Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is a small zoo and the only zoo in Connecticut. There are more than 300 animals representing mostly North and South American species, with the exception of Amur Tigers. I've been on ZooChat for almost a year now, so it's about time I've come up with this review! Andean Condor Exhibit- This is the first exhibit you see when you enter the zoo. In it is a 1 year old male Andean Condor from the Denver Zoo named Desmond. This exhibit is really a small cage with some dead trees and other perches, which seems to be the normal housing for Andean Condors. Some former residents of this enclosure are Thaao, a male Andean Condor who was likely the oldest condor in the world and passed away in January 2010, and two Andean Condors who were sent to the Cincinnati Zoo in November 2011 to be trained to be released into the wilds of Columbia. Giant Tortoise Exhibit- This special exhibit opened on Memorial Day and will end on Labor Day. There is an Aldabra Tortoise named Skipper and a Galapagos Tortoise named Professor. They are from Cameron Park Zoo while Cameron renovates their enclosure. They are here for Beardsley's 90th anniversary. Their yard is average, but simple and grassy. Simple fence posts keep in the tortoises. WOLF- In 2006, a cabin opened up between the Gray and Red Wolf exhibits. This cabin became known as WOLF (Wolf Observation Learning Faculty). Before, the wolves were only visible through chain link fence, but now can be seen through glass. The Gray Wolf enclosure is a nice size, and has a good amount of trees and plantings within it. It is home to 2 elderly Gray Wolves. The male is named Apache, and the female is named Cheyenne. Despite their age they get up and run around a bit. On the other side of the cabin is a Red Wolf exhibit. It is a bit larger than the Gray Wolf enclosure, and has a fair amount of plants and trees in it, but not as much as the Gray Wolves have. In this enclosure are what I believe is a mom and two grown-up daughters. The zoo has had lots of success breeding Red Wolves, and contributed 8 pups to the 1987 reintroduction of Red Wolves into North Carolina. Inside WOLF are many graphics that explain the past, the present, and the future of wolves, and the different kinds of wolves. There is still some chain-link fence viewing along with the glass. Hoofstock- After WOLF, you leave to the Maned Wolf enclosure. The Maned Wolf enclosure is a nice size and has some plantings and rocks. There are 2 female Maned Wolves from the Natural Science Center and Animal Discovery of Greensboro. These wolves are only occasionally on exhibit now due to construction in their exhibit. It seems a viewing hut that will have glass windows will be added. They can be viewed through fence and a small covered bridge. If you go up a hill, you'll arrive at the peccary exhibit. There are 3 Chacoan Peccaries in this exhibit, including a female born in late October 2011. Beardsley was the first zoo in the Northeast to exhibit this species. This exhibit is viewed from a boardwalk with glass panels for viewing, and some glass panels reach ground level so you can get eye-to-eye with the peccaries. This exhibit is small, but is incredibly lush, and only one part of it really isn't covered in plants. When you go down the hill again and past the Maned Wolves, you'll reach the Llama exhibit. This exhibit is simple and decent, with some shade, grass, and a rather ugly pool. The llamas seem to like the back of the exhibit though, and I've rarely seen them near the fence. As you move on, you see one of the most popular exhibits in the zoo. The large colony of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs are always active and always have a good amount of babies each year. To make this exhibit even more special, one can go inside a tunnel into little "pop-up" tubes. Kids and adults alike can get face to face with many Prairie Dogs, and it's a truly great experience. As you move on, you come to the bird exhibits and the bison exhibit. One bird exhibit houses a female Barred Owl, and the other has a Turkey Vulture. They are both very small exhibits and look almost exactly the same, and I honestly want them to be demolished. Between these bird exhibits is an American Bison/White-Tailed Deer exhibit. This enclosure is very nice and of decent size. It is nice and grassy, with shade, a tree stump, and rocks. There are 2 American Bison in this enclosure, and a small group of White-Tailed Deer. As you walk past the exhibit, there is a bit of chain-link viewing that lets you see the bison and deer up close near the left side of the exhibit, which is the bison's favorite hangout. The last exhibit in the Hoofstock area of the zoo is for Pronghorn. There is a small group of 1.3 Pronghorn in this exhibit. There exhibit is nice and large with trees, fallen logs, and shade, but no grass. If this exhibit gets some grass growing in it, it can be a very nice Pronghorn exhibit. Predators- This is my least favorite section of the zoo. Not in terms of animals, but in exhibits. The first thing you see in this area is an empty exhibit that used to house a male Andean Bear named Joaquin. He had two adjoining enclosures that were meant for when the zoo had 2 bears. He could travel to both small exhibits, but he always paced. He is now at the Good Zoo in West Virginia. The second exhibit is possibly the worst in the trio. It is the Canada Lynx exhibit. It is very small, and you don't know how much I hate it. There are 1.1 Canada Lynx at the zoo, and they take turns on exhibit. The zoo is trying to breed the 2, but their exhibit is way too small for kittens. I wish that the lynx can move to the former bear exhibits, which is somewhat of an improvement. The last exhibits in this area is the Amur Tiger exhibits. The Amur Tiger exhibits are also two adjoining enclosures, similar to the Andean Bear exhibits, although the tiger exhibits are larger. These are the best enclosures in the Predators area, but they are far from good. There are 2 Amur Tigers here, Naka the female and Viktor the male. What's interesting about Viktor is that he was originally born at Beardsley in 2005, but was sent to Detroit later. But in December 2011, with no breeding success going on between the tigers at Beardsley or Detroit, Viktor was brought back to Beardsley to breed with Naka. Alligator Alley- This section of the zoo focuses on the wetlands of Florida and other southern states. When you first enter, you are in a free-flight aviary with a Cattle Egret, Ring-Necked Pheasants, Green Herons, Black-Crowned Night Herons, Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Wood Ducks, Red-Eared Sliders, Florida Cooter Turtles, Yellow-Bellied Sliders, and Cooter Turtles. Their exhibit is simple, and perhaps a bit small, but nice and relaxing, and the birds seem fine. When you walk through another set of doors, you go to a North American River Otter exhibit. The exhibit is nice, and mainly comprised of 2 parts. The first part features the pool, which has that all-too typical waterfall that appears out of nowhere, along with a slide and ramp. Before 2011, the slide was a children's slide, a peeve of some people on this site. In 2011, a renovation to the otter exhibit made the slide more natural looking, like a hollow log, and added a ramp. The second part is grassy and allows a spot for the otter to rest, and is accessible via slide. Only one otter has been on exhibit since this year, so I'm wondering what happened to the other. After that, you see the Greater Sandhill Crane enclosure. Formerly housing a White-Tailed Deer, this exhibit had 2 Sandhill Cranes, until the pair's first egg hatched, and I presume that mother and baby are being given privacy time, while dad is out on exhibit. Their enclosure is very nice and spacious, and is pretty lush during summer. Across from the cranes is the namesake of the exhibit, the American Alligators. This exhibit was renovated in 2011, and a roof for viewing, higher walls to prevent debris from falling in the pool, a new audio system for gator feedings, and a deck for visual appeal were added. Also, 5 new smaller male gators were added to the exhibit to replace the 2 huge males that were outgrowing the exhibit. After the gators is the only really disappointing enclosure in Alligator Alley. The fox enclosure is pretty small, and I wish it was demolished. It formerly housed a Red Fox who was either not on display or sleeping. When she passed away, I hoped the exhibit would be done for, but 2 Gray Foxes were added quite recently. I hope that if the zoo ever does move the lynx to the former bear enclosures, then the foxes would be sent to the former lynx exhibit, which is slightly better than their current home in Alligator Alley. The last exhibit here is a very nice Bald Eagle enclosure. This is one of the better exhibits in the zoo, and is quite large. 3 male Bald Eagles from Alaska and Florida arrived in late June 2010. The eagles tend to stay near the back of their exhibit, but sometimes they like to go out further near public viewing. Most of the exhibits in Alligator Alley are viewable from ground level (aviary, part of otter enclosure, gator exhibit, crane exhibit) and part is elevated viewing (part of otter exhibit, fox exhibit, eagle exhibit). New England Farmyard- This exhibit is supposed to give the feel of a farm in rural New England. There are domestic and wild animals here. When you enter, you see the North American Porcupine exhibit. The exhibit is small, and the porcupine always stays within his indoor quarters, and I've only ever seen him outside once or twice. Next to the porcupine exhibit is a raven exhibit. The exhibit is narrow and long to give the raven some room to fly. The exhibit is filled with children's toys for the raven to play with. Nearby is a Cotswold Sheep exhibit with two very charismatic sheep. Next to the sheep is a "new" enclosure. It's not technically new, but has been empty for a while. It formerly held Narragansett Turkeys, but has been modified a bit and now houses 2 Snowy Owls. These gorgeous birds came in April 2011, and have gone through a series of homes since their arrival, but hopefully this is their permanent home. Across from the owls is an exhibit for Guinea Hogs. Each summer there is a litter of piglets that are active and adorable. There is a barn that you can walk through with several small and dusty exhibits. The exhibits in order are Norway Rats, Domestic Rabbits, a Domestic Cat, Striped Newts, and Barn Owls. The Striped Newts are part of a breeding program to hopefully be introduced into the wild. When you walk out of the barn, you see a smallish Dexter Cattle exhibit with some shade and grazing opportunities. An enclosure adjoining the cattle exhibit has 1.1 Greater Rheas. These birds came in November 2011 and made use of the long empty exhibit next to the Dexter Cattle, despite them being South American birds in a New England themed exhibit. Nevertheless, they're beautiful birds, but I wish they were in a more appropriate exhibit. Close by is a goat exhibit. This exhibit is covered in a hard concrete floor, and I think I heard it was because of something for the goats' feet. There are I believe 3 San Clemente Goats, 1 African Pygmy Goat, 1 Nubian Goat, and 1 Mini-Nubian Goat, if I got my breeds correct. For 25 cents, you can feed the goats pellets. Just be careful if you want to feed multiple goats, as they're incredibly selfish and will shove other goats to get their pellets. Across from the goats is a large duck pond with domestic breeds (Sebastopol Geese, Appleyard Ducks, Welsh Harlequins, etc.) and some wild species (Cackling Geese, Hooded Mergansers, and possibly more.) On your way out, be sure to check out a smaller pond that also has some domestic/wild waterfowl. The highlight of this pond are two gorgeous Whistling Swans that were added in March 2012. Also in the Farmyard is an awful Great Horned Owl exhibit that might be even smaller than the bird exhibits in Hoofstock, and contains a female Great Horned Owl. I'm just not sure where this dreadful exhibit is located exactly in the complex. Reptiles of Connecticut- This small building is located inside New England Farmyard. It features reptiles and amphibians native to Connecticut. There is an outdoor enclosure for a Common Snapping Turtle that is a bit on the small side, but the turtle just likes to stay in his pond. Inside are average to small exhibits for many herps. The best (but still average) exhibits in here are a mixed species exhibit for Spotted Turtles, Eastern Box Turtles, Wood Turtles, and a Black Rat Snake, and an exhibit just for Eastern Box Turtles. The rest are simple terrariums for a Common Garter Snake, an Eastern Milk Snake, an American Toad, a Green Frog, an Eastern Gray Treefrog, newts that I can't remember the species, an Eastern Mud Turtle, baby turtles that I don't know the species of, small fish, and a massive American Bullfrog. South American Rainforest- This building does not open until 10:30 A.M., which may be a pet peeve of some on this site (cough cough*snowleopard*cough). Many new graphics and signage were added over spring of 2012, and have undoubtedly gotten some zoo visitors to read the signs as they now say stuff like "Can you see these animals? Insert list of animals in enclosure. The first exhibit is an average, somewhat small exhibit for Boa Constrictors. This exhibit is probably the only one that didn't get improved signage, possibly because the constrictors are new residents to the enclosure, in March of 2012 when 2 Yellow Anacondas moved out. The constrictor likes to stay on his vine, but it's not terribly hard to see him. Nearby is an average Yacare Caiman enclosure, with a pond and a nice amount of land space. Sharing the exhibit with the 2 caimans are a Mata-Mata Turtle, Hispaniolan Sliders, and possibly Catfish, though I haven't seen them recently, but then again I have awful eyesight. There is a terrarium for Poison Dart Frogs nearby, and the colorful frogs get more attention than other frogs in the building. You enter through another set of doors. On one side of you is a free-flight aviary with Scarlet Ibises, White-Bellied Caiques, Keel-Billed Toucans, and Orinoco Geese. There are many perches and there is a stream for the birds. It would be nice to see some acouchis in here again. Next to that is a fenced in exhibit for 2 Golden-Lion Tamarins and Radiated Tortoises. The exhibit is of decent size, and there are branches and nesting boxes for the GLT's. The Radiated Tortoises are left alone by the tamarins, and have a fair amount of land and a tiny pool. On the other side is a large netted in exhibit for Goeldi's Monkeys and White-Bellied Caiques. There also seems to be White-Lined Tanagers and a Two-Toed Sloth, both I've never seen. It is quite a nice size for its inhabitants, with many branches for them to climb all over the exhibit. I'd like to see some Common Squirrel Monkeys. When you enter another set of doors, you come to the final part of the building. The first exhibit is a terrarium. There are Amazon Tree Boas and a Yacare Caiman hatchling in this exhibit. The snakes have branches and rocks to rest on, and the bottom of the exhibit is all water for its former occupants, catfish. However, they've been removed for the hatchling. The hatchling is the first crocodilian to hatch in Beardsley's 90 year history. There is an average Brazilian Ocelot exhibit next. It's occupant is Kuma, a 3-legged and tailless ocelot who lost some body parts as a result of an encounter with an adult male when she was a kitten. However, she was a great mother to her two kittens, and she holds many records! I believe she was only the third ocelot to ever be artificially inseminated and the first for conservation purposes, she was the only ocelot ever successfully artificially inseminated twice, and was the first wild cat to experience oviductal artificial insemination. Her first kitten, Milagre who was born in 2008, was sent to Dallas in 2011, and Alya, born in 2011, has recently been sent to Buffalo. The exhibit is average, with branches, a rock wall for her to rest on, a fake tree, toys, and a pool. Adjacent to this exhibit is a Black Howler Monkey/White-Faced Saki exhibit. The exhibit has ropes and branches. Nearby, protected from light with a blind, is a Common Vampire exhibit. Formerly a Green Iguana exhibit, the smallish exhibit has stalactites and stalagmites and has 18 Common Vampire Bats. There is little dishes with blood on the floor of the exhibit, but the bats like to stay roosted, and occasionally you'll see one fly. As you walk on, there is an Emerald Tree Boa exhibit. The residents are small and the terrarium is average. Next to it is a tall average Amazon Milk Frog exhibit. Across from it are the last attraction in the building; Pygmy Marmosets. The cute little monkeys have an average exhibit with branches and a coconut hut. There are 2 marmosets. One is Weechie, who was a lone marmoset until Eko's arrival from Zoo Montana in June 2011. The zoo hopes they'll breed. Outside is a summer exhibit for the howlers. The fence is quite an eyesore, but it's nice to see the monkeys out in the sun. They have ropes, branches, nest boxes, and they like to climb on the fence itself sometimes. My real complaint with this exhibit though is why the sakis aren't allowed outside with the howlers as well. Overall, Beardsley is a small zoo that does need renovation in some places, but can be quite nice in other areas. I wouldn't go out of your way to see it, but if you have the time to see it, I might recommend a visit. Beardsley holds a special place in my heart as my home zoo though, so I might've gone soft in some places. Thanks for taking the time to read my review!
Thanks for taking the time to type up this interesting review, and I like the reference to myself in it! I hope to visit this zoo in the next few weeks.
Thanks snowleopard, and sorry for the late response! Now that the review is up, I'd like to add some more additional info. The first part of the otter exhibit is a teensy bit disappointing as most of it is rock and cement that surrounds the pool, but there is some soil, and the second part has some grass and areas where the otters can hide from the public. I now realize the rainforest building is a bit outdated, as I've been comparing it to Roger Williams Park Zoo's building. Beardsley doesn't have tamarins over your head, but it's a bit larger than RWPZ's, and has more animals. I've also heard rumors about a renovation coming in the near future. Here are the best enclosures in the zoo and the worst, IMO. Best: Gray Wolves Red Wolves American Bison/White-Tailed Deer Bald Eagles Sandhill Cranes Worst: Barred Owl Turkey Vulture Canada Lynx Gray Foxes Great Horned Owl The Amur Tiger exhibit is not as awful as these exhibits, so I didn't put it in "worst", but it comes close. In addition, a good amount of the exhibits are only viewable through ugly fence that makes it hard to get a good photo. And one last bit of info for your visit this summer snowleopard, even though construction is going on near the Maned Wolves, the wolves can sometimes be on exhibit, but look hard! There is a crate in there that one of the wolves likes to retreat into, and it can be hard to see her. Photos of some of the exhibits: http://www.zoochat.com/1133/predators-amur-tiger-exhibit-2-a-273186/ http://www.zoochat.com/1133/alligator-alley-part-2-alligator-exhibit-273182/ http://www.zoochat.com/1133/predators-canada-lynx-exhibit-273166/ http://www.zoochat.com/1133/brazilian-ocelot-exhibit-264861/ http://www.zoochat.com/1133/prairie-dog-exhibit-264827/ http://www.zoochat.com/1133/nwtb-free-flight-aviary-273287/ http://www.zoochat.com/1133/wolf-red-wolf-exhibit-277813/ http://www.zoochat.com/1133/giant-tortoise-exhibit-277969/
Can a moderator please move this to the Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo forum? Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo Forums Whenever, I put a thread in a forum for that zoo, it just puts the thread in the United States forum.
Oops! Mistake Alert! In my review of the rainforest building, the tortoises are Red-Footed, not Radiated.
I was wondering about that. Something I never found out about was which zoo the Good Zoo's Red Wolves went to. I think it might be Beardsley, but I never found out. If so, great. Beardsley's exhibit is much better for them.
Okay then. I just think it's unlikely because the group at Beardsley consists of a mother and her two daughters. The mom has definately been here for a while, and her two daughters were born here. Since the mother wolf has been here for a long time (she might have even been born here), it just seems very unlikely.
