A cute mouse that hadn't been seen in part of New South Wales for nearly 30 years just made a surprise comeback.
According to ABC News, the New Holland mouse (also called a pookila) was spotted in Goobang National Park, far inland from where it's usually found. The last time anyone saw one in the park was in 1997. Scientists were starting to think it might be gone from the area for good.
The rediscovery is part of a big two-year effort led by Zoos Victoria and supported by several partners, including the NSW Department of Climate Change. These teams placed over 280 motion-sensor cameras across national parks in NSW and Tasmania, with 91 of those in Goobang alone.
These cameras are super helpful. They let researchers check on animals without disturbing them, which is a game changer when you're dealing with shy or rare species. The information they gather helps guide the next steps, such as figuring out where animals are still present and whether initiatives like breeding programs could help boost their numbers.
"Given it's quite a special case, we decided to absolutely cover the entire park with cameras," said Nadia Nieuwhof, a field officer with Zoos Victoria who helped lead the search in Goobang National Park.
But this was just the beginning: Conservation teams also live-trapped and released a pookila in April.
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This isn't the only comeback story: Just recently, researchers in Nepal spotted the Asian small-clawed otter again after 185 years. So, what are these if not signs that the hard work being done to protect wildlife is actually working?
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