Endangered Rodent Amargosa Vole Returns to the Mojave Desert Following Successful Habitat Restoration Efforts —California

Following several years of rigorous and intensive habitat restoration and conservation efforts in California, a tiny, mouse-like species that was on the verge of extinction in the Mojave Desert may be making a comeback.

The Amargosa vole, an endangered rodent, was captured on a trail camera installed by UC Davis researchers.

According to a 2017 report, there were only 500 of the whiskered rodents left in the wild, and they were struggling to survive due to a historic drought and variable water supply.

Breeding Program

A captive breeding program was started by the UC Davis veterinary school two years prior as one of their last-ditch intervention efforts to save the species, but it was feared that the endeavors would not be sufficient.

However, a picture taken on August 8 by one of the trail cameras installed by UC Davis scientists along the bulrush showed one or two young pups scurrying about.

According to a news release issued by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife last month, the sighting took place after 16 adult voles were slowly reintroduced to the restored wetlands in an area east of Death Valley National Park starting in 2020.

Janet Foley, a professor at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, stated that to increase the species' resilience, it is intended to establish a self-sufficient Shoshone population.

Her team was overjoyed to catch a glimpse of puppies this year.

This proved that the marsh's restored conditions are favorable for the vole's survival.

The efforts to reintroduce voles are being led by Foley.

The Amargosa Vole

Being considered one of the most endangered mammals in North America, the Amargosa vole once had a habitat that only covered 247 acres in the dwindling marshes of southeast Inyo County.

Before being rediscovered by a CDFW biologist in the late 1970s, Amargosa voles initially appeared in the marshlands of Shoshone Village in the late 1800s and were believed to have gone extinct by the early 1900s.

In 1984, they were subsequently added to the federal list of endangered species.

If immediate action was not taken, according to research done by Foley in 2015, the species had an 82% chance of going extinct within five years.

According to Deana Clifford, a senior wildlife veterinarian with the CDFW, Amargosa voles can only be found in these particular Mojave Desert marshes that are nourished by underground rivers and natural springs.

In addition to helping voles, restoring marsh habitat will also provide many other species with the water and habitat they require and will increasingly depend on in the years ahead to survive the anticipated effects of climate change.

The efforts to reintroduce voles are co-led by Clifford.

She reiterated that they complement one another. To save the vole, efforts must also be made to preserve and restore the marshes that are home to numerous other species in addition to the vole, SFGate reported.