Zoo harvests Microsoft's money to secure mouse's future

NEWS Microsoft has thrown its corporate weight behind a mouse in a massive sponsorship deal with London Zoo. The software giant secured the future of one Micromys minutus - or harvest mouse - in a contract estimated to be worth well over £30. According to the zoo, sponsoring a harvest mouse - Britain's second smallest mammal - costs an individual £30 per year. But a spokeswoman said Microsoft will be contributing a lot more than that, because company sponsorship is much more expensive. She also pointed out that the fee isn't just about keeping the mouse in flies or bugs. London Zoo also confirmed that the mouse was chosen because of its crucial importance to the functioning of Windows. Clearly a penguin was deemed impolitic.