For the first time in almost three decades, conservationists have rediscovered an elusive native rodent in Western New South Wales, more than 200 kilometres from its typical coastal habitat.<\/p>\n
The pookila, also known as the New Holland mouse, was live-trapped and released in Goobang National Park in April, 28 years after it was last recorded in the area.<\/p>\n
Its discovery has offered a glimmer of hope for the micro “ecosystem engineer” after it was listed in March as vulnerable in NSW, meaning it faces extinction in the medium term.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Victoria and Tasmania, the pookila is considered endangered \u2014 at high risk of extinction in the near future.<\/p>\n
With 12 of Australia’s native rodents extinct, there are urgent efforts to safeguard those that remain.<\/p>\n
“Our native rodents are really over-represented in our mammalian extinction record,” said Zoos Victoria field officer Nadia Nieuwhof, who led the search effort for the pookila in the Goobang.<\/p>\n
“At the zoo, we’re aware of that kind of extinction crisis and we’re doing what we can to fight for [them].”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Nadia Nieuwhof deployed 282 baited cameras in NSW and Tasmania to find pookila. (Supplied: Zoos Victoria)<\/p>\n
All-out effort for Goobang rediscovery<\/p>\n
Ms Nieuwhof’s team deployed 282 motion-sensing cameras across eight parks and reserves in NSW and Tasmania, with 91 placed in Goobang National Park, where the pookila was last recorded in 1997.<\/p>\n
The cameras were baited with peanut butter and oats and left for up to four weeks at a time in an attempt to attract the cryptic mouse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The tiny but mighty mouse supports the ecosystem through its complex burrowing systems. (Supplied: Zoos Victoria)<\/p>\n
“Goobang National Park is really significant in that it’s the furthest inland extent of their range and it is some 200 kilometres further inland than any other record we have for the mice,” Ms Nieuwhof said.<\/p>\n
“Given it’s quite a special case, we decided to absolutely cover the entire park with cameras.”<\/p>\n
It is also a notably “steeper and more rocky habitat” for the critter, which usually prefers sandier soil.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The team also live-trapped the mice for genetic testing.<\/p>\n
“Once we analyse the genetics, it’ll be interesting to see if these more inland populations differ from their coastal counterparts,” Ms Nieuwhof said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
More than 280 cameras baited with peanut butter and oats were deployed in NSW and Tasmania. (Supplied: Zoos Victoria)<\/p>\n
Tracking a dwindling population<\/p>\n
The effort is part of a two-year project under the Australian government’s Saving Native Species Program to reassess the pookila’s status.<\/p>\n
Zoos Victoria is leading the project in collaboration with the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and other agencies.<\/p>\n
While the team was excited to discover the mouse was still in Western NSW, the results suggested a shrinking population.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pookila were historically distributed throughout the 421-square-kilometre park, but were only detected on five of the 91 cameras in a southern corner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In Tasmania, none of the cameras on the main island detected any pookila, which have not been seen there since 2000, but mice were confirmed on Flinders Island.<\/p>\n
“These surveys are often limited by access, so it’s very plausible that the mice are still hanging on in [mainland] Tasmania,” Ms Nieuwhof said, adding that the next phase of the project would broaden the search.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In the latest survey, no pookila were detected on mainland Tasmania. (Supplied: Zoos Victoria)<\/p>\n
Tiny engineers with a big impact<\/p>\n