Species now extinct in 20 counties in England due to loss of woodland scrub and milder winters

Populations of the hazel dormouse, perhaps the most elusive native British mammal, have plummeted by 70% this century.

The nocturnal, tree-dwelling animals are now extinct in 20 counties in England and the species must be reclassified as “endangered” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list, according to a study by the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES).

Since the previous State of Britain’s Dormice report was published in 2019, they have vanished from Hertfordshire, Staffordshire and Northumberland.