Tyrol asks public to help track dormice

A research project is asking residents to report dormouse sightings as scientists test ways to monitor the four species living in Tyrol, ORF reports. The Tyrolean State Museums are conducting the study with the State of Tyrol and the Austrian Federal Forests.

All four central European dormouse species are found in Tyrol: the edible dormouse, hazel dormouse, garden dormouse and forest dormouse. Only a few regions are home to all four, the article says.

Dormice are difficult to study because they are active at night and lead hidden lives, leaving researchers with incomplete information about their current distribution and populations. Reliable records are particularly scarce for the rare forest dormouse and the garden dormouse, whose numbers are declining across Europe.

Launched in 2025, the project is comparing monitoring methods in four study areas. Researchers are using nest boxes, nest tubes, wildlife cameras, bioacoustic recording devices and track tunnels to compare how often each method detects dormice and how practical it is to use. The results are intended to improve future surveys.

Residents can send sightings, along with a photo, the location and the date, to Petra Schattanek-Wiesmair at [email protected] or Carsten Löb at 0664 12 39 949.

The researchers are also using reports from the citizen science project “Discover Tyrol’s Dormice”, which has been running since spring 2025. The public is invited to submit observations to help researchers understand the animals’ distribution and develop targeted conservation measures.

The garden dormouse has declined by about 50 percent in neighbouring countries, according to the article. There have been no records of the forest dormouse in Germany since 1986. Dormice are important bioindicators, help spread seeds and contribute to ecological balance. Their hibernation is also of interest to human medicine and space research.