Over 20 rare hazel dormice are set to be released into Leicestershire this week, creating the county’s only known population.
The UK’s hazel dormice population has declined by 70 per cent since 2000, and the species is now considered to be extinct from 20 English counties. They are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List for Britain’s mammals.
The dormice have been released into a woodland on the Bradgate Park Trust estate, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of a National Nature Reserve.
The initiative is led by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, as part of its wider conservation work to save native hazel dormice and restore them to their former range.
In 2023, 38 dormice were reintroduced nearby at National Trust’s Calke Abbey in Derbyshire, returning to the National Forest for the first time.
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- Rare hazel dormice reintroduced in Warwickshire
Top image credit: Getty Images
