{"id":17450,"date":"2022-06-24T06:01:36","date_gmt":"2022-06-24T04:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.countryfile.com\/?p=118169"},"modified":"2022-06-24T06:29:11","modified_gmt":"2022-06-24T04:29:11","slug":"endangered-hazel-dormice-reintroduced-into-northwest-england-for-second-year-running","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbccountryfile\/rss_feed\/endangered-hazel-dormice-reintroduced-into-northwest-england-for-second-year-running\/","title":{"rendered":"Endangered hazel dormice reintroduced into northwest England for second year running"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Freya Parr\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 24 June 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Endangered hazel dormice<\/a> have been reintroduced into an ancient woodland in Lancashire as part of broader efforts to create a \u2018northern stronghold\u2019 for these rare creatures.<\/p>\n

Last year, 30 hazel dormice were released into a woodland in the Arnside and Silverdale<\/a> Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, an area located on the borders of Lancashire<\/a> and Cumbria<\/a>. The count has now been upped to 69, with the additional 39 dormice reintroduced into a neighbouring woodland. It is hoped that this will be a step to further releases of dormice into northwest England.<\/p>\n

The project is headed up by wildlife charity People\u2019s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), along with the National Trust and the University of Cumbria\u2019s Back On Our Map<\/a> project. Annual dormouse reintroductions have been undertaken as part of Natural England\u2019s Species Recovery Programme since 1993 and has been managed by PTES since 2000. Since 1993, more than 1,000 dormice have been reintroduced across 24 different sites in 13 counties across the UK.<\/p>\n

\nhttps:\/\/media.immediate.co.uk\/volatile\/sites\/22\/2022\/06\/Snoring-dormouse-in-natural-nest.-Credit-Lorna-Griffiths-9231544.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

\u2018Hazel dormice have declined by a staggering 51% since 2000 and are considered extinct in 17 English counties,\u2019 says Ian White, dormouse and training officer for PTES. \u2018The only way we can rebuild their populations is to continue managing known habitats correctly to ensure the survival of any existing populations and to carefully release healthy, captive-bred dormice into well-managed woodlands.\u2019<\/p>\n

Dormice are tiny animals of just 6-9cm, with a tail measuring a similar length. Their dramatic population decline has been linked to the loss of woodland and hedgerows around the UK. Climate change has also had an impact on their hibernation cycles, meaning that they wake early when food might not be as readily available.<\/p>\n

More related content:<\/p>\n