Cold snap leaves 5 orphaned baby dormice fighting for life!

With your support we can save them before it's too late!

Cold snap leaves 5 orphaned baby dormice fighting for life!

The Wildwood conservation team are mounting a round the clock effort to save some of Britain's most endangered animals from certain death.     Yesterday, five tiny baby dormice were discovered by conservation volunteers with a critically injured mother, who unfortunately died soon after. The tiny babies were brought to the Wildwood Trust, Britain’s leading experts in rescuing and breeding dormice, where our conservation team jumped into action.   Wildwood’s Hazel Ryan and the conservation team are now mounting a 24-hour vigil feeding the tiny babies every two hours, both day and night. Watch our video to see Hazel nursing the babies back to health.   Watch the video   »   A similar story has unfolded for many years. Dormice sometimes have a second litter in late summer, but if the weather becomes cold, the chances of survival for the late babies are very small.   From this tragedy comes a ray of hope, our conservationists at Wildwood will be providing the warmth, sustenance and specialist care to keep these babies alive throughout the winter. These animals will then enter our conservation breeding centre and their offspring form part of our efforts to reintroduce them to woodlands across the UK where they have become extinct.     The Wildwood dormouse rescue centre is the biggest of its kind in the UK and the Canterbury based charity are very proud of their efforts in rescuing and breeding dormice for release.   Hazel Ryan, Wildwood's Senior Conservation Officer said:  "We work tirelessly to protect these animals and are proud that we play such a major role to reintroduce the Hazel Dormouse back to areas where they have become extinct. Wildwood is not only one of the leading dormouse breeders in the UK but is also an important centre for research into the behaviour and captive husbandry of the species. The hazel dormouse is now classed as extremely vulnerable to extinction, but through projects such as this, Wildwood hopes to tip the balance back in favour of the dormouse."   How you can help   »     Dormice are just one of the many endangered and extinct animals that can be seen by visitors to Kent's unique conservation wildlife park. Wildwood offers its members and visitors a truly inspirational way to learn about the natural history of Britain by actually seeing the wildlife that once lived here including the bear, wolf, beaver, red squirrel, wild boar and many more.   Wildwood have already successfully bred and reintroduced over 170 dormice, but we urgently need your support to help us continue this vital work. Your donation will be used to help prevent the extinction of this wonderful species and will be put towards rescuing these vulnerable creatures from their tragic struggle for survival.   Donate here   »   Thank you to all of our amazing supporters who have already donated to this appeal, together we will make a difference.   Kind regards, Peter Smith Director Wildwood Trust

Wildwood Trust Herne Common Herne Bay Kent CT6 7LQ   Registered Charity No: 1093702 Wildwood Kent: 01227 712 111 Wildwood Devon: 01404 822 188 appeals@wildwoodtrust.org   To no longer receive emails from us please follow this link