Protecting Nigeria's Gotel Mountain Soft-Furred Mouse
- Worth Wild Africa
- May 23
- 2 min read
Frontline appeal for US$2,000 to support RodentPlus Conservation's urgent efforts to protect the critically understudied and endangered Praomys obscurus, an endemic small mouse found only in Nigeria’s Gotel Mountains.
RodentPlus, co-led by Nigerian ecologist, Dr. Olaoluwa John Ademola, is working to assess the population, threats, and conservation needs of one of Africa’s least known but most threatened small mammals.
The Gotel Mountain soft-furred mouse, Praomys obscurus, is a shy, nocturnal rodent that lives only in a small stretch of Nigeria’s remote Gotel Mountains. This little mammal has no protection in law, no large-scale conservation program dedicated to its survival, and until recently, no active research in the last 30 years. It is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, but virtually nothing is known about its population, ecology or how to safeguard its future.
Dr. Olaoluwa John Ademola—lecturer at the University of Ilorin and founder of RodentPlus Conservation Initiative—is determined to change that.
Working with a small but dedicated team, John is carrying out the first detailed ecological study of P. obscurus, integrating mark-recapture techniques, habitat mapping, and local community engagement to fill critical data gaps and bring this species into Nigeria’s conservation conversation.
But like so many conservation initiatives in West Africa, the work is hampered by lack of access to even the most basic tools. RodentPlus has the expertise and local partnerships—what they urgently need now is field equipment.
Worth Wild Africa is proud to support RodentPlus by launching this appeal for US$2,000 to purchase animal tagging tools (ear tags and applicators) and handheld GPS devices critical to the project's 24-month field survey. These simple but essential items will make it possible to:
Track and identify individuals during live-trapping sessions
Accurately map locations, habitats, and human disturbance points
Generate the data required for long-term monitoring and conservation planning
And this isn’t just about a single species. The Gotel Mountains are home to a rich array of unique and threatened small mammals, and RodentPlus’s work will also help build national capacity for small mammal conservation—a group often overlooked in favour of larger wildlife, yet no less vital to ecosystem health. The data gathered from the study will inform conservation strategies and strengthen the protection of montane habitats under serious threat from human encroachment and climate change.
We aim to raise this fund in time to launch the field season in July 2025, and will be seeding the appeal with a small grant from our reserves.
By helping RodentPlus buy these critical tools, your support will directly contribute to:
Improved ecological data for endangered species
A stronger foundation for Nigeria’s biodiversity policy
The development of early-career African conservation scientists working on under-represented taxa
If Africa’s wildlife is to stand a chance in the face of climate change, habitat loss, and growing human pressures, we need passionate, skilled individuals working on the ground—not just for the iconic megafauna, but for the many small, silent species that are disappearing before we even get to know them.
Help RodentPlus give the Gotel Mountain soft-furred mouse a fighting chance.
More information:
Website: www.rodentplus.org
Top image from iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/74941-Praomys-obscurus
Comments