Nestled in the heart of a rose, his slumber cushioned by soft petals and his bushy tail, Dreamy the dormouse looks snoozily content. But life hasn’t always been so blissful. His seven-month hibernation was rudely interrupted when his mossy nest was dug up by an inquisitive dog. Discovered by the dog’s owner wide awake, if slightly bewildered, he was taken to the Secret World Wildlife Rescue Centre in Somerset, where staff fattened him up on hazelnuts and seeds before giving him a coconut shell in which to sleep away the rest of the winter.
So deep was his resumed slumber that he didn’t stir when called on for a photoshoot, with Dreamy being carefully placed in the rose after the centre petals had been plucked out. Dreamy is likely to snooze for another two months or so. Sanctuary founder Pauline Kidner said: ‘We’ll release him in April ready for him to find a Mrs Dormouse and form a new family.’