Parks and Wildlife Service staff have returned to Browse Island Nature Reserve for a follow-up survey and found no signs of surviving mice, according to DBCA.
Western Australia’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) has released results from an April 2026 return visit to Browse Island Nature Reserve, where the agency’s Parks and Wildlife Service is running a world-first drone mouse eradication project. According to DBCA, no mice were detected during the three-day follow-up survey.
Dronelife first covered the Browse Island project in March 2026. The reserve sits 180 km (112 mi) off the Kimberley coast and covers 17 hectares (42 acres). Bait was broadcast across the island by drone in October 2025 to tackle invasive Asian house mice.
A world-first drone mouse eradication project
According to DBCA, drone baiting technology has to date focused on rat species. The Browse Island project is the world’s first attempt to eradicate a mouse species from an island using drones. The department says aerial baiting was the best option for delivering an even spread across the small island, given the dense vegetation at ground level.
The project is being conducted in partnership with researchers from Monash University in Melbourne and drone experts from Envico Technologies in New Zealand. Initial funding came from Shell Australia and was sourced by the Monash University research team. Envico has been a long-standing partner in aerial conservation baiting work internationally, as previously reported by Dronelife.
Return survey findings
Scientists and land managers used hundreds of traps, motion-sensor cameras, and thermal scanners across the April survey to check for surviving mice and assess seabird recolonisation.
Dr Donal Smith of Monash University said the objective was “to see whether there are any mice on the island basically” and “to try to get a read on whether we’ve been successful in eliminating them.” He added that “six months is potentially enough time for them to have built back up to detectable numbers if they had survived.”
Bruce Greatwich, District Coordinator Conservation with the Parks and Wildlife Service, said no mice were found during the three-day survey. According to Greatwich, “all signs are indicating that we’ve been successful with our mice eradication project which is absolutely brilliant to see.” He described the effort as “a management action here which we feel is going to have really meaningful benefit.”
Next steps
Greatwich said the team will return in six months to reassess and cannot declare formal success until at least 12 months have passed. “So, we’ll see what that next survey brings. But everything’s certainly going in the right direction,” he said.
According to DBCA, the April team was forced to leave Browse Island early after three days of intensive monitoring in humid conditions due to approaching adverse weather. Another trip is being planned for late 2026, during which the department says it hopes eradication can be formally confirmed.
Video and additional information are available from DBCA.
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Ian McNabb is a journalist focusing on drone technology and lifestyle content at Dronelife. He is based between Boston and NH and, when not writing, enjoys hiking and Boston area sports.
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