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 The many members and friends who attended the AGM of the Society on 23rd October 2009 were treated, after conclusion of the business, to a lively, illustrated, talk about dormice. Hazel Ryan, from the Kent Wildwood Trust is responsible for a programme of re-introduction of this charming animal into the woodlands of Great Britain. She explained that the common, or hazel, dormouse was gingery-brown, about 7cm long, with large eyes and a fluffy tail. It is a nocturnal rodent and spends much of its time in trees, where  sticky pads on its feet, double-jointed wrists and a tail to aid balancing, come in useful. It is good at leaping from branch to branch, but tends to ‘freeze’ if danger looms. It feeds on pollen, flowers, insects, plant galls, fungi and especially hazelnuts.
Dormice are sometimes called dosey-mice. This is because they hibernate in the winter, and sometimes go torpid in summer. They feed to put on weight in autumn and then go into hibernation in a nest of shredded bark near ground level. They raise their young, usually seven, in a summer nest sited further off the ground. Dormice are slow developers, but can live for seven years. In this, and other characteristics, dormice are more like bats than other mice.
The main predators are foxes, tawny owls, squirrels, cats and weasels (who eat only the brains!).
Hazel explained that dormice are found in only the southern part of Britain, and have been in decline in recent years. They are now a Protected species. Finance for a recovery plan has been provided by the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project, the BBC, and others. Conventional bird boxes, only with the hole on the ‘tree’ side, have proved attractive to the rodents and their deployment. Traditional coppicing management of woodland gives varied heights of trees, and allows dormice to move around to preferred areas.  Avoidance of large treeless spaces such as broad rides can be helpful, as can an absence of disturbance by grazing animals. The Wildwood Trust supports research into the use of “bridges” to help dormice move across roads and other breaks in cover.
Large, wire cages have proved effective. The animals, once treated against disease, and sometimes fitted with microchips to aid subsequent location, are placed in the cage with food and water. After a while, a hole is made in the cage. The dormice venture forth to explore more and more of the surrounding wood, retreating to the cage periodically. Eventually they settle in the wood, and the cage can then be removed and reused. Dormice have been successfully introduced in East Anglia in this way. The future looks good for Dosey-mouse!
 Nearer to home, nest boxes have been deployed in Erriott Wood, an area managed by the Society’s chairman. An early monitoring survey revealed three in one box! Plans are afoot to link this wood by a hedgerow corridor to aid the spread of the animals into other woodland in the area.
Hazel completed an excellent evening by showing a live dormouse (in for treatment after being mauled by a cat) to a fascinated audience.
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