A detection dog has unexpectedly discovered a new population of rare native rodents in Melbourne’s outer east.
The previously unrecorded broad-toothed rat population was found by a four-year-old labrador called Moss who was searching the Coranderrk bushland near Healesville sanctuary.
Moss was searching in an area when he alerted his trainer to grass-filled, bright green animal scat.
Zoos Victoria scientists confirmed it came from the broad-toothed rat, a native species known for its chubby cheeks, fluffy fur and short tail.
The species is largely nocturnal and shy so they had remained hidden from researchers, but a follow-up survey of the area found three of the animals.
It’s the closest known broad-toothed rat population to Melbourne and the only one in Australia behind a predator-proof fence.
Zoos Victoria’s Sakib Kazi said the rats were notoriously hard to trap but adorable.
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“I challenge you to have a look at their face and not immediately fall in love,” he said. “They are seriously, seriously cute.”
A wildlife detection dog officer, Dr La Toya Jamieson, said Moss had been taught to associate the smell of broad-toothed rat scat with having a party.
“So lots of pats, lots of cuddles, lots of food, which he very much loves,” she said. “And then [we] started putting that broad-toothed rat scat in the environment for him to find.”
With the aid of live rats since their discovery, Moss has been trained to potentially help recover the creatures if they come under threat from bushfires.
The rats have a declining population due to predators like fox and cats, habitat destruction, bushfires and climate change.
The species was last year discovered for the first time in more than three decades at Wilson’s Promontory.
