Turkish ministry takes action to protect endangered mice

EDİRNE – Anadolu Agency

AA photo

The Forestry and Waterworks Ministry plans to start an action plan to protect the mouse-tailed Dormouse, which is seen in parts of western Turkey but is on the list of endangered species.

The mouse-tailed Dormouse, which is known as “tree mouse” among locals, is rarely seen in Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece. In Turkey’s Thrace region only a small number of places host the species, which is recorded to be declining.

After extensive searches in the Edirne and Tekirdağ provinces in Thrace, 10 mouse-tailed Dormice were detected in Edirne.

Trakya University’s Beytullah Özkan said 11 of the species’ living areas, out of a total 24 areas, are located in Turkey’s northwest.

Recalling that they eat plants, fruits, seeds, insects, and insect eggs, Özkan said the mouse-tailed Dormouse was advantageous for agriculture. 

He added that the living spaces of the species were being critically damaged by people, who should be better informed about them.

As part of the ministry’s project to protect the mouse-tailed Dormouse, locals will be given pamphlets about the endangered species and a new website will be launched to raise awareness.