Registration is Open for Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo’s Youth Summer Programming

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – February 5, 2024 – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo’s popular summer children’s program, Zoo Patrol, is back for 2024. Registration is open for seven week-long sessions covering dates from July 1 through August 16. There are three sessions for children ages 7-10, and three sessions for children ages 11-13. 

Jim Knox, the Zoo’s curator of education and father of three ‘Zoo Patrollers,’ said,  "The Zoo Patrol experience is a program like no other which brings the wonder of the wild world into the hearts and minds of young children. My three kids were so excited about their time in Zoo Patrol. We talked about it every night over dinner...and then, we signed up for more!"

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Sessions are:

• Week 1: July 1-July 5             Ages 11-13 
• Week 2:  July 8-July 12          Ages 7-10 
• Week 3: July 15-July 19         Ages 11-13
• Week 4: July 22-July 26         Ages 7-10 
• Week 5:  July 29-Aug 2          Ages 11-13 
• Week 6:  Aug 5-Aug 9            Ages 7-10 
• Week 7:  Aug 12-16               Ages 7-10

 
 Each day, children will explore a different area of the zoo and have a custom guided experience. They'll explore how the animals are cared for through presentations and projects on enrichment, training, diet, habitat care, and more. 
 
Zoo Patrol runs from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with drop-off from 8:50-9:10 and pick-up at 12:30 p.m. The cost of the weeklong program is $250 for Zoo members, and $275 for non-members. An application for scholarships into the program is available on the Zoo’s website. 
 
All children must be signed in and out by an adult at the Kathy Brady Education Station. Children should bring a non-refrigerable snack, water, and anything else they may need for a day outside at the Zoo. Sunscreen is recommended. 
 
For more information, visit the zoo’s website www.berdsleyzoo.org/zoo-patrol or email our Zoo Patrol Team at [email protected].
 
About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Get your ticket to adventure! Connecticut’s only zoo, celebrating over 100 years, features 350 animals representing primarily North and South American and Northern Asian species. Guests won’t want to miss our Amur leopards, maned wolves, Mexican gray wolves, and American red wolves.  Other highlights include our new Andean Bear Habitat, Spider Monkey Habitat, the prairie dog exhibit, and the Pampas Plain with giant anteaters and Chacoan peccaries. Guests can grab a bite from the Peacock Café and eat in the Picnic Grove.  As an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and participant in its Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs, the non-profit Zoo is committed to the preservation of endangered animals and wild habitats. Tickets must be purchased on the Zoo’s website at beardsleyzoo.org.