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The endangered Smoky Mouse is facing extinction - One of more than 65 species of native rodents, the Smoky Mouse may soon join around eight other species of Australia's native rodents that have gone extinct since colonisation.
Rodents are the most successful mammals in the world. They include guinea pigs, beavers, porcupines, lemmings and squirrels as well as rats and mice. Over half of all mammals on earth are rodents - but they are not doing so well in Australia.
Here are some important facts about Smoky and her relatives:
- they are important in the life cycle of many native plants
- they help spread the seeds of fruiting plants
- like Potoroos and Bandicoots, native rodents help keep eucalyptus and other trees healthy by spreading the spores of fungal species that these native plants need to survive
- they are a major food for quolls, owls and other native predators
- native mice are never pests like the introduced mouse, and they do not exist outside natural habitats
- native rodents are a key part of every type of Australian habitat: on the ground, in the trees, and in the water
- native rodents do not transmit diseases to humans like introduced species
- at least eight species of native Australian rodent are extinct, and the majority of south-eastern species are rare or endangered
FAME is working with the NSW Department of Environment and Heritage, Earth Sanctuaries Ltd, and the Australian National University to save the Smoky Mouse and her relatives. Here's our plan:
- Establish colonies of the Smoky Mouse, New Holland Mouse and Broad-toothed Rat at Waratah Park Sanctuary in NSW
- Find the best combination of wild foods for survival and breeding
- Educate and involve local schools by providing them with native rodent
breeding kits
- Provide educational materials about native rodents for the public and for schools
- Monitor the animals, and compare their behaviour and breeding with wild populations
- Use the information gained to help native rodents survive in the wild
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