“We also see humps there, but of course they are not moles,” laughs Jos Marcelissen as he points to the camels. Omroep Brabant went to count moles on safari in the Beekse Bergen. For once we are allowed to get out of the car, between the wild horses and the camels, because “Look, there along the fence you see all kinds of molehills!”
Together with Jos Marcelissen (68), Omroep Brabant went on a ‘mole safari’. The camels, pelicans and penguins were ignored for a while, because molehills had to be counted. The annual mole count is organized by the Mammal Society, where Jos is a volunteer. “Last year we organized The Night of the Bat in the park and this time we are looking for moles.”
Like a true Freek Vonk, Jos leads us from one molehill to another. “Here you see a mole ride. That is a tunnel through which moles go from one side to the other, usually in search of a partner.” The tunnel protrudes above the earth like a tiny ‘dike’. “If you poke them with a finger you can see how close they are to the surface. Just 1 centimeter and you are in the tunnel.”
But why is it so important to count moles – or rather molehills? “We want to keep an eye on whether the score remains approximately the same,” says Jos. “The number of moles actually gives an indication of the quality of the soil. Those moles eat all kinds of soil life, such as caterpillars and worms. If there are few moles somewhere, that probably says something about the quality of life in the soil.” In that case, the soil may be contaminated or dried out.
At each molehill, Jos stops for a moment to open the special app on his phone. “I actually only count the groups of heaps. I enter them so that we ultimately get a dot map with an overview of where moles are.”
At the end of the morning, Jos’ count stands at nineteen groups of molehills. Isn’t that very little? “That’s right. The high water plays a role in this. There is little room for the mole. Moles can swim well, but they don’t like treading water. So when their tunnels are completely flooded, they look for other areas that are a bit drier. “