What's cute and furry, begins with D, and can be found on land owned by a well-known animal sanctuary near Sidmouth?

No, not donkeys this time, although there are plenty of them there.

A rare species of dormouse appears to be thriving in woodland at The Donkey Sanctuary's Paccombe Farm, which is home to around 400 donkeys and is also an important conservation site.

The farm, which is not open to the public, has around 90 acres of woodland inhabited by rare bats, butterflies and birds.

Staff and volunteers from The Donkey Sanctuary's Ecology and Conservation team installed dormouse, bird and bat boxes across the Pig Wood site adjacent to Paccombe Wood a few years ago.

Last month, they were excited to find several juvenile dormice as well as nests in six boxes.

They are hazel dormice, one of the UK's rarest and most vulnerable mammals, whose population has plummeted by more than 50 per cent since 2000, according to the State of Britain's Dormice 2019 report published by wildlife charity People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).

Their decline is being caused by the loss of quality woodland habitat and climate change.

Why are they thriving at The Donkey Sanctuary?

The Donkey Sanctuary is carrying out work that will support the dormouse population at Paccombe such as hedge, woodland and scrub management which, as well as helping dormice also benefits the donkeys by providing them with woody browse material to chew and eat.

Dormice are mainly now confined to Wales and southern England, so their presence in habitat at The Donkey Sanctuary sites is very welcome.

Ruth Angell, Ecology and Conservation Manager at The Donkey Sanctuary, said: "Hazel dormouse populations are vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and degradation.

"Finding them apparently doing well at The Donkey Sanctuary is fantastic and reinforces the importance of continuing to care for our semi-natural habitats to support this and many other wildlife species.

"Thanks to our volunteers, we are able to carry out a range of field surveys and practical conservation tasks which really benefit our local wildlife and help inform our management."

This is part of a national dormouse conservation programme

The Donkey Sanctuary team will continue to monitor the boxes to gain a picture of how this site is used with the information gathered included as part of the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme.

Ian White, Dormouse and Training Officer from PTES, who manages the programme, said: "The National Dormouse Monitoring Programme has been running since 1990 and there are over 400 sites contributing data to the scheme.

"Without it we would not know that hazel dormice continue to decline rapidly in the UK, across much, if not all, of the country. It is also thanks to the NDMP and volunteers – like those at The Donkey Sanctuary – that we know in areas where the right habitat exists, dormice are doing well."

"The NDMP provides the evidence base on which we are able to press strongly for continued and further conservation action to help this endearing species."

"It is wonderful that a charity dedicated to improving the welfare of domesticated mules and donkeys is also able to help with the conservation of hazel dormice - a small, native secretive rodent whose populations are in steep decline. We hope their dormouse population continues to thrive in East Devon and hopefully one day spread further afield too."

Hazel dormice are small rodents with golden-brown fur, large black eyes and long whiskers. They are the only small British mammal with a furry tail. They are active during the warmer months in hedgerows and connected tree and shrub canopy and they hibernate in nests on the ground over winter.

They are usually found in connected habitats and landscapes, particularly those with traditionally-managed broadleaved woodlands and scrubby habitat linked by continuous hedgerows.

Staff and volunteers at The Donkey Sanctuary manage Paccombe Wood to improve biodiversity., and one of their key activities is hazel coppicing.

This is a traditional method where trees or shrubs are cut back to ground level to promote new growth, and it creates the structure and food that hazel dormice need.

To find out more about conservation volunteering with The Donkey Sanctuary email: [email protected]