In the stillness of a winter morning, a Good Samaritan peered into the bottom of their recycling bin and saw something unexpected — not a forgotten bottle or misplaced wrapper, but a tiny dormouse curled tightly into a ball. It was Walnut, unknowingly trying to hibernate in the wrong place.
Dormice are meant to sleep the cold months away nestled in tree hollows or deep underbrush, not on cold plastic at the bottom of a bin. Thankfully, the concerned homeowner acted fast, contacting the Wildlife Aid Foundation, who swiftly took Walnut in.
She was small, delicate, and exhausted — but alive. The team fed her, hydrated her, and gently placed her into a cozy artificial nest. Safe at last, Walnut surrendered to her instincts and fell into a deep, peaceful slumber that would last over three months.
For 102 days, she didn’t stir.
Then, as spring approached, Walnut began to wake. Her tiny body warmed, her eyes opened, and her energy returned. She was ready.
The Wildlife Aid Foundation reached out to the Surrey Dormouse Group, who helped release Walnut into a protected, hazel-rich environment — the perfect spot for a red-listed species like hers to thrive. Though it was bittersweet to say goodbye to their “cutest patient of the year,” everyone knew it was the right moment.
Walnut’s journey was a quiet one, but profound. From the bottom of a recycling bin to a safe place in the wild, she reminds us how even the smallest lives matter — and how a simple act of kindness can give someone their second chance.