Few people in Bridgeport would consider mayoral elections cute and adorable, but one red panda at the Beardsley Zoo is the exception to the rule.
Berry, a 14-year-old red panda, became the zoo’s fifth mayor Thursday, beating out five other animals for the job.
Jim Wharton, CEO of the Beardsley Zoo, said Berry won based on a winning platform of snacking and lounging around during the inauguration ceremony.
“Berry on the strong naps and snacks platform was relaxing in the back,” Wharton said.
But while the event was cute, it also serves as a fundraising drive to help the zoo’s conservation and education outreach efforts.
Berry was chosen through online voting. Voters also donated online to support the zoo.
“The mayor's campaign is a fundraiser for the zoo, so people could log online and vote as $1 a vote, and it helps raise funds to support our conservation work,” Wharton said.
The mayoral election raised $2,500.
As for conservation efforts, Berry probably stands to benefit from her office the most.
Red pandas, according to Wharton, are an endangered species. Only 2,500 are estimated to live out in the wild, he said.
The animal population, native to China and south central Asia, have increasingly faced threats from development, climate change and human encroachment on their native habitats.
But at the very least, the animal is used to the cold, so the chilly December day isn’t too much of a bother for the animals, Wharton said.
“They are very used to the cold. They love the snow, it's a little chilly for us today, but this is nothing for them,” he said.
