A mouse caught in the act of tidying up a cluttered tool shed…it’s something you’d expect to see in a Disney movie, sure. But real life? Not so much.
But this delightful sight was indeed something seen in the flesh by retired postman and avid wildlife photographer Rodney Holbrook living in Wales. And luckily, thanks to Holbrook setting up a special night vision camera and the internet, it’s a sight we all get to enjoy.
Holbrook, 75, told the BBC that he first began suspecting something when food he had set out for the birds kept ending up in some old shoes being stored in the shed. This went on for about two months, prompting him to set up the camera.
And lo’ and behold, the black-and-white footage revealed a tiny mouse gathering up small objects like clothes pins, plastic lids, string, and placing them together in a small box. This happened night after night, earning him the nickname “Welsh Tidy Mouse.”
Welsh Tidy Mouse was most likely exhibiting the rodent typical behavior of hoarding, especially considering the box being used contained bird feed. Holbrook suspects he was using objects to hide the food, inadvertently Marie Kondo-ing the workspace.
And while most of the time a mouse found in a shed would probably be viewed as a pest—particularly due to the damage they can cause to the expensive equipment lying around in there—Holbrook and Welsh Tidy Mouse have established a mutually beneficial relationship. Holbrook even told the BBC “I don’t bother to tidy up now, I leave things out of the box and they put it back in its place by the morning.”
Folks who watched Welsh Tidy Mouse in action were equally enchanted by its wholesome sprucing.
“I could sit and watch this little mouse-that-could for hours. Incredible.”
“Such an industrious little fella. Very impressive. Sweet.”
“He’s better than a lot of humans I know!”
“I loved the way he held the plastic cup with both hands before carrying it in his mouth to the box.”
“Thanks for this bit of happiness in all our current gloom news.”
Of course we want to be mindful of damage or infestations, but it’s also good to remember that we ultimately cohabitate the planet with all of Earth’s creatures. That can lead to some pretty marvelous, in the case, outright magical, interactions if we allow it.