Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo

The Only Zoo In Connecticut, Opened 1922 In A Park Laid Out By Frederick Law Olmsted'S Firm; Around 300 Animals Focused On North And South American Species, With A Siberian Tiger Pair And A 1922 Carousel · Bridgeport, Connecticut

Beardsley is the only zoo in Connecticut, which is the first thing to know about it, and it sits in a Bridgeport park laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted's firm and given to the city by James Beardsley in 1878. It opened as a zoo in 1922 and has deliberately narrowed its scope since: the collection of around three hundred animals is focused on North and South American species, which means Andean condors, maned wolves, ocelots, red wolves and a New England farmyard rather than an attempt at a global menagerie on a small city site. The exceptions are a Siberian tiger pair, which are the animals most visitors come for. There is a rainforest building, a restored 1922 carousel under cover, and a working conservation programme for red wolves, which are among the most endangered canids in the world and which most visitors walk past on their way to the tigers. Winter is the underrated season here: the crowds go, the Siberian tigers are visibly more active in the cold and the rainforest building is a warm hour.

1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, Bridgeport, Connecticut, 06610, United States

Open daily through the middle of the day and afternoon, closing on a small number of major holidays, with the last admission usually an hour before closing. Outdoor habitats stay open in cold weather but several species move inside and some indoor buildings close seasonally. The carousel and the train run seasonally and in good weather. Keeper talks and feeding demonstrations run to a daily timetable posted at the entrance.

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