This October marked the joint highest number of dormice recorded in one visit since monitoring began at one of our sites in 2009. 

"It was an extra treat to encounter two dormice that had gone into torpor - a type of ‘mini-hibernation’ that can help them conserve energy in times of poor weather or food scarcity," reported Senior Evidence Officer Lowri Watkins.

While 2025 appears to have been a good year for dormice (and nuts), the trend in recent years has been one of accelerating decline. This decline has been attributed to ongoing habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation, which is being intensified by the effects of climate change. Dormice are a one of only a few species in Britain that hibernate, and their life cycles are closely linked to temperature and rainfall, so even subtle changes in our climate could have a big impact.

We wrote about this, following the release of the latest ‘State of Britain’s Dormice’ report in 2023 - Gwent Wildlife Trust’s response to the State of Britain’s Dormice report 2023 | Gwent Wildlife Trust

You can read more on the use of torpor by dormice at the following link: Torpor tales: what we're learning from the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme - People's Trust for Endangered Species This fascinating research used data from the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme, to which Gwent Wildlife Trust contributes.