One of the United Kingdom's rarest and most adorable mammals — the hazel dormouse — was captured on a trail camera foraging for food at Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire, a sign that conservation efforts are paying off.
According to the Wiltshire Times, the country's dormice population has plummeted by 52% in the last 15 years because of habitat loss, changes in land management practices, and more unpredictable weather.
But conservationists at Longleat have worked hard to preserve habitat for the dormice, ensuring woodlands can mature before thinning them out to keep forests healthy. Removing some of the trees on rotation allows more sunlight to reach the forest floor, promoting biodiversity and a better habitat for wildlife.
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