RIZE Program

RIZE is a unique service learning and research program born from a collaboration between Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo and Fairfield University. Unlike traditional university research conducted in zoos, RIZE projects are directly selected by zoo staff to address their specific needs.

Zoos often face limited resources, leaving many important questions about animal behavior unanswered and anecdotal observations undocumented. RIZE aims to bridge this gap by providing the necessary student manpower, equipment, and resources to carry out these vital projects. Our students work on a variety of initiatives, from behavioral monitoring to exhibit enrichment, with projects lasting anywhere from a single semester to several years.

What have RIZE students accomplished at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo since 2014?

18 posters presented at AZA meetings in Orlando, Salt Lake City, San Diego, Indianapolis, Seattle
Over 2000 research service hours
Over $30,000 in grant and scholarship money
Media Coverage (e.g. AZA Connect Magazine, Connecticut Post Newspaper, Fairfield Magazine)

Our Philosophy

Service learning is an educational approach in which students apply academic knowledge and skills to address the goals and needs of disadvantaged communities. While service learning typically centers around human communities, we believe that many animal species currently represented in zoos around the world should also be defined as communities in need in that these species are experiencing exploitation and marginalization on a massive global scale.

RIZE Projects

RIZE has worked on several projects for CT’s Beardsley Zoo. Projects were designed to specifically address zoo questions, needs, and goals. Below are just a few of the projects carried out by RIZE.

Prairie Dog Colony: "Why are we seeing increased aggression within our captive prairie dog colony?"

In response to increased aggression within the captive prairie dog colony at the Beardsley Zoo, RIZE students embarked on a quest to uncover the reasons behind this behavioral shift. Our data, collected from a combination of liquid fog and ground-penetrating radar (GPR), revealed that the colony had split into two distinct coteries, with the aggression stemming from competition for food access. To address this issue, we strategically placed separate food sources within the range of each coterie. This intervention successfully minimized the aggression and restored harmony within the colony.

Beardsley Zoo Anteater walking through grass.

Anteaters: "Why do small engine noises seem to bother our anteaters?"

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo reported that their female anteater, Pana, showed anxiety when exposed to sounds from lawn maintenance and construction equipment. A RIZE research student recorded Pana reacting to a child’s loud trilling sound by bristling and roaring. We investigated various anxiety-inducing sounds, including the child’s trill, lawn equipment, and baby anteater calls, and compared them to non-stressful sounds. Our analysis found that stress-inducing sounds shared a strong harmonic structure. We hypothesize that these sounds resemble baby anteater calls, to which female anteaters like Pana are especially sensitive.

Students sitting on a bench. One is on their computer and another is reading.

Red Wolves: "Is our female wolf pregnant?"

Red wolves are part of the Species Survival Program (SSP). Zoo staff suspected their female wolf might be pregnant due to certain behaviors. To investigate this, we assessed potential changes in the female's morphometrics indicative of pregnancy, such as abdominal flattening. Using ImageJ, an open-source image processing program, we non-invasively examined photos of the female taken over several months. Our analysis confirmed that the female was pregnant, and she gave birth later that spring.