Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo Beardsley Zoo News

ZooLover4Life said:
I wish they'd make the rain forest so it doesn't smell so bad! It's AWFUL! It's too bad because it's a really nice exhibit. I've been to the rain forest in central park zoo and it doesn't smell bad like that. Maybe some air recirculates or something. I don't even go inside anymore because it smells so bad. Really like the zoo other than that.
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The smell is basically all the animal urine, as the scat is cleaned up pretty quickly. When the building first opened, keepers thought the smell was bad as well, and decided to use air fresheners and sprays to fix the smell. However, the scent of the air fresheners irritated the animals and they urinated even more to overwhelm the smell. That's why they stopped using the fresheners. Once you visit the Rainforest frequently, the smell stops bothering you. :)
 
BeardsleyZooFan said:
The smell is basically all the animal urine, as the scat is cleaned up pretty quickly. When the building first opened, keepers thought the smell was bad as well, and decided to use air fresheners and sprays to fix the smell. However, the scent of the air fresheners irritated the animals and they urinated even more to overwhelm the smell. That's why they stopped using the fresheners. Once you visit the Rainforest frequently, the smell stops bothering you. :)
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No not me. I can't enter that building. My nose stuffs right up and I start hacking. I'm way to sensitive to that stuff.

I agree masking the odor would make it even worse. I hate chemical smells. It's like people who try to hid cig odor with air fresheners/sprays in a car. Nasty all around.

I'm thinking the building is not nearly large enough sq footage wise in proportion to amount of animals. That and an air circulation system would solve the problem. Think how high the ceilings are on some other rain forests that don't have that smell problem. Lots more room for air to move around
 
ZooLover4Life said:
No not me. I can't enter that building. My nose stuffs right up and I start hacking. I'm way to sensitive to that stuff.

I agree masking the odor would make it even worse. I hate chemical smells. It's like people who try to hid cig odor with air fresheners/sprays in a car. Nasty all around.

I'm thinking the building is not nearly large enough sq footage wise in proportion to amount of animals. That and an air circulation system would solve the problem. Think how high the ceilings are on some other rain forests that don't have that smell problem. Lots more room for air to move around
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The Fragile Forest at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago comes to mind as a strong smelling building.Sill its never stopped us from enjoying the exhibit and actually it sorta gives it a more authentic feel.

Team Tapir223
 
TeamTapir223 said:
The Fragile Forest at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago comes to mind as a strong smelling building.Sill its never stopped us from enjoying the exhibit and actually it sorta gives it a more authentic feel.

Team Tapir223
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Authentic smelling? lol Have you ever been in a rain forest? It smells NOTHING like that. It's actually very refreshing smelling and humid. It doesn't smell like a pet store kennel
 
ZooLover4Life said:
Authentic smelling? lol Have you ever been in a rain forest? It smells NOTHING like that. It's actually very refreshing smelling and humid. It doesn't smell like a pet store kennel
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LMAO I guess your right I've never been in a Rainforest (would love to though)

Team Tapir223
 
Beardsley rain forest has about 7 foot high ceilings. Central park zoo, where smell is much less of a problem has ceilings about 40 foot high(my own estimate). I LOVE the rain forest at central park zoo.(I was there a long time ago though so don't know if it's the same now)

I think the key to a good rain forest exhibit is to make people actually think they're in the rain forest! The smells/sounds of nature. A pet store smell ruins it for me. The smell is like one from a local pond where they are overfeeding geese and causing overpopulation of birds in the area.

The rainforest is done well at central park. They have really tall trees inside the exhibit.

Also, some rain forest exhibits have large waterfalls, running water ect.
A few exotic birds and limited amount of animals. This really makes it come alive, not stink to high heaven, and is so relaxing to walk through.

Has anyone here been to the Henry Doorly Zoo- Lied Jungle, the largest tropical indoor rainforest in the world? 80 feet high. 123,000 sq feet. Looks impressive

Here's a video walk through https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZArv7xmJNU

Also, butterly garden in florida does it well
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykxisI2h7CU

I think in northern climates a rainforest exhibit is really important because it allows you to escape the cold and feel like you're in the tropics!
 
The difference is Beardsley can't afford to make a 40ft high room with a ton of animals in it. I don't remember there being too many animals in Beardsley's enclosure. I quite liked it and only remember less than 10 species being in it, with some only having one or two individuals. A few species have left since then, too. And it never even smelt that bad to me. Animals go to the bathroom, sorry to break it to you. Sometimes things will smell. And I'm not sure how it smells so much like urine when it's mostly birds and birds urine and feces are dropped as one and I've never found that to smell. So the problem probably isn't even the birds, but the monkeys, sloth, and agoutis.

~Thylo:cool:
 
ThylacineAlive said:
The difference is Beardsley can't afford to make a 40ft high room with a ton of animals in it. I don't remember there being too many animals in Beardsley's enclosure. I quite liked it and only remember less than 10 species being in it, with some only having one or two individuals. A few species have left since then, too. And it never even smelt that bad to me. Animals go to the bathroom, sorry to break it to you. Sometimes things will smell. And I'm not sure how it smells so much like urine when it's mostly birds and birds urine and feces are dropped as one and I've never found that to smell. So the problem probably isn't even the birds, but the monkeys, sloth, and agoutis.

~Thylo:cool:
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Affordability is a different issue. I'm just commenting on places that don't smell like that. A air re-circulation system might help and be cheaper. That being said, when you invest and make a better product for people you can up being able to charge more/get more visitors/revenue. That's how any business works. Beardsley really has very little competition for locals. It's CT's only zoo. Hartford sadly has no zoo. Making a large rain forest would draw in a ton of people. Wouldn't you love something like that at Beardsley? It would be nice :)

Some people can walk into a smoke filled room and say it doesn't smell that bad. That must be you ;) I need an oxygen mask.

ANYONE will tell you that rain forest smells to high heaven who's being honest. And I don't find the other parts of the zoo to smell, except for the barnyard area and that's due to having too many waterfowl in such a small area. But that's nothing compared to the rain forest.

I never said for Beardsley to put a ton of animals in the rain forest exhibit. I said the opposite. Too many animals in proportion to square footage in indoor enclosure= smell. The square footage(air space) is tiny.
 
The fact of the matter is Beardsley can't afford to make it better, they can't make it bigger. The zoo has been struggling to break ground on Pampas Plains for years so I think any rainforest building expansions are on the backburner. I don't even think they have the space either. Personally I don't think Beardsley has that many animals in the aviary and don't fine it over crowded at all.

And for the record, Beardsley is not CT's only zoo, it's CT's only AZA accredited zoo. Though it's not the only AZA accredited collection as both the Maritime and Mystic Aquariums are accredited.

~Thylo:cool:
 
ThylacineAlive said:
The fact of the matter is Beardsley can't afford to make it better, they can't make it bigger. The zoo has been struggling to break ground on Pampas Plains for years so I think any rainforest building expansions are on the backburner. I don't even think they have the space either. Personally I don't think Beardsley has that many animals in the aviary and don't fine it over crowded at all.

And for the record, Beardsley is not CT's only zoo, it's CT's only AZA accredited zoo. Though it's not the only AZA accredited collection as both the Maritime and Mystic Aquariums are accredited.

~Thylo:cool:
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What other zoos are in ct? True zoos. Not a petting zoo. Action wildlife in goshen is in the middle of nowhere(a solid hour plus from hartford) and is not really a zoo and comparable to Beardsley.
 
ZooLover4Life said:
What other zoos are in ct? True zoos. Not a petting zoo. Action wildlife in goshen is in the middle of nowhere(a solid hour plus from hartford) and is not really a zoo and comparable to Beardsley.
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I'd most certainly label Action Wildlife as a zoo. It's a large collection of both exotic and domestic species from sheep and cows to ibex and boar. Of course it is missing the predator aspect of a zoo, but that doesn't mean it's any less of a zoo.

~Thylo:cool:
 
If somewhere being in the middle of the countryside automatically makes a collection a "petting zoo" and not a real zoo, I suggest you come to the UK and visit Whipsnade Zoo, which at over an hour from the nearest city must be the world's largest petting zoo at 600 acres and over 200 species ;)
 
TeaLovingDave said:
If somewhere being in the middle of the countryside automatically makes a collection a "petting zoo" and not a real zoo, I suggest you come to the UK and visit Whipsnade Zoo, which at over an hour from the nearest city must be the world's largest petting zoo at 600 acres and over 200 species ;)
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What?
Southwick zoo is in the country side. That's a zoo. So is lupa zoo, which is also in the "country".

We were talking about proximity when I stated ct only has one zoo. You can make MA zoos in spingfield/ludlow quicker from hartford than Goshen.

On top of it, it's not even open during most weekdays, except for about 2 months and then closes much of the year completely.

It only display ungulates on basically farmland. It has no trees for shade on most of the exhibits.(I like shade for protection from sun/heat) It's basically just fences with some meadows. I wouldn't drive over an hour for something like that. It's more than a petting zoo, but I would not classify it as a zoo. They do hay rides/pumpkins. It's more a hybrid farm with some exotic ungulates. I would visit if I was local though. I wish I had a place like that near me. But it's the same distance as southwick zoo for me as to get to action wildlife so it's a no brainer. It's an hour and 1/2 to go to a farm. Ct really only has one zoo.
 
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One thing I do like about action is that they have gravel/dirt paths instead of concrete, which is much easier on the feet. They should plant a lot of trees there so they can give some shade.
 
ZooLover4Life said:
We were talking about proximity when I stated ct only has one zoo. You can make MA zoos in spingfield/ludlow quicker from hartford than Goshen.
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So if a zoo in a different state is closer to you than a zoo in your own state, the latter collection does not count as a zoo? :p Edinburgh Zoo, over the border from me in Scotland, is closer to me than any zoo in England barring Yorkshire Wildlife Park; this does not mean England has only one zoo!

It is entirely okay to say one prefers to visit Southwick to Goshen with the two being similar distances from yourself; but using this point as justification of your claim the entire state of Connecticut has only a single zoo is a bit odd, to say the least :p
 
TeaLovingDave said:
So if a zoo in a different state is closer to you than a zoo in your own state, the latter collection does not count as a zoo? :p Edinburgh Zoo, over the border from me in Scotland, is closer to me than any zoo in England barring Yorkshire Wildlife Park; this does not mean England has only one zoo!

It is entirely okay to say one prefers to visit Southwick to Goshen with the two being similar distances from yourself; but using this point as justification of your claim the entire state of Connecticut has only a single zoo is a bit odd, to say the least :p
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Ok, this is a lot of rambling by me to make a clear cut point. I'm not trying to attack action wildlife. I'm simply stating Beardsley zoo doesn't have a lot of competition in this state and Hartford area(over a million in the metro area) doesn't have it's own zoo, which kind of sucks. All of eastern CT also has no zoos.
 
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