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“Spring is coming to Bridgeport!” said a top-hatted Mayor Joe Ganim, standing amid the prairie dog burrows at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo early Thursday morning.
While he’s not an actual groundhog — and he looks remarkably like a stuffed plush toy — zoo denizens have been counting on Bart’s wise counsel for about 16 years now, according to Zoo Director Gregg Dancho.
Despite the differing predictions from the two wily rodents, Dancho, who speaks fluent prairie dog, revealed last year he’d put his money on Bart.
“We’ve been doing this for a while now and, you know, he’s never been wrong,” Dancho said. “Spring has always come.”
Of course, it could be a sign Bart’s getting lonely during the chilly winter months.
“Beardsley Bart is a very early riser and when he came out this morning, he confirmed that he did not see his shadow,” Dancho said. “He looks forward to all his friends coming to visit him soon.”
Ganim encouraged families to plan a trip as the weather warms.
Fans can check out all his furry and feathered friends at the zoo, which is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day except Christmas and New Year’s Day.
For more information, visit beardsleyzoo.org.
“It’s a great place and it’s the only zoo in the state,” Ganim said. “We need everyone to come and enjoy it.”
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