The rare hazel dormouse was reintroduced into one of our sites in 2017, in partnership with Warwickshire Mammal Group, the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

This is the first of two planned reintroductions as part of the Dunsmore Living Landscape Scheme. Some records exist for their presence in the area back in the 1980s and 1990s, but a huge survey effort since 2009 by Dormouse Conservation Warwickshire and the Warwickshire Mammal Group produced no new sightings. Following over a decade of woodland restoration management in Wappenbury Wood and Ryton Woods, it is hoped that this latest reintroduction will succeed long-term in bringing back this iconic and elusive native species.

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