Leicestershire welcomes county’s only known population of rare hazel dormice - PTES
Returning dormice to Leicestershire
This week, we’ve reintroduced over 20 rare hazel dormice into a secret woodland location in Leicestershire, creating the county’s only known population of the tiny mammals. This is a landmark conservation effort which will bring rare hazel dormice back to an area where they once existed.
This summer’s release builds on the success of last year’s dormouse reintroduction at NT Calke Abbey. In 2023, 38 dormice were released there – the first time they’ve been brought back to the National Forest. Despite that release being within the forest’s Derbyshire border, this second release is a vital step forward for dormouse recovery nationally and regionally, which will one day form part of a wider population spanning the whole forest.
Taking action before it’s too late
Dormice are considered extinct from 20 English counties and classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List for Britain’s Mammals. Conservation projects like this are crucial in helping to reverse their decline – their numbers have dropped by 70% since the year 2000.
Despite once being a common part of Britain’s woodlands and hedgerows, hazel dormice have experienced a catastrophic decline due to habitat loss and degradation, and poor management of woodlands and hedgerows, compounded by a changing climate. PTES’ reintroductions, along with habitat management, landscape-scale projects and monitoring, are paramount to their long-term survival in the UK.
Since the programme began in 1993, we’ve released 1,142 dormice into 26 different woodlands in 13 counties – including six English counties where they had previously been lost. This is a phenomenal achievement and a great step towards restoring hazel dormice to their former range, but it’s only possible with the correct woodland management in place, and of course with the help of our partners and volunteers.
Posted On: 12/06/2025
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