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Ferry was very lucky, for he was found by an animal friend when he was a little orphan dormouse. At first the friend didn't know that the little rodent that looked like a mouse is a dormouse, but she saw right away that he needed help.

She raised Ferry with lots of love and patience. She gave him a bottle every two hours, also at night. But as the little dormouse grew older and above all, became ever more lively, it was clear that Ferry should be able to live in freedom again. Where could there be a suitable habitat? Where could Ferry find a home?

The animal friend got in touch with the  International Gabriele Foundation – and a few days later she took him to the Land of Peace. Ferry was able to move very soon from the infirmary to the reintroduction area with the fawns. But he was still offered something to eat, because looking for food has to be learned first.

Ferry is a gourmet. He loves strawberries, nuts, raisins and pieces of apple.

Dormice live in deciduous woods or large gardens. They sleep in holes in trees and sometimes in nesting boxes for birds. There are plenty of both on the Land of Peace. Ferry sleeps all day and runs and climbs about at night exploring the land. He especially likes the apple gardens, which offer him an optimal habitat between the hedges, woods and meadows. Here there are snug and cozy sleeping places and – depending on the season – fresh fruit.

The dormouse hiber- nates from the beginning of Sep- tember until the beginning of May. It was from this trait that the comical rodent got its name, which comes from the Anglo-Norman dormeus, which means "sleepy (one)"; the word was later altered by folk etymology to resemble the word "mouse." The sleepy behavior of the Dormouse character in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" also attests to this trait.

Ferry hasn't been seen for several days! In the beginning, the young dormouse didn't want to have anything do with being free in the wild. When the door to his enclosure in the reintroduction area was open, he simply stayed in there. But now he's dared to take the step and has found his own place in the woods, where an animal keeper doesn't constantly disturb  him during his sleep in the "middle of the day." And since there are many dormice on the Land of Peace, we're sure that Ferry will find many friends and perhaps soon start a family of his own.

It is possible for us to give animals a home on the Land of Peace and to create new habitats for animals solely through the support of animal-loving people. All gifts from the heart that animal friends from all over the world bring together are used  directly for the  benefit of the animals. Do you also want to help? "Even $1.00 Helps!"

 

The animals thank you!