Garden sleeper: How to save the endangered garden animal of 2025!

Garden sleeper: How to save the endangered garden animal of 2025!

Duderstadt, Deutschland - The garden sleeper (Eliomys quercinus) was voted "garden animal of 2025", such as the Südkurier reported. This choice comes at a critical time, because species is considered to be very endangered and its number decreases dramatically. The communication of the Sielmann Foundation, based in Duderstadt near Göttingen, emphasizes the worrying development.

The garden sleeper was originally widespread in many parts of southern and central Germany, especially in foliage and mixed forests. Today his habitat has significantly reduced, and it can now be found in the Moselle valley, Taunus, Black Forest and Harz. The causes of this decline are diverse: the loss of habitat due to intensive forestry and urban compression, as well as a shortage of food sources.

threats and protective measures

In order to counteract this threatening development, various protection projects have already been launched. So the federal government in the Harz tries to restore lost habitats. Garden owners are also asked to create retreats for the garden sleeper. For example, the creation of "wild angles" in gardens that can serve the animals as retreat areas is suitable for this.

The way of life of the garden sleeper is nocturnal and its diet mainly consists of snails, worms and plants. From October to April he hibernates and is looking for suitable nesting sites, which can often be found in old trees, dense bushes or stone piles. The garden sleeper also plays an important role in combating nude snacks and insects in gardens.

according to geo can be found in Germany primarily in the Frankenwald and in the Fichtelgebirge in Bavaria. Around 200 nesting boxes for the animals were hung in these regions. Nevertheless, the overall stocks are very declining. The biggest populations are available in North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, especially near cities such as Cologne, Bonn, Mainz and Wiesbaden. However, his secret lifestyle makes it difficult to quantify the exact stocks.

causes of the decline

The reasons for the decline in garden sleeper populations are complex. This includes insect death, since they mainly feed on insects, the use of environmental poisons such as insecticides and climate change, which influences the availability of water resources and awakening from hibernation. Forests with lots of dead wood, on the other hand, represent a good habitat for the garden sleepers, which indicates that natural forestry is of great importance for their preservation.

In a groundbreaking project entitled "Spurens search garden sleeper", which ended in September 2024, conservationists and scientists worked together to ensure the survival of this kind in Germany. The initiative was funded by the federal program biological diversity and deals with the necessary measures to stop the constant declines. The garden sleeper is a small relative of the dormouse and has the characteristic appearance of a "Zorro mask", which clearly shows it, as the page informs.