Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo Beardsley Zoo News

Hopefully, a Pampas exhibit is just the first phase of their South American expansion.
In other news, Connecticut Bloggers has posted a review of their day trip to the zoo. While there are typos, this article was nice, especially for two reasons:
Shows what the Giant Tortoise temporary exhibit is like
Proves that the Keel-Billed Toucans are still at the zoo.
http://connecticutbloggers.com/day-trip-to-the-beardsley-zoo-in-bridgeport/
 
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Kifaru Bwana said:
I love the giant tortoise yard! Any longterm plan there???
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The giant tortoises are a temporary exhibit for the zoo's 90th anniversary. I'll take some photos of the exhibit on my next visit.:). Hopefully, a new permanent addition can go into the exhibit sometime after the tortoises.
 
Animal Enrichment Day is June 23.
Animal Enrichment Day | Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
I'd also like to say I might be a little bit disappointed in the Pampas Plains exhibit. According to the article, it would take $5 million and 5 years to make new exhibits for 3 species. The zoo's canceled exhibit, Andes Adventure, cost about $7 million, and it was for about 8 species. I sincerely hope that the Pampas is just a section in a larger South American expansion, but I doubt it.
 
BeardsleyZooFan said:
There is an exhibit crisis going on at Beardsley Zoo. It started in April, when 4 Snowy Owl siblings arrived from Hannover Zoo. 2 of the owls went on exhibit in the former Canada Lynx exhibit, and the other 2 remained in quarantine, waiting for exhibit space. I though the owls would just be in there for a little while, but they have been in quarantine for almost a year. In addition, Canada Lynx have returned to the zoo and have taken up space in the Snowy Owl exhibit. The owls on exhibit went to the only available exhibit space at the zoo; the back of the Rainforest Building. Not only are rainforests the EXACT opposite of the Arctic, but that space is the Howler Monkey's summer exhibit. So what is going to happen in the summer when Howler Monkeys need their Vitamin D and Snowy Owls are in their exhibit. In addition, 2 new Greater Rheas arrived at the zoo and went on exhibit in the New England Farmyard. Their exhibit is pretty small there and they are South American birds in a New England themed exhibit. This crisis is absolutely crazy.
However, I have some ideas. The zoo is planning to bring in a new Andean Condor in the spring. I think a better idea would be to send the owl pair that is on exhibit to the former Andean Condor exhibit. Then, I would send the 2 owls in quarantine and one of the owls on exhibit to another zoo, and bring in a breeding partner for the remaining owl. This would give the Howler Monkeys their summer exhibit back, send the owls in quarantine to a place that will give them an exhibit, and help the zoo breed Snowy Owls, which was one of their plans when they got the owls. Then, I would put the rheas in the llama exhibit. This would put the rheas in a South American exhibit and give them more space, and let the Dexter Cattle exhibit be expanded into the former rhea exhibit.
Please let me know if this is a good idea to suggest to the zoo. :)
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I made an edited version of this plan, since some changes have occured since this original plan was written.
I left out the note of the Greater Rheas as they will have a larger habitat in Pampas Plains, the new planned exhibit.
I also left out the note of the 2 owls in quarantine, as they have been sent to the Nashville Zoo.
Instead of moving to the condor exhibit, I suggested moving the Canada Lynx to the former bear exhibits and putting the owls in the former lynx exhibit, in order for more suitable enclosures for both species.
I decided to specifically ask the zoo to send one of the owls to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, and then get a breeding partner for the remaining owl.
I also asked for the White-Faced Sakis to join the Howlers in the summer exhibit. I plan on just making the finishing touches, and then sending an email to the address found on the AZA website, which will have to do:
noemail@AZA.org
 
The Beardsley Zoo AAZK Facebook posted some more photos of the Giant Tortoises.
Giant Tortoises! | Facebook
Animal Enrichment Day is tomorrow, and there are several keeper chats planned for the day, and there's the chance to win a behind-the-scenes tour of the zoo. Guests will learn about enrichment, and can even help make it. I can't make it tomorrow, but I'm really going to try to make it soon to see the Giant Tortoises and see what their exhibit is like, and to see the Sandhill Crane chick, which surely must have hatched by now.
 
BeardsleyZooFan said:
Joaquin, the Andean Bear, has moved to another zoo:(, and his former exhibit is being renovated. While I will most certainly miss him, I am glad that he will be going to a better place. If anyone knows which zoo he moved too, that would be great.
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Joaquin got moved to Ogelbay Good Zoo in Wheeling,West Virginia. Im visiting this zoo Tomorrow and taking alot of pictures of exhibits since there's not alot of pics and info bout the only aza zoo in the state of west virginia.
 
Thanks jusko88, I knew he was moved to the Good Zoo when I read another article, but I'm glad you're going out there to give photos and info on this zoo that no one has seemed to visit before here on ZooChat.
 
The Andean Condor exhibit seems to have some slight changes in it (new perches, that kind of stuff).
There is a new mural somewhere in the zoo featuring some of the zoo's animals.
 
I had a nice little visit to the zoo today, and got to see many new things.
The Giant Tortoises are doing quite well, and are absolutely massive! I'll post some photos of them and their exhibit later.
Many exhibits are becoming quite lush as summer continues, especially the peccary exhibit.
Construction is going well in the Maned Wolf enclosure. They have built a hut near the exhibit, and open windows are nearby, so I'm 99% certain glass windows for viewing the Maned Wolves will come soon. The hut doesn't take up any exhibit space, so when construction isn't going on, the wolves can go on exhibit.
More Prairie Dog pups have been born, and more are on their way.
While a sign says the former Andean Bear exhibit is under construction, nothing has changed in the exhibit except the absence of a bear.:rolleyes:
While I didn't see the crane chick, the nest was no longer there, as well as the egg, so I assume that the chick is fine, and probably is having privacy with mom, as only one crane was on exhibit today (I'll assume it was the father.)
Now that the Red Fox has passed away, 2 Gray Foxes have tooken up residency in Alligator Alley (in a very small exhibit, which makes me disappointed.)
The Cattle Egret has moved from the New World Tropics Building back to Alligator Alley.
The Amur Tigers, Naka and Viktor, have been already allowed in the same exhibit together. I saw Viktor attempting to mount Naka, but Naka's playing hard to get.;)
A maze has been set up near the Peacock Cafe. While this is obviously for the kids, on the outside is a great wealth of information on Amur Tigers, which I was very pleased about. A member of my family who went into the maze told me that it was made to make you feel like a tiger, making twists and turns in pursuit of your prey, and whenever there was a dead end, it would say something like, Quick hide! humans are approaching!
The Snowy Owls were moved to a long-empty exhibit in the New England Farmyard that once held Narragansett Turkeys. I'm so happy this space is now being used, and they are no longer in the back of the rainforest building,
Only 1 Guinea Hog was on exhibit today, so the annual litter of Guinea Hog piglets might have finally occured.:)
I have a feeling that the male rhea might be attempting to mate with his sister.
Role reversal! It seems that Keel-Billed Toucans are now in the free-flight aviary of the Rainforest building, and some White-Bellied Caiques took the Toucans' places in the netted in Goeldi's Monkey exhibit.
The Yacare Caiman hatchling is much larger and bolder now.
Alya the Brazilian Ocelot, the world's first wildcat born through oviductal artificial insemtination, has been moved to the Buffalo Zoo. I'll have to pay her a visit someday.
The Black Howler Monkeys are now in their summer exhibit outside the Rainforest building.
Quite a lot has occured! ;)
 
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Thank you once again, BeardsleyZooFan, for all of your updates from our only zoo. :) Oh, and I see you are close to reaching the 1,000th photo milestone! Congratulations for your continued contributions to the forum!

-AnaheimZoo
 
Well, I've got good news, and I've got bad news.
Beardsley Zoo was voted the #1 place to take your kids in Fairfield County. Well done!
Apache, the male Timber Wolf, passed away last week, according to a tumblr post of someone who works there. I was really looking forward to seeing him this week. It was probably his time though, as he and Cheyenne are really old. R.I.P. Apache.:(
 

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I forgot to mention that Yugi the llama also passed away a while ago.:(
 

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If wolves can be sad, Cheyenne is. It seems that she's not as happy anymore now that Apache has passed.:(
Lawrence the Llama is handling the death of his buddy much better, and doesn't seem all too sad.
The Greater Rheas are mating, but they're brother and sister!:eek: However, the staff are making sure the eggs don't hatch.
I doubt there will be any Guinea Hog piglets this year, as there aren't any yet, and by now they would be born.
The baby Pronghorn is in the Animal Care Clinic.
The zoo is raising Brook Trout again so they can be released into the waters of CT later in the fall.
There are lots of Helmeted Guineafowl chicks in the barn of the New England Farmyard.
The 2 Cotswold Sheep have been sheered.
Nothing has changed in the former bear exhibits.
Neither the Narragansett Turkey or the Blue-Eared Pheasant have been on exhibit recently, so I think they might have passed.
Improvements have been made to the Giant Tortoise exhibit fence as the Galapagos Tortoise kept trying to break through the fence.
 
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I now have an answer for why there has only been 1 North American River Otter on exhibit! DeLaney, the female otter, passed away either late last year or earlier this year.:( They brought in a new female otter, but currently the new female and Rizzo, the male, hate each other. So they've been mostly seperated, but they were together this year, and mostly ignored each other except for one little squabble.
The crane chick didn't make it.:(
The 2 Canada Lynx, Selma and Sasquatch, are sharing the same exhibit now. They don't like each other that much. Selma, the female, is older than Sasquatch, the male, so Sasquatch is nervous around Selma and lets her have her way.
I got some more info on the Pampas Plains exhibit. An educator said that money was a huge issue, and there was no real official species list. So far, Maned Wolves, Llamas, and Chacoan Peccaries, and Greater Rheas are the only species that they are almost positive on including, as they are already at the zoo. She said that Giant Anteaters and Capybara might come too, and more species will be decided as time goes on.
When asking a worker about if the lynx might be moved into the old bear exhibits, I was told that it was considered, but not going to happen. She said the old bear enclosures would be demolished, new barriers were going to be put up to be easier to see the animals, rockwork and other features were to be added, and a new species would be there, possibly by fall. When asking another worker about this, she said it would be a new endangered Asian animal :), as the zoo is trying to get more South American animals for Pampas Plains, and apparentely is trying to get more Asian animals as right now their only Asian animals are Amur Tigers. Renovations to the tiger enclosures are also being considered. I'm very happy, and I can't wait until this new animal arrives, and hopefully its new exhibit will be good.
 
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