Raystede care for Dormouse

Late last week a member of the public brought a Dormouse into Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare, near Lewes, that they had found lying  unconscious on the pavementin the Etchingham area.

The little creature soon came round and was transferred to a specialised

wildlife centre that has expertise in the animals.

Cassie Tong, Animal Care Assistant at Raystede said: "It appeared that the dormouse had been hibernating and was probably picked up and dropped by a wild animal or domestic cat. The dormouse is the Hazel Dormouse, Britain's only native dormouse species and is extremely rare."

She added, 'The Dormouse is strictly protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act and you need to be licensed to care for them. Although Raystede cares for a number of wildlife species including hedgehogs and garden birds we are not licensed so it was important for us to find the appropriate care for it as soon as possible.

"We understand that the dormouse, although quite small for an adult, is doing well. If it is not released back into the wild, it will be used as part of a breeding programme which is so important to at least maintain and ultimately increase the numbers of this endearing animal'.

It costs more than £11,000 a year to run Raystede's wildlife and wild bird sanctuary. If you would like to make a donation towards their work, please call the Fundraising Department on 01825

840747 or visit www.raystede.org