Youssef Rafiq, a zoologist and former zookeeper, embarks on an exploration of uncommon wildlife jobs with a visit to the Isle of Wight. He aims to uncover the tasks involved in protecting the UK's hazel dormice by meeting Ian, a "dormouse officer." Through this visit, Youssef learns about the monitoring and reintroduction programs aimed at conserving these secretive and vulnerable mammals while confronting challenges such as climate change, habitat destruction, and declining numbers.

During the visit, Youssef and Ian examine dormouse nests, showcasing how dormice are monitored using artificial nest boxes and footprint tunnels. Despite the elusive nature of these creatures, they discuss the joy of studying dormice, drawing parallels between dormice's maternal care and human behavior. Ian illustrates methods used in dormouse conservation efforts, including checking for dormice using footprint tunnels and observing foraged nuts to confirm their presence.

Main takeaways from the video:

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Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. zoologist [zoʊˈɒlədʒɪst] - (noun) - A scientist who studies animals and their behavior, physiology, classification, and distribution. - Synonyms: (animal scientist, biologist, naturalist)

I'm Youssef Rafiq and I'm a zoologist and former zookeeper.

2. arboreal [ɑːrˈbɔːriəl] - (adjective) - Relating to, or resembling a tree, living in trees. - Synonyms: (tree-dwelling, treetop, branch-dwelling)

Being arboreal, dormice spend most of their time in the trees.

3. torpor [ˈtɔːrpər] - (noun) - A state of physical or mental inactivity; lethargy, temporary hibernation-like state. - Synonyms: (lethargy, dormancy, inactivity)

This female is getting ready to go into a deep sleep like state called torpor.

4. reintroduction [ˌriːɪntrəˈdʌkʃn] - (noun) - The act of introducing a species or organism back into its natural habitat. - Synonyms: (restoration, return, reestablishment)

We manage the dormouse reintroduction program that aims to reintroduce or put dormice back from areas from which they've become extinct.

5. fruiting [ˈfruːtɪŋ] - (adjective) - Producing fruit, or the condition of bearing fruit. - Synonyms: (fruit-bearing, blossoming, ripening)

This is a fruiting hazel.

6. maternal [məˈtɜːrnəl] - (adjective) - Relating to a mother, especially during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth. - Synonyms: (motherly, nurturing, protective)

They put a lot of maternal care into the young and that long period of maternal care is actually a bit like us, really.

7. conserve [kənˈsɜːrv] - (verb) - To protect something, especially an environmentally or culturally important place or thing, from harm or destruction. - Synonyms: (preserve, save, protect)

...help and conserve this very rare species, despite how rare they are.

8. monitoring [ˈmɒnɪtərɪŋ] - (noun / verb) - The act of observing and checking the progress or quality of something over a period of time; keep under systematic review. - Synonyms: (observing, watching, supervising)

...we manage a national dormouse monitoring program that gives us an idea of how well dormice are faring in the UK.

9. habitat destruction [ˈhæbɪtæt dɪˈstrʌkʃən] - (noun) - The process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. - Synonyms: (deforestation, land clearing, degradation)

...they're still seriously threatened by climate change, habitat destruction and changes to woodland management.

10. foraging [ˈfɔːrɪdʒɪŋ] - (noun / verb) - The act of searching widely for food or provisions. - Synonyms: (searching, hunting, gathering)

When they're not sleeping, dormice are busy foraging through the trees.

Finding the Notoriously Shy Dormouse - 24 Hours With - BBC Earth

I've never, never even seen a dormouse, let alone held one. Absolutely incredible experience. I'm Youssef Rafiq and I'm a zoologist and former zookeeper. I've spent years working with animals, so I know how tough but also rewarding it can be. But now I want to try some of the more unusual wildlife jobs out there and meet the dedicated people behind them. To find out if I have what it takes, I've come to the Isle of Wight to meet someone who protects one of the UK's most secretive and vulnerable mammals, the hazel dormouse.

Now, dormice are notorious for being pretty hard to find and they don't particularly like the rain, which is a shame because it's raining quite hard right now. But I've got faith. I reckon we're gonna find ourselves a dormouse today. First things first, it's time to meet Ian, who arguably has the best job title in the world. Hi. Good morning. How you doing? Not bad, thanks to meet you. Now, Ian, your official job title is a dormouse officer, which is probably the coolest job title I've ever heard.

What kind of thing does that involve? So what I do basically are we manage a national dormouse monitoring program that gives us an idea of how well dormice are faring in the UK and in Britain as a whole. And also we manage the doormass reintroduction program that aims to reintroduce or put dormice back from areas from which they've become extinct. I've been doing this for 20 years and I must admit there's still a fascination in seeing a dormouse in handling dormouse, but also a real appeal in terms of training people, but ultimately it's trying to help and conserve this very rare species, despite how rare they are.

I've still got hope that we'll see one today. The Isle of Wye is one of their last strongholds, as dormouse numbers have fallen by more than 51% since the year 2000. And they're still seriously threatened by climate change, habitat destruction and changes to woodland management. Dawmice are a protected species, but licensed dormouse officers like Ian use artificial nest boxes to help monitor the individuals that we have left.

So, okay, so there's a dormouse nest in this one. So we get it off the tree and have a look. Very. So a nest is a good sign that there's. Yeah, a nest is a good sign. There's. There's activity. And generally this time of year you will find dormice in nests. Right, so a nest Is a good sign. Yes. And this cloth is just to stop them from running out? Yeah, basically escaping out the back of the box.

Being arboreal, dormice spend most of their time in the trees. They build their nest further down the trunk and hibernate on the ground under the roots and leaf litter. So it's a dormouse nest? Oh, yeah. Quite a tight woven structure there. So is that it's mainly plant material they use? Yeah. It doesn't feel like anyone's at home, I'm afraid. No. Feels quite cold. That's a shame. Good to see a nest, though. It is.

Building a cozy nest is vital for dormice because they spend up to six months hibernating through the winter, they tuck themselves into a ball of plant material, ready for a nice snooze. So after doing this for quite a few years now, do you. Do you still get that same sense of joy when you're checking these boxes? I think to see a dormouse is a privilege and I think to try and understand their ecology, try and understand their habitats, to live with is a lovely thing to be able to do.

They put a lot of maternal care into the young and that long period of maternal care is actually a bit like us, really, because we put a similar amount of care into our young. So perhaps it's one of the appeals for dormice is actually they're a bit like us, really. And also they sleep for six months of the year. Who wouldn't like to do that? When they're not sleeping, dormice are busy foraging through the trees.

So Ian uses footprint tunnels attached to branches to look for evidence that dormice are in the area. Let's have a look and see if there's anything on this footprint tunnel. So, oh, you can see some triangular pad marks down there. So those are shown as dormice. Okay. So what this is, this is a fairly new method really of a footprint tunnel. So we have masking tape at either end and the ink we use is olive oil and human grade charcoal. Okay. On the base. If it's okay for us, it should be okay for dormice. And these are then checked every two weeks.

So we'll record here because what we're trying to see is how widespread dormice are through this woodland. So although we didn't find any in that box, it just goes to show they are around. Yeah. Wow. So let's go and check the next one. What encourages them to go in the tunnels? Like they're rodents? So they're small and curious? Oh, basically, yeah. Right. So I found Your door mouse. You have.

So we've got to put masks on just to keep the dormice safe. Yeah. It's just there's some evidence of actually that the humans have transmitted Covid to small rodents. We don't know whether that's true of dormice, but better just be cautious. Yep. This female is getting ready to go into a deep sleep like state called torpor. To conserve her energy until spring, she needs to be weighed to make sure that she has enough fat reserves to make it through the winter.

So the weight of that is pretty good. 15, 20, 24 grams. And the bag should be 4 grams. So it's 20 grams. 20 grams. So she's quite. Yeah. So good. Good weight for her. Certainly. Finding a dormouse that's a good weight is extra exciting. As with climate change, it's now more important than ever that they're healthy. Warmer, wetter winters trick sleeping dormice into thinking that it's spring. Meaning they can wake up early and either become too cold or we have limited options for food.

Now that she's been recorded, this female is ready to go back into her box. Does that mean I get to hold her? You do. So first thing to do, we take your coat off. Yeah. Okay. Because they do climb exceptionally well. Do they? Yeah, you really don't want them disappearing inside your clothing. Might take her home with me. You'll notice my sleeves are rolled up for that very reason.

So there's no real way of doing it. You just. When she starts to move, she'll move very quickly. Okay. Keep your hands well in the bag. Oh, she's so soft. Okay. You happy? Yeah, I'm happy. Happy. So we're gonna put it. Now you can post her back into this box. Okay. There we go. She goes in. I sometimes leave the tail out. Look at that tail. In she goes. Encourage that. Back in a bit.

Another way of checking for dormice in an area is to look for evidence of them feeding with nut searches. This is a fruiting hazel. I can see some hazelnuts around. Yeah, that looks like one that's been opened by a hazel dormouse. So they make teeth marks that go round the edge of the nut because when they eat this, they eat this on the tree. So they'll be hanging on the tree and picking hazelnut off and sitting there on the tree, eating it. Takes about 20 minutes to open, take the kernel out and when they finish, they drop the nut on the ground. 20 minutes. Yep. Shortly after, we find another nest.

Have a good rummage. So far we've only been looking for adult dormice, but this box has a surprise. So we've just come across another nest with more young in. These guys are really small. They're called pinks, which means they're only about a week old. They're very, very young, but because of that, we don't want to disturb them, so we put the nest straight back. But this is quite exciting from my point of view.

It's been quite a long time since we've seen breeding dormice in this woodland. Even though their habitat looks fantastic, I suspect because there's such an abundance of natural nesting sites, that's where they kind of are. But no, it's fabulous. To actually know they're there and see them is really nice. Yeah, I feel very lucky. Right, let's go see we can through.

Good question. No, I think it's down here. I don't know how you find your way. Everywhere looks exactly the same to me. It's time to head home. If we can find a way out, that is. We've come to the end of the day now and it's been a busy one. It turns out there's a lot of hard work that goes in to being a dormouse officer. And it's really also made me appreciate just how many challenges these animals face and why it's so important that there are people like Ian out there doing their bit to help save the storm species.

Wildlife Conservation, Zoology, Hazel Dormouse, Education, Inspiration, Science, Bbc Earth