A WOODLAND in the Yorkshire Dales is the new home for 40 rare hazel dormice which have been re-introduced to the area since the population diminished 100 years ago.

Wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) have today (Thursday, June 23) released 20 breeding pairs of dormice into woodland near Aysgarth in Wensleydale, following a successful re-introduction of the mice at nearby Freeholders Wood in 2008.

Despite their once widespread existence throughout much of England and Wales, the range and population of the dormouse has diminished significantly over the past 100 years – to the point that the species is now rare and vulnerable to extinction.

The dormouse, native British mammal, has suffered from the loss of wood and hedgerow habitat and changes to countryside practices over the last century.

Ian White, from PTES, said: “We know that in Victorian times dormice were widespread in the area, with records of them being prevalent in Middleham.

“Dormice feed on pollen, nectar, nuts and fruit, so need well managed woodland to survive. In woods where trees are cut back so new ones can grow, they can flourish.

“They do need high quality foods, so when you create an environment where dormice can thrive, you are also creating a good place for many other species to live."

The two reintroduction sites are close enough that the separate dormice populations will eventually be able to meet up and breed, creating a self-sustaining population.

Organisations including Natural England Species Recovery Programme, Bolton Estate, Paignton Zoo, Zoological Society London, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, and PTES have been involved in bringing the dormice back to North Yorkshire.

The dormice have been bred in captivity at Paignton Zoo, and their new habitats have been carefully created by wildlife officers at the national park and PTES.

Ian Court, a wildlife conservation officer at Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, said: "We look forward to working with landowners and managers to help create a network of managed hedgerows and woodlands within the lower Wensleydale area that will look to re-establish a species back into the Yorkshire Dales that has been missing for many generations."

The dormice are being released in wooden nest boxes fitted inside mesh cages secured to trees and filled with food and water, allowing them to adjust to their new home in the wild.

The cages are eventually removed once the animals have settled into their woodland habitat.

This is the 26th dormouse reintroduction led by PTES - over the last 23 years, more than 800 dormice have been released at 21 different sites across 12 English counties.