Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" helped make the sleepy dormouse a cherished childhood character. But this small, shy, nocturnal mouse is quietly moving closer to extinction — unless we act now!
That's why Care2 blogger Jessica Ramos has written a petition demanding that the UK government takes action to protect the dormouse.Sign Jessica's petition now to tell the government you care about this precious little animal.
Even though the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies the species as 'Least Concern', this is on a worldwide basis. In Britain, the dormouse population has drastically dropped over the past hundred years, and they are now vulnerable to extinction.
Forestry, urbanisation and agriculture are destroying and fragmenting ideal dormouse habitat and driving the animal's decline.
Petition signer Lesley K says:
"I remember seeing these as a child and the memories furnish poetry and writing because they burn so brightly. Everything matters, even the tiniest dormouse. The diversity of life enriches us and these are so tiny, so evocative of childhood, that they are symbolic of how careful of our earth we need to be."
Please sign Jessica's petition urging Andrea Leadsom — Secretary of State for the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs — to wake up to the real threats that dormice face, and take action to prevent their extinction. The dormouse is a cherished childhood character, please don't let this shy mouse only exist in the world of make-believe.
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