The elephant shrew suddenly reappeared after half a century thought it was extinct

Elephant shrew – a seemingly extinct animal has been discovered alive in the wild (photo: The Guardian)

Elephant shrews are famous for being rich in “lust” when they can mate a lot throughout their life. Elephant shrews can run at speeds of up to 30 km/h and are characterized by their long noses, which help them hunt insects.

In fact, the tiny elephant shrew is more closely related to elephants than to rats.

Since 1968, the elephant shrew has not been discovered. However, following an instruction by a local in Djibouti (an East African country), scientists found a shelter for an elephant shrew.

“It was so wonderful. We have trapped a real elephant shrew. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Since 1968, no one has seen any elephant shrews,” Steven Heritage, a scientist at Duke University (USA), shared.

Mr. Steven Heritage and his colleagues went to what is believed to be an elephant shrew’s nest on the instructions of local people. They trap it with peanut butter, oatmeal, and success.

The research team expressed joy because the habitat of this elephant shrew is very wild, arid and not suitable for human life. This shows that the mouse will be safe.

Mr. Steven Heritage’s team also placed 1,000 traps in the surrounding area and discovered a total of 12 elephant shrews.

The search for the elephant shrew is part of the Global Wildlife Conservancy’s (GWC) project to locate extinct species. A total of 25 species – including elephant shrews – are on the GWC’s “most wanted” list.

“We discovered the elephant shrew after many years of searching. We will act immediately to prevent possible extinction of this species,” said Robin Moore, a GWC spokesman.