Anja Murray: House mice give other creatures — like wood mice — a bad name

On the island of Ireland, mice greatly outnumber people, there are probably as many as 10 million wood mice whiskering their way about at this very moment, as well as another 10 million or more house mice

Young wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus)
sitting amongst leaves and hawthorn berries

When I was little, I adored mice. I still have a soft spot for them, enamoured by their timid furry tininess, their endearingly alert rounded ears, and their curious whiskers. These features are how mice alert to the ever present threat of predators — of which they have many.

The wood-mouse, also known as the long-tailed field mouse, is a native mammal, unlike the house mouse, a newer arrival.