A fox discovered on Estonia’s Suur-Pakri Island — ERR News
A fox has been discovered on Estonia’s Suur-Pakri Island, where garden dormice were released this summer to restore the species. The island was chosen for reintroduction precisely because it had no predators, ERR News reports.
Dormice disappeared from Estonia
The garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) is a species native to Estonia that disappeared from the country due to human activity. The exact reason for its disappearance has not been established. The last wild garden dormouse in Estonia was seen in 1986; around the same time, the species also disappeared from neighboring countries.
This summer, the first small colony of 20 animals was released on Suur-Pakri. According to ecologist Marko Mägi, during his last visit to the island a few weeks ago, more than half of the released dormice were definitely alive. He called this a good result for small animals and expressed cautious optimism about their survival until spring.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
At the same time, the ecologist noted that dormice have short lifespans and may fall prey to predators in winter, although they sleep during this period. Therefore, it is currently unknown whether the animals will survive until spring.
The fox crossed over the ice
Last autumn, researchers conducted monitoring surveys and studied small mammals to assess the island’s safety for dormice. At that time, no predators dangerous to them were found there. However, after a harsh winter, when the sea was covered with ice, a fox was able to cross to the island.
In summer, the fox was recorded by camera traps and was also seen in the forest. Mägi noted that dormice are active at night and climb trees well, where the fox cannot reach them, but their paths may still cross. There are also other small rodents on the island that may interest the fox more than garden dormice.
