In an effort to boost population numbers, scientists developed a captive breeding-and-release program to see if adding captive-reared animals outweighed the loss of rats from the wild. But according to a new study by the University of Florida (UF), it did not.
Robert McCleery, UF assistant professor in wildlife ecology and conservation and co-author of the study, estimated that fewer than 500 of the woodrats remain. That's down from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates of about 6,000 in 1984.
The rats are important because they spread seeds in a unique forest ecosystem, their stick nests create shelter and habitat for other species, and they are important prey for species such as snakes and hawks.
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