Rodney Holbrook, from Wales in the UK, is a retired postman and keen wildlife photographer. He started to notice a few items in his garden shed move around, and he wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery.
A night vision camera was set up in the shed to record the happenings. It caught a little mouse gathering various items in the shed, from clothes pegs, to nuts and bolts. The mouse neatly organizes them onto a tray on the workbench.
Mr. Holbook told the BBC: “It has been going on for months. I call him ‘Welsh Tidy Mouse’. At first, I noticed that some food that I was putting out for the birds was ending up in some old shoes I was storing in the shed, so I set up a camera.”
The Welshman explained that he no longer needs to worry about keeping his shed in order, as he knows the mouse will take care of things for him. The mouse can even lift large objects like cable ties and plastic dishes. Mr. Holbook likes to test the mouse’s skills by leaving things out for him to tidy into the tray.
“Welsh Tidy Mouse” is undoubtedly one house-proud rodent, but is he tidying just for fun? Scientists have noted that several animals engage in similar behaviors, including ants and bees, who keep their hills and hives neat and tidy. It’s possible that the mouse simply likes moving things around for something to do, or perhaps he feels it is a rewarding task in some way.