- Video shows the adorable critters being released in a secret location
- READ MORE: Britain's native hazel dormouse is in 'catastrophic decline'
It's one of Britain's rarest mammals and on the brink of extinction due to habitat loss.
But the adorable hazel dormouse – hardly ever sighted by humans due to its scarcity – is receiving a much-needed boost.
Scientists and volunteers have released 10 of the tiny golden-coated animals into Bedfordshire woodland to bolster the UK's dwindling population.
The species, protected by UK law, is in 'catastrophic decline' as numbers have fallen by 70 per cent since the year 2000.
Experts think hazel dormice are suffering from destruction of their habitats and 'poor management' of Britain's woodland and hedgerows, as well as a changing climate.
Adorable: A native hazel dormouse sleeps prior to its introduction to Bedfordshire woodland earlier this year as part of a project by People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES)
A member of PTES holds a hazel dormouse, one of 10 of the tiny mammals reintroduced to the Bedfordshire woodland, which is in an undisclosed location
The project is led by wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), which releases hazel dormice to different British locations every year.
'The hazel dormouse is one of Britain’s most iconic native species, which has sadly also become one of our most endangered,' said Katherine Walsh, senior environmental specialist for mammals at Natural England.
'The success of Bedfordshire’s dormouse population shows that by working together we can bring our native species back from the brink.'
The 10 hazel dormice were bred in captivity at sites around England and received a full nose-to-tail health check by vets at Paignton Zoo in Devon prior to release on June 4.
For the first 10 days, they're living in wooden nestboxes inside larger metal 'soft release cages' the the wood, which are being stocked up with fresh food and water every day.
These metal cages allow the critters to get used to the sights and smells of the woodland environment before the doors are open and they're free to leave – the beginning of a new life in their natural habitat.
It's hoped the new arrivals will create a bigger and 'more genetically diverse' population in this wood to boost their survival chances.
PTES is not disclosing the location of the wood, however, to prevent any risk of the creatures being disturbed by the public.
For 10 days they're living in wooden nestboxes inside larger metal 'soft release cages', which are being stocked up with fresh food and water every day
The delightful animals is threatened by extinction and in 'catastrophic decline' as numbers have fallen by 70 per cent since the 2000
The 10 hazel dormice were bred in captivity and received a full nose-to-tail health check by vets at Paignton Zoo in Devon prior to release
Nationally, the hazel dormouse is in rapid decline and has been lost from 20 English counties over the past century. This map shows current distribution of the species, which is strongest along the south coast. In Bedfordshire, it is still 'rare' (dark pink)
The hazel dormouse is nocturnal and 'arboreal' – meaning it spends most of its time in trees, scrub and hedgerows – so it's very elusive.
It hibernates on the ground during the winter months, often nesting in hollow tree branches.
When conditions are cold or wet, or if food is scarce, it curls up into a ball and goes into a state similar to hibernation for a short time (called torpor) in order to save energy.
This new reintroduction builds on a previous release at the undisclosed Bedfordshire location which took place in 2001 in the same woodland cared for by Forestry England.
Over the past 23 years the population of hazel dormice there has thrived, but overall it is in rapid decline nationally and has been lost from 20 English counties over the past century.
Pictured, nest boxes used to transport the 10 hazel dormice from London ahead of their introduction to Bedfordshire woodland
Scientists will continue long-term monitoring of the cute little creatures to ensure the population thrives
To date, PTES has released 1,112 dormice into 25 different woodlands in 13 counties – including six English counties where they’d previously been lost, mostly in northern England and the Midlands.
'It’s extremely encouraging that descendants of Bedfordshire’s original population are still flourishing,' said Ian White, training officer at PTES.
'By introducing more dormice this summer we hope that they go from strength-to-strength, which is much-needed good news for a species on the brink.'
There are three dormouse species living in the UK, but only one – the hazel dormouse – is native.
The other two much bigger species – the giant meat-eating garden dormouse and the edible dormouse – are invasive, meaning they were imported from overseas before breeding and spreading.
Garden dormice have been described as 'quite carnivorous in summer' and feed on the young of rodents, possibly even including those of the native hazel dormouse.
Numbers of hazel dormice in the UK plummeted by more than a THIRD between 2000 and 2016
Numbers of the hazel dormouse, otherwise known as the common dormouse, are dwindling.
Since the turn of the century, numbers of hazel dormice have decreased by more than a third up to 2016.
Experts believe the tiny mammal is under threat as a result of a loss of habitat, changes to how woodland and countryside are managed, and climate change.
Two cute hazel dormice in hibernation. After gathering up their fat reserves in autumn, hazel dormice will begin hibernation in winter. As the weather turns cooler they will move down from the trees to ground level, creating a tightly woven nest around the size of a tennis ball. They will curl up in this ball with their tail wrapped around their face and body to keep warm
Hazel dormice were once widespread in England and Wales, but have disappeared from 17 counties since Victorian times.
Now they are only commonly found in the South of England and areas of the English-Welsh border.
There are thought to be just 45,000 hazel dormice left in the country, down from about 60,000 16 years ago.
Numbers have fallen by 38 per cent since 2000, according to the State Of Britain's Dormice report from the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).
The current rate of decline is equivalent to a fall of 55 per cent over 25 years, the report said.
The hazel dormouse lives at low densities and so would not be the main prey item of the garden dormouse.
'Introduced grey squirrels are a much greater threat and are known to eat both young dormice and torpid adults,' Hazel Ryans, senior conservation officer at Wildwood Trust told MailOnline.
'Even our native yellow necked mice have been known to kill and eat the brains of hazel dormice.
'[But] in some areas of Europe, eg Poland, the hazel dormouse and garden dormice are both native and coexist quite happily together.'
Hazel dormice can occasionally be spotted scampering across the countryside in search of food.
Agile climbers and mainly nocturnal, they're very rarely seen.
They live in woodland, hedgerows and dense shrub and can spend their entire lives up in the branches without ever touching the ground.
The species eats buds, hazelnuts, berries and insects.
It builds summer nests of stripped honeysuckle bark in which the female will give birth to up to seven young.
They hibernate during the winter months, in a dense nest built in a tree cavity or similar, sheltered place, and curl up into a cute ball.
Dormice thrive in in shrubby habitat and brambles, and use hedgerows to move about the countryside.
One of the biggest threats to the tiny animals is a lack of management of woods, which is leaving trees unruly and isolated.
They have also been hit by more intensive agriculture, which has led to the loss of hedgerows and 'flail cutting' which reduces suitable habitat.
Ian White, dormouse officer at PTES said: 'Woodlands in the landscape are becoming increasingly isolated. Dormice need the hedgerows to get around.
'The problem within our fragmented landscape is where dormice have become locally extinct within a woodland, without a hedgerow network it is difficult for them to get back there.'
Mr White added that climate change was also having an impact on the mammals, which hibernate in winter.
Hazel dormice, their breeding sites and resting places are protected by UK law.
The UK government says: 'You may be able to get a licence from Natural England if you can’t avoid disturbing them or damaging their habitats.'
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