Garden dormouse is garden animal of the year 2025 – a victory for nature!

Garden dormouse is garden animal of the year 2025 – a victory for nature!

The garden dormouse was recently voted “Garden Animal of the Year 2025” and is thus attracting particular attention. According to the Bietigheim newspaper This decision was announced by the Sielmann Foundation in Duderstadt, near Göttingen. In order to highlight the animal as a critically endangered rodent, the choice was supported with a major publicity campaign.

The garden dormouse, scientifically known as Eliomys quercinus, was named the winner with 39.7% of votes cast, a total of 3,648. This represents one of the greatest successes in the history of garden animal selection, which has been carried out since 2010 by the Heinz Sielmann Foundation is organized. Almost 9,181 votes were cast in total, with the sparrowhawk coming in second place with 1,713 votes and the garden snail taking third place with 1,361 votes.

Special features and habitats

The garden dormouse impresses with its distinctive fur coloring, which resembles a Zorro mask around the eyes. These features make it not only an attractive garden animal, but also an important part of nature because it helps maintain ecological balance. A typical garden sleeper requires natural gardens with shelters such as old trees, thick dead wood and dense bushes to retreat to.

Unfortunately, the range of the garden dormouse has shrunk by a third in the last few decades. The main distribution areas include southwest Germany as well as the Rhine Valley, Moselle Valley and the Black Forest. The decline was caused by habitat loss, intensive forestry and urban development.

Sustainable support from garden owners

To support garden dormouse in their habitats, garden owners can take simple measures. Leaving piles of leaves, dead wood and a garden design that is as close to nature as possible promote the survival of this species. Garden dormouse are omnivores and contribute to the population regulation of other species by eating snails, insects and other small animals.

The aim of choosing the garden animal of the year is not only to draw attention to the garden dormouse, but also to promote awareness of natural garden design and the protection of endangered species. The aim is to encourage the population to make a contribution to preserving biodiversity.