Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo Beardsley Zoo News

Thought I would start a thread about news from Beardsley Zoo. This information is from my visit in late July so I’ll use what knowledge I got from my last visit.
The Guinea Hog piglets are still very playful, and are still too cute for words.
Alya the Brazilian Ocelot kitten (the first wildcat born to oviductal artificial insemination) is doing fine, and at almost 7 months old is almost as big as Kuma the mom!
In April, 4 Snowy Owls (all siblings) arrived from Hannover Zoo. 2 went on exhibit in the former lynx exhibit. The other 2 are still in quarantine, waiting for exhibit space.
The North American River Otters have a new water slide and ramp to play on, courtesy of the Aquarion Water Company.
The baby American Alligators in the Professor Beardsley’s Research Station are still cute.
The female Pygmy Marmoset, Eko, who arrived from Zoo Montana in June, is playing and climbing with Weechie, the formerly lone male marmoset. The zoo is hoping they mate.
The female Yacare Caiman in the New World Tropics Building laid eggs, and if the hatching is successful, the first caiman babies in the zoo’s history will hatch in October. The caiman babies will be in a snake exhibit when they hatch, where the snakes won’t bother them.
The prarie dog babies are growing up fast and look just like the adults! Only a little bit smaller.
That’s all I can think of right now. I’ll add more stuff when more news comes.

 

On a scale from 1 to 10, how familiar would you say you are with Beardsley Zoo?

 

News Update

For 4 days only, Beardsley Zoo has a new show called "Rainforest Reptiles". From August 25th to August 27th, guests can see a variety of reptiles from iguanas, lizards, turtles, alligators, and snakes. Also, guests can see a rare albino American Alligator. The zoo is also celebrating the renovation of its Alligator Alley alligator exhibit. The exhibit is now home to 5 new young males that are more active than the former two huge males that outgrew the exhibit. These 5 new alligators replaced the 2 males.

 

Beardsley Zoo has recently received a $23,300 grant from Fairfield County Community Foundation. The grant will provide general operating support to offset the rising costs of the zoo's operations. This will strengthen the zoo's fundraising and marketing efforts, which are important in today's economy.

 

There were a lot of new arrivals at Beardsley Zoo over the past month.
2 Common Rheas from the National Zoo are on exhibit at the New England Farmyard.
2 Canada Lynx from the Minnesota Zoo went on exhibit this weekend.
A female Chacoan Peccary piglet was born in late October, making Beardsley Zoo not only the first zoo in the Northeast to exhibit these peccaries, but the first in the Northeast to welcome a piglet.
The 2 Andean Condors are no longer on exhibit. They’ve been transferred to the Cincinnati Zoo to be released into the wild.
I can’t wait to see all these new animals next time I visit!
New animals go on exhibit this weekend at Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo!

 

The first ever crocodilians hatched at Beardsley Zoo are here... Yacare Caiman hatchlings!
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo - Government Agency - Bridgeport, CT | Facebook

 

Also for the ocelot and the AI, I believe the Cincinnati zoo's C.R.E.W. used their AI and transferred the ocelot to the Minn Zoo.

 

What do you mean? I believe both the mother ocelot and the kitten are still at Beardsley.

 

I now have know idea where I came up with that, sorry

 

Viktor, one of the zoo's tiger cubs born in 2004 is back at the zoo in hopes that he'll breed with Naka, the female tiger.
2 female Maned Wolves from North Carolina have also come to Beardsley.
Originally going to debut in the spring, the female Chacoan Peccary piglet, still unnamed, will be on public display if the mild weather continues.
A pronghorn baby born in July has made its debut in the New England Farmyard exhibit.
Tiger Returns to Connecticut to Celebrate 'Happy Zoo Year!' | Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

 

If you're nearby to Beardsley Zoo, come this Sunday to celebrate Alya's birthday. She is turning one year old! Can't believe a year has gone by already!
Ayla the Ocelot's 1st Birthday! | Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

 

The zoo is closed Saturday, January 21st due to weather.

 

Happy birthday Alya! Hope she had an enriching birthday, though I wasn't able to come.

 

February 2012 Newsletter from CT's Beardsley Zoo
Expect some photos from the zoo soon!

 

Beardsley got $78K Grant to train the Conservation Discovery Corps.
Zoo Wins $78K Grant to Train Students about Conservation | Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

 

New pictures in the Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo gallery! Includes some of the new animals like rheas, lynx, and the baby peccary!

 

Quick question, are there any future plans for the Beardsley Zoo? Like... have any new animal additions, renovations, and/or new exhibits been rumored? I know this would be a little much, considering the low funds. Just wondering.

 

I've heard the zoo is getting a new Andean Condor in the spring hopefully. The zoo is also planning to bring in 2 male Canada Lynx to breed with their new females. However, they really need to make a bigger exhibit if they want to have kittens. Speaking of exhibits, there are no new exhibits or renovations that I can think of. The zoo's $7 million planned exhibit, Andes Adventure, that would feature new exhibits for Andean Bears, Andean Condors, and more, and would have animals Bridgeport never exhibited before like jaguars and Giant Anteaters, has been canceled. However, there were renovations to the otter and alligator exhibits in 2011.

 

Wow! That sure would've been great to see. That's a shame... Do you know why it was canceled and when was it set to be opened? Do you have any links to information about it? Where was it supposed to be located on the zoo grounds?

Why am I asking so many questions???
(Probably 'cause I wanted to see that anteater... I've never seen those before, unfortunately, I don't think. Maybe when I was younger, but I wouldn't remember that... )

 

Nice little article about the zoo in winter and some upcoming events (90th anniversary!!!)
Beardsley Zoo doesn?t hibernate | Acorn-Online.com