Wanted: children to rear harvest mice at home for wild release in Devon

A pair of 14-year-old conservationists have launched a community-driven project to boost declining harvest mouse populations in Devon by enlisting local children as "citizen captive breeders." The initiative, called Wild Pets, aims to raise and release up to 250 of the small rodents into the wild, following the success of the founders' own restoration work. Volunteers will care for the mice at home before their eventual release, helping restore habitats for this endangered species. The project is now recruiting 20 Devon-based young participants to take part in the effort.

Teenagers Eva Wishart and Emily Smith launch project to breed and release 250 of the tiny animals by SeptemberChildren in Devon are being invited to become “citizen captive breeders”, rearing harvest mice at home for release into the wild to help revive endangered nature.Wild Pets, a new conservation project launched by two 14-year-old friends, is seeking 20 Devon-based children to rear hundreds of mice after the duo’s own successful restoration efforts. Continue reading...