Columbretes

“According to a report by Santolaria—the current captain of the ‘active’ boat—six years ago, there were no mice on the island, whereas today they are present in extraordinary quantities.

They are up to 10 cm in length, with tails that are even longer. They are probably Mus musculus, but with a colour that is more reddish and more spread out in the ears than on a regular house mouse. They were probably introduced with cargo that was deposited in the warehouse or, as some say, were brought over in fishermen’s boats.

The areas around the lighthouse and the warehouse are particularly mouse-infested: they appear by the dozens, running all over the place... One boy caught 31 of them in a single afternoon.”

Urios, G., Nachtwey, J., Translation, Columbretes, 1895, Castellón City Council, 1990.