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Rare dormice released into Notts woodland to breed

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If you go down to the woods today, you might get a big surprise. A surprise in the form of rare dormice. Forty-two of them - 21 male and 21 female - were today placed into an secret piece of Nottinghamshire woodland. It is hoped they will breed and help the species start to spread in the area. The charity People's Trust for Endangered Species organised the reintroduction, which comes just a year on from a similar event in woodland just two miles away. The Post is unable to reveal the location at the request of the trust, to protect the dormice. Ian White, dormouse officer at the trust, said: "This reintroduction is extremely exciting for us and a lot of people. "Many reintroductions have been done before but this is the first time two have been done in such close proximity. "We hope that this will be a success. We believe it will have been a success if their numbers have doubled by the end of the summer." As well as the trust, representatives of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, a county dormice group and volunteers were at the reintroduction. Some of the dormice were brought up from London Zoo and others from Paignton Zoo in Devon. They will be placed in cages for a couple of weeks, a male and female in each one to encourage breeding. Because of a lack of available food - fruit and flowers - the dormice will be fed by experts initially. After the first two weeks, holes will be opened in the cages, allowing the dormice to explore their surroundings. The cages will eventually be removed and they will be able to feed themselves towards the end of the summer. Chris Holliland, from the county dormice group, said: "We are delighted to be here for this reintroduction. We will be coming back to check on their progress and checking to see if there are nests. "By the end of August they will be feeding themselves on things such as blackberries and hazelnuts. Cameras will also be placed in the woods which will allow us to study them." Today's was the 24th dormouse reintroduction by the trust across the country in the past 21 years. The Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust actively manages the woodland where the dormice have been released. Rob Atkinson, from the wildlife trust, said: "It is a really exciting time to be doing this. Dormice are a really significant species, one which is very rare, so we are delighted with this reintroduction." Diana Clark, an ecologist and volunteer who will assist with the dormice project, said: "We hope that the dormice will be able to take care of themselves eventually. "What we are doing is giving them some encouragement in the hope that we can establish a good population and they can begin to spread naturally." What do you think? E-mail newsdesk@nottinghampost.com

Rare dormice released into Notts woodland to breed


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