A glimmer of good news for Britain's sleepy dormouse

Dormouse numbers may be recovering in England and Wales after years of decline, offering a rare piece of good news for one of our best-loved mammals. The animal has disappeared from much of the countryside with conservationists warning of a long-term collapse in its population. However, new data suggests dormouse numbers increased between 2020-2025, a period that coincided with warmer springs and summers.

Scientists believe these conditions may help dormice survive, by boosting food supplies and reducing the time they spend asleep. But conservationists caution that many questions remain unanswered, and say protecting the woodlands and hedgerows where dormice live remains essential to their long-term survival. The only species of dormice in the UK is the hazel dormouse.

Once widespread across the country, they are now largely confined to southern England and parts of Wales. They have become much rarer as large areas of woodland are lost and so far native populations have disappeared from around 20 English counties.