society of London), where vets checked that they were all fit and healthy prior to release, giving them the best chance of forming a healthy population in the wild.