Again wildfires in Dormouse habitat
August 10, 2024
For the second year in a row, wildfires destroyed habitat of Roach’s Mouse-tailed Dormouse in Bulgaria. It happened in 2023 also, and the effect was devastating. Nedko Nedyalkov, who has studied this population already for several years, found only two young mouse-talied dormice after the 2023 fires. The situation after the 2024 fires looks even more bleak. The wildfires didn’t reach Nedko’s study area this time but did destroy potential habitat around the study area. This diminishes the chances of recolonisation from these surroundings if the species lives there.
In Spring 2024 Nedko found 4 adults in his study area, one of them a female with young. At least some animals survived the winter. Hopefully, they can be the founders of a new population in the Sakar region.
In 2025 we will expand our survey to the area around Nedko’s current study area and possibly also to new areas further away, like the Rhodopian mountains. In Greece, just on the other side of the Rhodopian mountains, a Roach’s mouse-tailed Dormouse was caught this year. Maybe, just maybe, the species has a wider range than where Nedko rediscovered it in 2017.
We will also start a campaign to increase awareness about Roach’s mouse-tailed Dormouse among the citizens and landowners in Sakar, and what they can do to preserve this species that exists only in their neighbourhood. You can help Nedko in preserving this species for Bulgaria. Donate now!