Brevard Zoo in Melbourne have welcomed their first two Perdido Key beach mice babies this year, and they are the cutest!!
The two male beach mice were born to mom, Malaika, and dad, Gifford, with the pups both healthy and doing well!
Brevard Zoo is one of two Florida zoos carefully breeding these tiny, critically endangered mice that play a big part in coastal dune ecosystems in Florida and Alabama.
Brevard Zoo has had this conservation breeding program in place since 2007.
Perdido Key beach mice help spread the seeds of dune-stabilizing plants as well as aerate the soil to encourage the plant growth. This keeps the plants in place – preventing severe erosion. Coastal development, feral cats, rising sea levels and hurricanes all threaten this species. Ahead of 2004’s Hurricane Ivan, wildlife biologists removed 12 mice from Perdido Key State Park in order to protect the species, kicking off conservation breeding for this species.
The zoo's two beach mice pups will stay there unless they’re paired with female mice at another facility or sent back to their natural range to help those populations.
This breeding season, Brevard Zoo paired 12 individuals for breeding based on recommendations from a geneticist. This ensures a genetically diverse beach mouse population in human care. Oh and the zoo continue to monitor their other pairs for babies as well!
Brevard Zoo thanks Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation, whose generosity makes this critical conservation breeding program possible.
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