Gambian pouched rats, originally from Africa, have become a significant invasive problem, particularly on Grassy Key. Invasives are non-native species that negatively impact Florida’s native fish and wildlife, harm the environment or economy, or threaten human health and safety. So despite the fact that gambian pouched rats can be trained to sniff out landmines in places like Cambodia and Zimbabwe, the species is an unwelcome presence to Florida’s delicate ecosystems.
Arriving in the Keys from the exotic pet trade, these house cat sized-rodents pose a threat to native wildlife and habitats due to their tremendous size, reproductive rate, and adaptability. They can outcompete local species for food and habitat, leading to imbalances in the ecosystem and have the potential to spread diseases.
To help FWC eradicate them, we funded projects in 2006 and 2013 taking aim at the population on Grassy Key. Using intensive trapping and monitoring, researchers made significant progress in controlling the invasive species. The project also removed a large Nile monitor and tracked female tegus to their nests, resulting in the removal of 54 eggs.
