Dormate under pressure: Protect our sleeping artists!

Dormate under pressure: Protect our sleeping artists!

Dolomitenstadt, Österreich - On June 27, 2025, the "Sailor Day" is celebrated, a date that goes back to a religious legend. This tells of seven brothers who fled in 251 AD from persecution of Christians and slept for 200 years in a cave. The connection to nature manifests itself in the dormouse, which belong to the family of bilche or sleeping mice. This family also includes the garden sleeper, the hazel mouse, the tree sleeper and other species.

In our latitudes, dormouse keep hibernation, while they can even keep summer sleep in Mediterranean areas. The skillful climbers are dependent on structural and species-rich forests. You need hiding places such as tree caves or floor niches to survive. Your food consists of buds, fruits, seeds and insects. Hedges in particular play an important role as connecting rooms between forests and offer retreats for these animals. The Nature Conservation Association warns that more and more habitats of the dormouse are threatened.

protective measures for the garden sleeper

Before the nationwide dormitory day have [BUND] (https://www.bund.net/service/Pressemitteilungen/detail/news/siebenschlaefertag -Bund call-to-use-fuer-den-kungs-animal on/? tx_bundpoolnews_display%5B filter%5Bopic%5d = 14 & chash = 21dacd61d90fe45b120cb5fabcf) And his project partners presented seven important protective measures for the highly endangered garden sleeper. In the past 50 years, the garden sleeper has lost more than a third of its habitat, which is due to factors such as insect death, lack of food and the use of poisons.

Expert Friederike Scholz from the BUND emphasizes the need to take measures to protect the garden sleeper as quickly as possible. The proposed measures include:

• do without poisons in gardens and forests.
Create species -rich gardens. Promote
• biodiversity in forests.
• network habitats.
Protect and develop
• orchards.
• win people for the garden sleeper.
• Correctly supply the injured garden sleeper.

These measures are part of a comprehensive manual that was created as part of the “Spurens search garden sleeper” project, supported by the Federal Office of Nature Conservation.

The dormouse in gardens

The dormouse is not only a symbol for the day, but also a frequent guest in many gardens. These rodents are often loudly noticeable in attics and can nibble on cables and isolation. They are subject to protection and must not be caught or fought. Gentle means, such as certain scents, can help to drive away the animals. The my beautiful garden offers tips for creating suitable habitats, such as preserving trees with caves and creating shrubs.

A diverse food offer in gardens that include oak, beech, fruit and walnut trees as well as berry bushes is crucial for the survival of the dormouse. When maintaining garden care, care should be taken to ensure that suitable winter quarters such as earth caves and tool sheds are preserved.

With these measures and a conscious handling of nature, the habitat of the dormouse and garden sleepers can be ensured and expanded sustainably. It is up to us to offer these special animals a home while we also celebrate the traditional history of the dormouse day.