New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Zoo’s ‘celebrity’ cow back after makeover
BRIDGEPORT — The big fiberglass cow at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo has been a celebrity for more than 40 years. So it’s only natural that she took the path of so many icons of a certain age and had some work done.
Thursday morning, the cow — which doesn’t have a name — returned to the zoo after spending roughly a month at CT Composites in South Windsor. There, she received a full makeover that included sandblasting and repainting. She even had a little augmentation done to her bovine backside.
“She was missing her tail for many years,” said zoo director Gregg Dancho. “So they put a new tail on. She’s bright and shiny now. A lot of work went into her and I’m grateful that they were able to complete it so quickly.”
The cow weighs about 700 pounds and stands about 12 feet tall, Dancho said. She has been at the zoo for more than 40 years, and she came from the now-defunct Danbury State Fair. Dancho said he doesn’t know how long the cow was at the fair, though he knows she was a fixture there for many years.
He said he is trying to
find out her exact age, because he thinks the cow might be close to 100 years old. That’s significant, Dancho said, as the zoo itself is in the midst of its own 100th anniversary.
“It made sense for this cow get all gussied up for our 100th anniversary,” he said.
Dancho originally said the cow’s makeover would cost about $5,000, and the zoo had been asking for donations to help cover the costs. Not only did they receive more than $1,500 from donors on Facebook, but Doug Wade of Wade’s Dairy also donated $5,000.
As for whether the cow will ever get a name, Dancho said he’s unsure.
“People keep asking if we’re going to have a naming contest,” he said. “I’m not against it. But she’s ‘the big cow.’ She’s always been ‘the big cow.’ ”