Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo Beardsley Zoo News

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The Chacoan Peccaries, American Alligators, and Cattle Egrets are still outside and on display. The alligators are starting to be fed less now that it's October.
The zoo has still not broken ground on Pampas Plains.
I think the zoo has only 2 Pronghorn and 2 Golden-Lion Tamarins left.
The second Amur Leopard exhibit is officially open now, but Sofiya is still uncomfortable going outside in either the first or second habitat.
There is a new Cattle Egret in Alligator Alley that joins the lone egret.
The Gray Foxes added last year are actually both male; the zoo and Alligator Adventure (where the foxes were sourced from) both confused one as them as a female.
The juvenile Emerald Tree Boas are maturing, and starting to get more green.
 
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The zoo was able to raise $710 through their 3rd annual animal art show. The art show featured paintings featured by many of the zoo's animals, from cockroaches to tigers. There is a second art show on December 7th, from 6 PM-9 PM.
There was only 1 Mexican Wolf and 1 North American River Otter on exhibit today.
The Chacoan Peccaries, Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Barn Owls, and Pronghorn were off-exhibit today. The peccaries weren't out because of the temperature, the prairie dogs were in hibernation, and I don't know why the owls and pronghorn were nowhere to be seen.
A bunch of packages with what seems to be wooden boards inside them were lined up outside of the peccary exhibit today. I don't really know what they're for, but I assume (and hope) it's for Pampas Plains, which they still haven't broken ground on (unless you count the Maned Wolf viewing hut from last year.)
Sofiya the leopard was out today, but she was pacing a lot.
The lynx were mating, despite their breeding season being from March to May.
There is a new species of duck in the Alligator Alley aviary; I cannot determine the species right now. The Cattle Egrets are still out in the aviary as well.
The Reptiles of Connecticut building and Bug House are closed for the season.
The Guinea Hog piglets seem to have been sent out to other facilities, as they were nowhere to be seen.
Surprisingly, in the emergency bird holding area in the barn, there was a female San Clemente Goat. I don't know why she was removed from the main goat exhibit.
Speaking of goats, the 2 Nigerian Dwarf kids born on November 4th to Cupcake and Rodney are doing fine, and are checking out their cousins, 3 Nigerian Dwarf kids born to Peaches and Rodney were born over the weekend of November 21st-November 22nd.
 
Did you photograph the duck?

Yes, I did photograph it, but it's a very poor photo. I'll post it here; it's the duck in the center (disregard the female Northern Pintails). Unfortunately, the duck isn't facing the camera. I'm thinking that it's perhaps a female Mallard or Gadwall?
Zoo director Gregg Dancho was honored with an IMPACT award in Education in the Bridgeport Regional Business Council on December 4th.
 

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The white packages filled with wooden boards are actually going to be used to construct the green roof for the South American Rainforest building. To paraphrase from the zoo's 2012 annual report, the green roof will not only provide a natural environment, but will save energy, reduce the urban heat island effect, and reduce storm water runoff, and improve the quality of the runoff. This will keep sewers from overflowing into local waterways, add extra thermal/sound insulation, create a better environment inside the building, and extend the life of the roof.
 
The white packages filled with wooden boards are actually going to be used to construct the green roof for the South American Rainforest building. To paraphrase from the zoo's 2012 annual report, the green roof will not only provide a natural environment, but will save energy, reduce the urban heat island effect, and reduce storm water runoff, and improve the quality of the runoff. This will keep sewers from overflowing into local waterways, add extra thermal/sound insulation, create a better environment inside the building, and extend the life of the roof.

Excellent! I'm glad the zoo is finally getting underway with this project, even if it's a bit later than planned.

Any clue when construction for Pampas Plains will begin, though?

~Thylo:cool:
 
I wonder if they're waiting for him to pass.

He's definitely in an elderly animal at about 19-20 years old, but the zoo is committed to finally opening this exhibit in 2014, and it just wouldn't make sense for them to wait until he dies, because they can't determine the exact date of his death; I'm guessing that they're either waiting to make sure they have all the funds, or for when there's no snow (which ironically is right now.)
Anyways, here's an article about the goat triplets I reported about back in early December... the zoo has waited until now to announce it, for some reason. And the mother is actually Peaches, not Cupcake. Holiday special delivery at zoo: Three miniature goat kids are born | Shelton Herald
 
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Summer 2014 is when we should be seeing Pampas Plains according to an email I just received from the zoo.

~Thylo:cool:
 
The Red Wolves are temporarily off-exhibit; there didn't seem to be anything noticeably wrong with their exhibit; however, I saw one wolf in a holding pen behind the main exhibit, and it might just be me, but that animal didn't seem to look like any of the current three wolves the zoo has; is a new wolf being introduced?
Construction on the green roof seems to be starting, unlike Pampas Plains.
Some Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs were on exhibit, despite most of them being in hibernation.
The aviary in Alligator Alley is temporarily closed, so guests must enter AA from the eagle exhibit, to the otters, and then go back that way. However, the birds are still viewable, and they seem to be fine; the mystery duck is still there.
The Cattle Egrets (or just one of them) are in the South American Rainforest building for the winter.
The barn exit was closed, requiring visitors to exit through the entrance; the San Clemente Goat that was in the barn last month is back in the goat exhibit.
The Domestic Turkey was moved from her own poultry coop to the 2nd one; her former pen is now unoccupied.
 
Sounds like it according to BZF's observations.

They have 1.1 now. Not sure where they came from.
 
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I figured something was going on when I saw that the animals were off-display. I'm unaware of what's really going on, but I'd bet that Mom, Piglet, and Miku were moved to Binghamton to remain together, while Beardsley starts breeding Red Wolves again. Unfortunately, I doubt Beardsley will publicly announce that new wolves are going on exhibit (especially considering that they used a photo of one of the 3 girls on Facebook today.)
Gulo gulo- Where did you find out that there are 1.1 new wolves at the zoo?
 
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