On Monday, April 8, we will have the first Solar Eclipse since 2017. If you miss it, you will have to wait until 2044.
[NOTE: the initial time information I received for Connecticut was incorrect]
Unfortunately, many young future scientists school is in session during the event (Spring break, for most, is scheduled for the following week) and many students will be getting out after it has begun. (The Zoo Closes at 4 p.m.)
On April 8, expect the partial solar eclipse to start at 2:12 p.m. in our area. The sun will slowly start to be covered by the moon, before reaching the peak coverage at 3:27 p.m. Things will return to normal by 4:38 p.m.
Parents with small children may enjoy a visit to the Beardsley Zoo on Monday. I say this because on August 21, 2017, I brought my then-5-year-old granddaughter with me and we experienced not only the sky getting darker as our visit went on but also the unusual behavior of the outdoor animals.
The goats, prairie dogs, and otters were especially playful, ducks and cranes were flapping their wings. The wolves were running and playing.
Most of the specifics have been lost to time, and sadly, when we revamped this website stories and photos published before 2019 were deleted.
Tiger Tale
One thing I do remember clearly was how amorous the Amur tigers were. My granddaughter didn’t see the actual deed, but she did notice the female, Changbai, purring and rubbing her face against the male’s face.
“They’re kissing, Yia Yia,” she said.
“Yes, they really like each other,” I told her.
The gestation period for these tigers is 107 days, and just as I suspected, 15 weeks later, on November 25, 2017, Changbai gave birth to 4 cubs.
Sadly, the elation of the zoo staff did not last long, when one of the cubs died, Changbai showed very little interest in the litter whose members were underweight at about 2.2 lbs.
After she rejected them, the humans swooped in to do whatever possible to save them. A weak second cub died, and the staff hand raised the two surviving female cubs, Reka and Zeya.
The two cubs were treasured by zoo visitors for several years and now, both of them have families of their own.