The next time you see a flash of brown run past you on the sandy trail, we can assure you it wasn’t your imagination. It’s likely one of our two Reeve’s muntjacs, Harriet or Kirby! With their shy personalities and slight stature, they often go unnoticed by the average zoo-goer.  

It’s finally time to say “see you later” to Zoo Base, the loggerhead sea turtle who has been a patient at our Sea Turtle Healing Center for 15 months!  

One of Brevard Zoo’s education specialists, Alec Walsh, is a former student of our own Zoo School! He was inspired to join a career in education by his experience.

Ah, Shucks! Oyster reef building season has officially come to an end. During the season, our Restore Our Shores conservation team constructed 18 oyster reefs throughout the North basin of the Indian River Lagoon, totaling 13,700 square feet of reef.

Last week, through our Wildlife Emergency Funds (WEF), we sent support to Indonesian-based organization The Alliance of Integrated Forest Conservation (ALeRT) to assist them with fires threatening forest habitats and the lives of their rangers. Our funding has provided fire-safety equipment for firefighters, increased the team to provide intense habitat protection, and to purchase supplies to provide drinkable water for wildlife. It’s thanks to our guests and volunteers that we are able to help fund this project, and several others each year.

One of our Sea Turtle Healing Center’s newest patients, a young green sea turtle named Horchata, was recently found on a reef in Satellite Beach by East Coast Biologists during a research trip. Horchata was discovered with a recreational fishing hook deeply embedded in their flipper. Our Zoo’s veterinary team was able to surgically remove the hook and treat the turtle using negative-pressure wound therapy. However, when it comes to Horchata’s healing process, there were more than external injuries to consider.  

Applications are open for Brevard Zoo’s Zoo Teen program! Read on to learn more about this special volunteer opportunity!

Our first seagrass nursery is now fully functional and growing seagrass! This nursery, which was built in partnership with the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute (HSWRI), is in Melbourne Beach.  

Sheldon has been a long-time resident of our Zoo and a favorite among guests and keepers alike. However, unfortunately for our Zoo community, Sheldon will be leaving us around early October. While you may be disappointed to see Sheldon go, it is for an exciting reason!

Wheeler, our 3-year-old southern stingray, turned our L3Harris Animal Care Center into a regular Ray’s Anatomy episode when he tried out our new CT machine. While various species of turtles and an iguana have tested out the machine prior to Wheeler, the stingray introduced a much bigger challenge than the other Zoo residents: His need to be submerged in a tank of water.

We’re so happy to share that we’ll be releasing loggerhead sea turtle Princess Hailey back to the ocean on Monday, October 2 at 10 a.m. at James Nance Park!