New hope for rare rodent after forest find
Researchers this dormouse a part of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park where the threatened mammal has not be recorded before © Pembrokeshire Coast National Park A rare hazel dormouse has been found in Pembrokeshire. The discovery of the mammal in the national park has given conservationists new hope for its recovery there, msn.com . The tiny rodent, known for its big eyes, has declined across Britain by 70% since 2000 and is one of seven vulnerable mammals in Wales. Volunteers set out nesting boxes as part of a park conservation scheme and "got lucky" finding the famously sleepy dormouse thriving in a new area. Decades of decline left Pengelli forest, an ancient oak woodland, and another forest near the Pentre Ifan Neolithic site, as the dormouse's last habitat in the park. "We were looking at linking up those known important sites... and to see if those populations were isolated," said park conservationist Mary Chadwick. "We have a licensed dormo...