Current Projects

Florida Wildlife Hospital & Sanctuary, Inc.
Through a $1,200 Brevard Zoo conservation grant, the Florida Wildlife Hospital created a PowerPoint presentation and age appropriate educational handouts and brochures for their education project called "O.W.L." which stands for Our Wildlife Legacy. This is a program to teach children and adults about the importance of preserving native wildlife and the environment so that future generations can enjoy the beauty of both the wildlife and the habitat. The goal is to teach how the human population of Brevard County can co-exist with native wildlife for the benefit of both. 


Indian River Lagoon Oyster Restoration Project
Through a $1,500 Brevard Zoo conservation grant, the Department of Biology at the University of Central Florida was able to purchase supplies to restore oyster reefs in locations with significant recreatonal boating activity, specifically the Indian River Lagoon. In recent years, intertidal reefs of the oyster in central Florida's Indian River Lagoon has suffered extensive losses due to wakes from recreational boats. Wakes move oyster shells around creating dead margins, piles of shells on the seaward edges of reefs. Reefs with dead margins have reduced new oyster recruitment and biodiversity. Oyster restoration is a technique developed by using a mesh base to which oyster shells are attached near their hinge. By placing 36 shells on one mat, this is optimal for oyster recruitment as well as enhancement of local biodiversity. Between October 2006 to now, more than 816 volunteers have contributred over 1200 hours to collecting shells, drilling shells, and making mats.

Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network
Since 2005, Brevard Zoo has hosted three butterfly exhibits featuring native butterflies. Guests could encounter these beautiful insects up close and learn of their importance as part of our ecosystem. The popularity of the temporary exhibits created Brevard Zoo's Citizen-Scientist Projects where volunteers trained with Dr. Akers Pence, the state coordinator of the Florida Butterfly Monitory Network based at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville. Regularly nearly a dozen trained and eager volunteer citizen scientists catalog the Zoo's wild butterfly population. To date 31 different species has been reported on property and the volunteers are contributing valuable information to a serious scientific study.

Environmental Teaching Suitcases
Since 2001, Brevard Zoo has allocated more than $30,000 (totaling 30 suitcases) towards creating environmental teaching suitcases and sending them all over the world. Projects supported include cheetah programs in Kenya and Namibia; gorilla and chimpanzee sanctuaries in eight African nations; a jaguar project in Mexico; a rhino project in Uganda; and, sea turtle programs right here in Brevard County. The intent of the suitcases is to make learning about the environment both fun and interactive for children as well as adults. Each suitcase contains hand and finger pupperts, books, games, magazines, laminated posters and maps, puzzles, bincoculars, laminated field guides and a teacher's information binder.

Teaching Suitcase Sponsorship
Consider becoming a sponsor of our Environmental/Conservation Teaching Suitcase program!
For just $30, your class will help Zoo by allowing us to support conservation projects around the globe!

Sponsorship Benefits Include:
Official Class Certificate
Owen & Mzee, The Language of Friendship told by
Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Class recognition in Brevard Zoo Newsletter

For more information on how to become a sponsor, please call 321.254.9453 x219 or email edregistrar@brevardzoo.org.

.