Bridgeport pledges $2.5M for tiger habitat at Beardsley Zoo

Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim announced that the city is pledging $2.5 million to be used for the construction of a new habitat for the Amur tigers at Connecticut”™s Beardsley Zoo.

The city”™s pledge is the latest input for the tiger habitat fundraising efforts, which kicked off last November with a $1 million pledge by philanthropist Pamela Kochiss Werth. At a ceremony announcing the city”™s contribution, the zoo named Ganim an “Official Hero for Tiger Conservation.”

“This is the state”™s only zoo,” said Ganim, adding that Connecticut residents “need to know what a great place this is for young people and, as P.T. Barnum said, children of all ages to come and enjoy. It”™s a great opportunity to share wildlife and nature.”

The zoo is continuing its fundraising on the tiger habitat, with the goal of beginning construction next spring and completing work in time for the zoo”™s 100th anniversary in 2022.