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Such an Animal!

Don't go to the mall again. It's all happening at the zoo

Have you absolutely run out of things to do this summer with the kids? Have you thought about the zoo?

I love charming old Beardsley Zoo up in Bridgeport. When my kids were tots, we practically lived up there. We bought the annual membership pass and just cruised up any time we felt like it. The intimate size of the place makes for a lovely time. You can park and waltz in the front gate in a mere matter of minutes.

Thus, I am gripped by the news that Beardsley Zoo is in tough financial straits. But it is in fact facing the same woes we all are. The state is cutting back funds, and the city of Bridgeport just doesn’t have as much to kick in to the budget. If you can afford it, you should haul out your checkbook today. (They’d love a corporate partnership, too.)

Why? Well, need I mention that the tigers are just dynamite?

Years ago, the Beardsley had a collection of astonishing white tigers. They looked pretty damned healthy, too, and the main stud seemed to be as long as a brontosaurus. Maybe he just looked so big because he was so close.

Alas, the nation’s zoos have a practice of moving some of these fellows around, so he’s off breeding somewhere else. But while the great whites are gone, there are, right now, today, lounging around licking their paws and breathing in the fine Connecticut air, a family of Amur tigers. Mistakenly called Siberians, the Amur have the thick, yellow-orange fur that we expect in our tigers. Zoo authorities tell me they’re even bigger than the whites.

And of course there is always something new happening at a zoo. Among the other endangered species being attended to, there is a baby ocelot, the first one born in this country to artificial insemination. They’ve named it “Milagre,” which is Portuguese for Miracle. (It’s native to Brazil.)

On a hot day, you’d welcome the South American aviary, with the birds flying free. And I can never resist the prairie-dog exhibit, with the “pop-up” viewing bubbles.

Price for all this tremendous fun? Precisely the same as you’d pay for movie-theater tickets. Listen, I guarantee you that a visit to the zoo will stick around in the memory longer than a viewing of G.I. Joe.
For more info, visit:    The Beardsley Zoo 

 

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