This would be a very mice “Pat” on the back.
The San Diego Zoo said a Pacific pocket mouse born there nearly a decade ago is the world’s oldest living mouse in human care.
Zoo officials are calling for recognition for Pat, who is 9 years and 5 months old, from Guinness World Records, according to reports.
The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, which operates the park, will host an event on Feb. 8 to celebrate the old age of the furry created, whose name is an homage to actor Patrick Stewart.
A representative from GWR is also scheduled to attend in order to verify the rodent’s age and hopefully secure its title in the record book.
The oldest caged mouse documented by Guinness World Records was British-born Fritzy, who died in 1985 at the age of 7 years and 7 months.
The Pacific pocket mouse, the smallest mouse species in North America, was thought to be extinct for 20 years until they were rediscovered in 1993. Since there are so few remaining, the San Diego Zoo created a Pocket Mouse Conservation Breeding Facility in 2012.
It houses up to 250 of the little creatures in a 700-square-foot building, where staff creates an environment that supports “healthy, behaviorally competent mice that are well prepared for reintroduction.”
