Boosmansbos Long-tailed Forest Shrew Recorded at Last!

The Boosmansbos long-tailed forest shrew. Photo Credit: Cliff Dorse

For the first time in 46 years, the Western Cape’s most mysterious mammal (the elusive Boosmansbos long-tailed forest shrew) has been recorded!

Western Cape, South Africa (14 May 2025) — Conservationists from CapeNature, Grootvadersbosch Conservancy and Helihack, along with volunteer biologists, were ecstatic when they found a tiny, elusive friend of the forest and mystery of the Western Cape, the Boosmansbos long-tailed forest shrew!

This recent record of the animal (known as the Western Cape’s most mysterious mammal) took place on 4 May and was the first recording in 46 years.

Recorded at the edge of a pristine forest patch on CapeNature’s Boosmanbos Wilderness Area, the moment of rediscovery was a massive deal for the searchers.

“At last, I can take this little shrew off my biological bucket list,” remarked Dr Marienne de Villiers, a CapeNature ecologist. “It’s been a bit like a unicorn for me—a mythical creature that I thought I would never get a chance to see in real life.”

Dr de Villiers adds that it’s comforting to know that a portion of the population in at least some of its natural habitat is well-protected.

According to CapeNature, previous attempts to catch the Boosmansbos long-tailed forest shrew (Myosorex longicaudatus boosmani) proved unsuccessful, with catching attempts relying on standard rodent live traps.

A new method of catching meant some hope, but getting the gear to the remote wilderness area without vehicle access proved challenging still.

However, with Helihack on board, things took a turn for the hopeful. The initiative focuses on safeguarding the protected area from invasive alien pines and uses helicopters to reach remote locations. With their help, the shrew searchers were able to be airlifted before hiking down to set 76 pitfall traps across various habitats.

“Each trap was prepared with bedding, shelter, and the occasional earthworm to ensure humane treatment. At first, the traps yielded nothing—but one of the final traps revealed a small mammal with a 6 cm tail, unmistakably the long-lost Boosmansbos long-tailed forest shrew. Weighing just 13.7 grams, it was measured, photographed, and released unharmed into its forest habitat,” CapeNature explain.
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“This remarkable discovery was made possible by a group of enthusiastic, motivated, and skilled partners working together to achieve a range of biodiversity goals—from conducting surveys to managing invasive alien plants—all in an effort to keep the superb Boosmansbos in a healthy state for all to enjoy. A genetic sample of the shrew will now be analysed to clarify its relationship to lower-altitude relatives, while further research is needed to better understand its life history, behavioural ecology, and the status of its only known population. Intensive surveys of other forest patches may yet reveal more about its distribution. But for now, it’s enough to celebrate that the special shrew of Boosmansbos is still alive and well!” the team conclude.

L to R: Dominique Coetzee and Makoma Mpekwane (CapeNature Conservation Officers, GVB), Dr Andrew Turner (CapeNature Restoration Ecologist), Dr Marienne de Villiers (CapeNature Faunal Ecologist), Cliff Dorse (biologist). Image Credit: Supplied

More About the Boosmansbos Long-tailed Forest Shrew

First described in 1979 by scientist Nico Dippenaar, the shrew was recognised as a unique subspecies geographically isolated from its relatives by the Gouritz Valley. Its limited known range, combined with forest habitat loss and climate change, led to it being listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List in 2016.