{"id":507739,"date":"2026-02-27T14:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/507739\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T14:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:52:09","slug":"secret-hidden-behind-fence-in-aussie-suburban-park-most-visitors-never-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/507739\/","title":{"rendered":"Secret hidden behind fence in Aussie suburban park most visitors never see"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s an incredible secret hidden at the edge of a suburban park in Melbourne<\/a> that could save a rare native rodent from extinction. The last time pookila<\/a> were documented in Cranbourne, in the city\u2019s southeast, was 1976, but now they’re flourishing again behind a predator-proof fence.<\/p>\n

That year, Malcolm Fraser was prime minister, Rocky was playing at the cinemas, and ABBA\u2019s Fernando was topping the charts. Fifty years on, Zoos Victoria<\/a> has confirmed pookila are once again breeding at the Royal Botanic Gardens Cranbourne<\/a>, thanks to a program it initiated in 2022.<\/p>\n

They’re kept safe at a secure facility, away from the structured gardens that most visitors bring their families to experience.<\/p>\n

It’s important they’re kept safe from predators, because there are few remaining in the wild<\/a>. You can watch a video of some of the pookila pups below.<\/p>\n

Why most Aussies will never see a pookila<\/p>\n

Dr Phoebe Burns, a native rodent biologist at the zoo, has been working with \u201cpooks\u201d for over a decade.<\/p>\n

She said it’s rare to come across “pooks” in the wild because they live in complex underground burrow systems, are nocturnal, don\u2019t have an odour like feral mice, and they make little noise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey very rarely make sounds. They make these soft, gentle, almost chirping, squeak noises,\u201d she told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how we figure out they\u2019ve got pups in their underground nests in our breeding facilities \u2014 zoo keepers need to stand next to the enclosures and listen very carefully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Close<\/p>\n

Unlike invasive mice, the pookila (pictured) don’t have a bad odour. Source: Zoos Victoria<\/p>\n

How many of these tiny creatures are left?<\/p>\n

\u201cPooks\u201d are listed as endangered, and Melbourne Zoo and Moonlit Sanctuary have been breeding them to try to prevent their extinction in the wild.<\/p>\n

Although they were once widespread in Victoria\u2019s coastal heathland, from Loch Sport in East Gippsland to Anglesea in the west, numbers have plummeted.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s thought that a total of just 3,000 remain at its five known strongholds.<\/p>\n

Since 2024, a total of 76 pookila have been released at the Cranbourne site and around 30 pups have been born.<\/p>\n

Dr Burns explained the original colony was created using individuals from multiple sites to improve their genetics and form an \u201cinsurance population\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other populations left in Victoria are geographically close to each other, so there are effectively only two areas where the five wild populations are found,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause they\u2019re close together, they\u2019re susceptible to the same threats, but the Cranbourne population is further away, so it spreads the geographic risk.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Dr<\/p>\n

Dr Phoebe Burns (pictured) has been working withe pookila for over a decade. Source: Zoos Victoria<\/p>\n

Why pookila from other states can’t join the breeding program<\/p>\n

Smaller-sized colonies of \u201cpooks\u201d are found in NSW, and there are larger individuals in Tasmania. The size difference is likely due to Bergmann\u2019s Rule, which states that warm-blooded animals grow larger closer to the North and South Poles so they retain heat.<\/p>\n

Because they\u2019re considered to be distinct, the Victorian, NSW and Tasmanian populations can\u2019t be interbred.<\/p>\n

Hope growing pookila can be saved<\/p>\n

No matter where they live, \u201cpooks\u201d are particularly impacted by drought, which is becoming a greater threat due to climate change<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Victoria, they range from 18 to 25 grams and don\u2019t have enough body mass to conserve water.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the environment is really dry, numbers crash,\u201d Dr Burns said.<\/p>\n

They are also particularly susceptible to habitat destruction along their coastal range, household rodenticides<\/a>, and bushfires. In 2023, a bushfire wiped out 60 per cent of their habitat at Loch Sport.<\/p>\n

Because of the perils they face, the success achieved by the Zoos Victoria conservation breeding program has given its staff hope the species will not be lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can see conservation working and its recovery is properly underway,\u201d Dr Burns said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very exciting species to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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