“Paint with the Animals” at Beardsley Zoo Feb. 21-23

“Paint with the Animals” 
at Beardsley Zoo Feb. 21-23

By Mike Lauterborn

(for HamletHub.com/Fairfield)

2/20/12

Bridgeport, CT – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is a remarkable local resource, and now it’s offering an equally remarkable and exclusive program during the School Vacation Week.

On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 21-23, from 10am to Noon, a select few will be able to create a one-of-a-kind painting by collaborating with an animal artist in residence. “Paint with the Animals” is the first program of its kind in the country and is open by reservation only. The minimum age to participate is six years old; families are encouraged to paint together. The fee is $100 per canvas – multiple people can use the same canvas. Up to six canvases will be available each of the three days.

“This is something fun to do for kids and very exclusive as they get to go behind the scenes,” said Zoo Educator Denise Lukienchuk. “Participants will go first to our Research Station, get their canvas and create a background with washable paint. The canvases are taken to an animal’s area where the animals walk in paint, then across the canvas.”

Animals that have participated in the painting process before include an Andean bear, ocelots, tamarins, guinea hogs and alligators. Zookeepers choose the animals based on the day, the animals’ health and workload involved.

Art that has been created in the past as an enrichment exercise for the animals is available for purchase at the Zoo’s Carousel Annex. The revenue goes to support the American Association of Zookeepers. 

To register for the program, call 203-394-6563.

Beardsley Zoo is located at 1875 Noble Avenue, Bridgeport.