BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Beardsley Zoo Director Gregg Dancho has announced that Trumbull fifth grade student Samantha Petiprin has been named the Honorary Chair for the Zoo’s first annual Tiger Trot, a one-mile family fun walk that takes place at the Zoo on Saturday, May 5. This brand new event invites children to participate in fun and fundraising at the Zoo. The walk/trot will include all-day admission to the Zoo, with special activities, face painting, music, giveaways, and surprises.
Ten-year-old Samantha recently raised more than $600 for Amur tiger cubs Reka and Zeya by selling homemade whisky cakes, made from her great grandmother’s recipe. A student at Tashua Elementary School in Trumbull, Samantha is now fundraising for her Tiger Trot team, called Team Reka and Zeya, after the tiger cubs. According to her mother, Jenna Petiprin, although Samantha has been coming to the Zoo since she was a baby and has always loved the tigers, her first word was “condor!”
Samantha has two sisters and a brother: Hanna, 26; Jake, 6; and Helen, 5, and a 12-year-old dog named Moose.
“We’re delighted when children like Samantha show so much initiative in helping endangered animals,” said Zoo Director Gregg Dancho. “We’re all big fans of Samantha and her whisky cake fundraising. We couldn’t be more proud to have her as Honorary Chair for our first annual Tiger Trot.”
Registration is $22 for adults, and $12 for children. The Zoo invites participants to set up their own fundraising page on the Zoo’s website at beardsleyzoo.org. The Tiger Trot is sponsored by Fairfield Veterinary Hospital; WEBE 108; The Cohen Family: Alison, Aaron, Mitch and Fran; Adelman, Hirsch and Connors; Milford Pediatric Group, Source Coffeehouse, Hillgen-Santa Financial Group, and Albertus Magnus College. Sponsorships are available at all levels. To learn how your business can participate, contact Amanda Bolanos at 203-394-6574.
About Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Spend the day a world away! Connecticut's only zoo, celebrating its 96thyear, features 300 animals representing primarily North and South American species. Guests won't want to miss our Amur (Siberian) tigers, including tiger cubs Reka and Zeya, Amur leopards, Brazilian ocelot, Mexican wolves, and Golden Lion tamarins. Other highlights include our South American rainforest with free-flight aviary, the prairie dog exhibit with "pop-up" viewing areas, the Maned wolf pups, the New England Farmyard with goats, cows, pigs, sheep, and other barnyard critters, plus the hoofstock trail featuring bison, pronghorn, deer, and more. Guests can grab a bite at the Peacock Café, eat in the Picnic Grove, and enjoy a ride on our colorful, indoor carousel. For more information, visit beardsleyzoo.org.