A new population of rare, native rodent has been unexpectedly discovered by Zoos Victoria’s Wildlife Detection Dog Squad in the Coranderrk Bushland next to Healesville Sanctuary.
Acting Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio announced on 9 July the significant discovery of the previously unrecorded Broad-toothed Rat population that was made by Detection Dog, Moss, and confirmed by Zoos Victoria’s threatened species biologists.
Zoos Victoria CEO Dr Jenny Gray said it was wonderful to be able to celebrate such a large conservation win for the threatened Broad-toothed Rat.
“I give thanks to the Wildlife Detection Dog Squad working in tandem with our threatened species experts,” she said.
Moss, a four-year-old Labrador, was participating in a blank area search without a target species when he alerted his trainer to grass filled and bright green animal scat.
Scientists confirmed the scat was from the native Broad toothed Rat, which is distinguished by its fluffy fur, short tail and chubby cheeks.
As part of Zoos Victoria’s work to protect the precious rodents, Moss had been in training for the past two years to detect the smell of Broad-toothed Rat scat.
Researchers at Healesville Sanctuary recently conducted follow-up surveys in the grassy Coranderrk Bushland and found three Broad-toothed Rats.
The species is largely nocturnal, notoriously shy, and difficult to detect on cameras, so had remained hidden from researchers during previous surveys of the area.
The discovery is significant because the population lives within a predator-free, fenced area, which will be important for the future conservation of the species.
In July last year, Zoos Victoria and Parks Victoria rediscovered Broad-toothed Rats at Wilson’s Promontory for the first time in more than three decades.
Broad-toothed Rats have been declining due to predation by cats and foxes, habitat destruction, fragmentation, bushfires and climate change.
In Victoria, the species has been lost from more than 50 per cent of the areas in which they were previously found before 1990, and populations were significantly affected by the recent fires.
Acting Minister for Environment Lily D’Ambrosio said it was thrilling that the team at Zoos Victoria had discovered Broad-toothed Rats at Healesville Sanctuary, which will help to further protect this rare species.
“This rodent discovery shows that investing in biodiversity and protecting habitats creates opportunity for our native animals to thrive,” she said.
