Our Work
The hazel dormouse is one of the most endearing small mammals in Britain, unfortunately it is also a rare and endangered species. Over the last 100 years they have become extinct across half their former range in England and they are now protected by law.
Surrey is lucky enough to have a small thriving population of dormice and the Surrey Dormouse Group consists of volunteers who help in three ways:
- we monitor the population for the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme by checking nest boxes every month between April and October
- we encourage numbers to grow by helping Surrey Wildlife Trust to establish new monitoring sites as nest boxes are a safer and securer place to raise their young
- we try to understand more about how dormice use the nest boxes by undertaking filming projects at suitable monitoring sites