BRIDGEPORT — Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo celebrated International Tiger Day Monday with an announcement that they had received more than $3 million to create a new Amur tiger habitat.
The zoo began a campaign to create a new, more spacious home for the endangered species after the birth of four cubs in November 2017, only two of which survived.
Pamela Kochiss Werth, a longtime Bridgeport resident and supporter of the zoo, stepped forward, pledging up to $1 million toward the construction as long as it was matched, said her brother, Ken Kochiss.
“She heard there was a need and wanted to respond,” said Kochiss, who represented the family at the event, of his sister’s donation.
The additional money for the construction project — a whopping $2.5 million — is being donated by the city, Mayor Joe Ganim said.
“People need to know what a great great place this is for children ... and people of all ages to enjoy,” Ganim said.
The donation has already gotten the ball rolling on phase one of the construction, said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho.
A zoo architect has begun developing plans to at least double the size of the current habitat.
The new habitat will increase animal welfare by offering more holding space for the tigers and will also make it easier for the public to view them, Dancho said.
The habitat is currently home to three Amur tigers: A mother, Shangbai, and her two cubs, Zaya and Reka.
Amur tigers, once known as Siberian tigers, are a rare subspecies of tiger native to southeast Russia as well as areas of China and North Korea and are the largest cats in the world.
In the past century, the tiger population has steadily...
from News https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Connecticut-s-Beardsley-Zoo-receives-more-than-14198825.php
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