Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
  • Home
  • About
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Press
  • Guest Info
    • Accessibility
    • Calendar
    • COVID Guidelines
    • For Kids >
      • Coloring Pages
      • Zoo Patrol
      • Zoo Tots
    • Our Animals >
      • Eastern Rat Snake
    • Our Plants
    • Parents
    • Zoo Cams >
      • Outdoor Red Panda Cam
      • Indoor Red Panda Cam
      • Outdoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Indoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Otter Cam
    • Zoo Etiquette
    • Zoo Map
  • Membership
  • Education
    • Citizen Science >
      • FrogWatch
      • MonarchWatch
    • Conservation >
      • City Nature Challenge
      • Conservation Pledge
    • Cool Blue >
      • Cool Blue Schools
    • Programs
    • Educational Resources
    • Evening Lectures
    • Field Trips
    • Just 4 Teens >
      • CDC
      • Explorers
    • Teachers
  • Support
    • Animal Sponsorship
    • Appeal
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Events
    • Gift Guide
    • Honor & Remember
    • Monthly Giving
    • Naming Opportunities
    • Wish List
  • Parties, Rentals & Weddings
    • Birthdays
    • Private Events
    • Weddings
    • Rates and Details
    • Preferred Vendors
    • Preferred Wedding Vendors
    • Event Guidelines
  • Volunteer
    • Interns
  • Buy Tickets

Press Room and News

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo Mourns the Loss of Red Wolf Harper

3/5/2018

 
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – March 5, 2018 – The family at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is saddened to announce the passing of Harper, a 12-year-old male Red wolf, on February 26, 2018. The Zoo’s animal care and veterinary teams had been treating Harper for an aggressive type of cancer with a regimen of medical therapy, but he began to go downhill in the past several weeks. In the days leading up to his death, his animal care team had begun to notice his quality of life was diminishing rapidly due to his illness, and through the Zoo’s Quality of Life protocol, the difficult decision was made to euthanize him.
Born on May 1, 2005, at The Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York, Harper had resided at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo for three years. He was a beloved member of the Zoo family.

“Harper will be deeply missed by all of us here at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo,” said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. “He had a unique personality and related well both to his companion, Shy, and to his animal care staff. It has been our privilege to have known him since December, 2014.

“Harper’s intensive daily care during his illness is a testament to the dedication of his professional team and to the work of the Zoo’s veterinary staff. Together they made it possible to give him the best care and quality of life,” Dancho added.

The Zoo remains home to two Mexican gray wolves, and one Red wolf, all extremely rare and on the Endangered Species list. The remaining Red wolf is a female, Shy, and has been at the Zoo since November, 2016. Harper and Shy were part of the Species Survival Program (SSP), a breeding and management program designed to preserve the long-term sustainability of captive-based animal populations. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo will work with the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA) Species Survival Plan to identify another male Red wolf as a new companion for Shy.

The Mexican gray wolves and Red wolves are two of the rarest mammals in North America. Both species at one time were completely extinct in the wild.

About the Red Wolf

The Red wolf (Canis lupus rufus) is a smaller, more slender cousin of the Mexican gray wolf, also known as the Florida wolf or the Mississippi Valley wolf. At the brink of extinction due to hunting and habitat loss, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rounded up 14 Red wolves to be bred in captivity in 1980. In 1987, the first release took place in North Carolina, with a second release two years later in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo contributed eight Red wolf pups, born in Bridgeport, to the 1987 release program. Fewer than 100 Red wolves currently live in the wild.

Comments are closed.

    Contact

    Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo appreciates the support it receives from local, regional and national media outlets. Media representatives are invited to tour 
    Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo on their own or with the Zoo Director by calling 203-767-0334 or emailing 
    ​lisa@clairstone.com

    To be added to the media list and receive all press releases and the Zoo’s monthly e-newsletter, email your credentials and contact information to lisa@clairstone.com

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    August 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

PRESS
JOBS
CONTACT US
EN ESPANOL
​203-394-6565
​info@beardsleyzoo.org 
1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06610
Open 9am-4pm daily
​Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is dedicated to acquainting a diverse public to the delicate balance that exists between living things and their environment.

Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo is a 501(c)(3) not for profit owned and operated by the Connecticut Zoological Society.

2019 Kids Out and About #1
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
Connecticut - Still Revolutionary
Weekly Best of Fairfield County Readers' Poll 2014
FC Buzz Events - Arts & Culture of Fairfield County
© 2022 Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo
  • Home
  • About
    • Blog
    • Contact Us
    • Jobs
    • Press
  • Guest Info
    • Accessibility
    • Calendar
    • COVID Guidelines
    • For Kids >
      • Coloring Pages
      • Zoo Patrol
      • Zoo Tots
    • Our Animals >
      • Eastern Rat Snake
    • Our Plants
    • Parents
    • Zoo Cams >
      • Outdoor Red Panda Cam
      • Indoor Red Panda Cam
      • Outdoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Indoor Spider Monkey Cam
      • Otter Cam
    • Zoo Etiquette
    • Zoo Map
  • Membership
  • Education
    • Citizen Science >
      • FrogWatch
      • MonarchWatch
    • Conservation >
      • City Nature Challenge
      • Conservation Pledge
    • Cool Blue >
      • Cool Blue Schools
    • Programs
    • Educational Resources
    • Evening Lectures
    • Field Trips
    • Just 4 Teens >
      • CDC
      • Explorers
    • Teachers
  • Support
    • Animal Sponsorship
    • Appeal
    • Corporate Support
    • Donate
    • Events
    • Gift Guide
    • Honor & Remember
    • Monthly Giving
    • Naming Opportunities
    • Wish List
  • Parties, Rentals & Weddings
    • Birthdays
    • Private Events
    • Weddings
    • Rates and Details
    • Preferred Vendors
    • Preferred Wedding Vendors
    • Event Guidelines
  • Volunteer
    • Interns
  • Buy Tickets