Written By: Aimee Turcotte and Des Flemmings
​It may be Pollinator Week, but here at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, we like to celebrate pollinators every day! Pollinators are critical contributors to the health of many ecosystems. Transferring pollen from one plant to another, pollinators help plants grow and reproduce. At the Zoo, staff support pollinators by planting native plants which pollinators rely on for food sources, shelter, and reproduction.
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In 2023, the Zoo received a two-year $50,000 grant from M&T Bank, allowing the Education Department to work with the City of Bridgeport to establish five pollinator gardens throughout Bridgeport. Two of the gardens have been planted right in front of the Zoo, adjacent to Beardsley Park. The three other garden locations are Fairchild Wheeler Interdistrict Magnet School, Sacred Heart University’s Discovery Science Center and Planetarium, and Wakeman’s Boys and Girls Club.

​Written By: Aimee Turcotte
When you think of Giant Anteaters (Myrmecophaga Tridactyla), what do you see? These animals were called Ant Bears because of their size and insectivorous (feeding on insects) diet (2.). We certainly do not see Giant Anteaters in Connecticut, so you would only know what Giant Anteaters look like by seeing them in zoos, out in the wild in South America, or by researching them.

If you have not seen a Giant Anteater before, I can testify that these animals are very intriguing. These animals have elongated snouts and tongues up to a third of their body length that allows them to eat termites living on the forest floor (2.). Giant Anteaters can occasionally dine on ripe fruit as well, such as oranges. These animals are opportunistic eaters, so they will eat whatever is readily available if insects are scarce (3.).

Written By: Aimee Turcotte
Gray Wolves (Canis lupus) are a part of the family Canidae, which is composed of animals that are “dog-like” [1.]. There are five main subspecies of Gray Wolves: Arctic, Great Plains, Eastern Timber, Northwestern Gray, and Mexican. There are many similarities and differences between these five subspecies.
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There are Mexican Gray Wolves at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Mexican Wolves are a species at the zoo protected under the American Zoo and Aquarium Association’s Species Survival Plan (SSP). The SSP is a “binational captive breeding program between the United States and Mexico for the Mexican Wolf. The SSP mission is to reestablish the Mexican Wolf in the wild through captive breeding, public education, and research” [8.]. Mexican Gray Wolves are the smallest and rarest subspecies of Gray Wolves that live in North America [1.]. These wolves are approximately 4 to 5 feet long and 2 to 3 feet tall [2.]. Mexican Gray Wolves can weigh 60 to 90 pounds. When comparing their size to a domestic dog, they are roughly the size of an adult German Shepherd [2.]. Occasionally, Mexican Wolves are called ‘El lobo’ because of their light brown and gray mottled fur, which allows them to camouflage in mountain forests and grasslands [4.]. The forest habitats of these wolves range from northern Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico [2.]. Mexican Wolves are carnivores typically seen wandering around their territory searching for prey such as small mammals like rabbits [2.]. Unfortunately, in the 20th century, there was a population decrease of deer, elk, and livestock in forests, leading people to believe that wolves were eating these animals [3.]. The government decided to eradicate Mexican Wolves through trapping and poisoning campaigns, which caused these animals to become endangered by the early 1970s [3.]. In 1997, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was permitted by the government to capture the last few Mexican Wolves and breed them in hopes of reintroducing them to their natural environments while increasing their population to prevent extinction [4.]

Written By: Aimee Turcotte
​Years ago, Red Wolves (Canis rufus) were thriving in the bottomland forests, dense mountains, coastal prairies, swamps, and marshes of the southeastern United States [1.]. Unfortunately, their historic range has decreased due to habitat loss and is now limited to a designated area in northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. Within the lands of the Albemarle Peninsula, Red Wolves occasionally interact with Coyotes, resulting in competing for resources or mating when a Red Wolf cannot find a mate of their species. The hybridization of Red Wolves and Coyotes has resulted in the loss of genetic diversity between these species. If there are more Coyote and Red Wolf hybrids, the population of Red Wolves may continue to decrease, resulting in this critically endangered species being closer to extinction.
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A Red Wolf pack typically includes a breeding pair and their young. There can be 5 to 8 individuals in one pack. A breeding pair of Red Wolves usually mate in February and tend to remain monogamous, only mating with each other. Once pups are born in April or May, they are blind and deaf until about 10 to 14 days after birth. When the young reach 1 to 3 years old, they leave the pack. Red Wolves live approximately 7 years on average in the wild and 15 years in human care.

​Red Wolves are gorgeous animals that are now rare to see in the wild. These canines used to range from central Texas to southern Pennsylvania to Florida, but now you can only see Red Wolves in the wild in northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula. Red Wolves prefer habitats such as bottomland forests, dense mountains, coastal prairies, swamps, and marshes. Unfortunately, the land of the Albemarle Peninsula is susceptible to climate change due to sea level rise, since the coastal plains in this area are only three feet above sea level. It is estimated that within the next century, up to a third of the coastal plains can disappear underwater. Furthermore, saltwater intrusion and storm surges from hurricanes can further harm the land of the Albemarle Peninsula. If Red Wolf habitat is damaged, then the land is no longer feasible for Red Wolf survival, resulting in these animals having to search for a new home that can provide them with an abundance of resources.