Norwalk Aquarium Meerkats Move into New Home “Twice as Large” Just in Time for the Holidays
Contributed photoNorwalk AquariumConnecticut’s only mob of meerkats – the popular family unit in The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk – is moving into a big new exhibit that connects their desert story to the influences of the ocean on climate and weather.
Beginning Dec. 26, The Maritime Aquarium’s meerkats move upstairs into an exhibit twice as large as their original display. The new exhibit replicates the animals’ native African-desert habitat and offers the meerkats many new opportunities for climbing, digging and exploring. Plus, three viewing “bubbles” will give guests the chance to pop up right among the meerkats.
“These are active animals that are very charismatic with highly interesting social structures, so they’re a lot of fun for our guests to follow,” said Barrett Christie, the Aquarium’s Director of Animal Husbandry.
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With the move to the second floor, “Meerkats!” now connects naturally with “Just Add Water,” the Aquarium exhibit that features desert-to-rainforest creatures in explaining how the world ocean drives climates around the globe.
“Incorporating the meerkats into ‘Just Add Water’ opens opportunities to continue and expand our conversation with guests about the role of the ocean in creating and affecting climates – and, thus, also creating and affecting diverse animal habitats – all around the world,” Christie said.
No mere cats, meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are small members of the mongoose family that live in social “mobs” of up to 30 members in the Kalahari Desert, in the southern African nations of Botswana, Namibia and South Africa. (Their desert environment is created by the Benguela Current, an ocean current off Africa’s west coast that brings cool dry winds over the continent.)
Meerkats were widely popularized by the comical sidekick Timon in Disney’s “The Lion King,” and then celebrated in the Animal Planet television series “Meerkat Manor.” They’re fascinating for living in structured, cooperative societies, including a survival strategy where adults take turns individually standing guard – often balanced upright on their haunches – watching for predators while the others forage or sleep.
The Aquarium’s “Meerkats!” exhibit features five sibling meerkats – three males, two females – born at the Hogle Zoo in Utah. The exhibit opened in May 2010 as part of a larger, temporary focus on African species. But the amusing, guest-favorite animals became a permanent fixture, allowing the Aquarium to add a focus on the ocean’s impact on climate for even desert animals like meerkats.
That focus expanded in 2018 with the opening of “Just Add Water,” which features such species as a tamarin (a type of monkey), quail, a skunk, a prehensile-tailed porcupine, caimans, poison dart frogs, and bats. The animals are displayed in separate biomes; that is, distinct communities of plants and animals that have adapted to a defined physical climate. The biomes begin at an arid desert and transition into habitats that receive increasing amounts of annual rainfall – through grasslands and temperate forests, among others – ending at a tropical rain forest.
“These animals’ vastly dissimilar environments are all the product of the ocean’s influence,” Christie said. “The exchange of heat between the ocean and the atmosphere drives much of Earth’s atmospheric circulation. When you factor in currents and winds, you have the ocean helping to create and shape the world’s habitats for wildlife – from desert environments with meerkats to rainforests with monkeys.”
“Meerkats!” and “Just Add Water” are free with Aquarium admission.
Learn more about exhibits, programs and more at www.maritimeaquarium.org.
Westport Public School COVID-19 Cases Up 36 since Yesterday
Westport Public Schools SuperintendentDear Westport Families and Staff,
As a follow up to my communication earlier today, I am writing to provide specific data on our new cases. We had 36 new positive cases of Covid-19 reported since our last update yesterday. The cases came from the following schools:
Coleytown Elementary School - 2
Greens Farms Elementary School - 1
Kings Highway Elementary School - 3
Long Lots Elementary School - 2
Saugatuck Elementary School - 10
Bedford Middle School - 5
Coleytown Middle School - 1
Staples High School - 12
Our optional weekly Covid-19 testing for students in grades K-6, administered to approximately 500 students yesterday, identified 13 cases represented in the total numbers above.
Please remember that families are asked to report positive Covid-19 cases of students using our reporting voicemail or email. Please follow this link for more information on reporting.
Respectfully,
Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools
Police: Four Westport Daycare Workers Arrested after Abuse and Neglect Allegations, then Failing to Report it
Contributed photos by Westport Police DepartmentWestport Police Department arrested four local daycare workers after one staff member reportedly “moved the kids about in an aggressive manner, kicked a ball at some of the babies, and left the children crying for extended periods of time“ according to Police. The other three staff members - all State mandated reporters - were arrested for failure to report the abuse or neglect to the Department of Children and Family Services. No other information has been released.
Westport Police Department:Suzette Virgo: Risk of Injury to a Child
On June 15, 2021, the Westport Police Detective Bureau began to investigate the possible abuse and/or neglect of infants at a local daycare center. It was alleged that a teacher in one of the infant classrooms moved the kids about in an aggressive manner, kicked a ball at some of the babies, and left the children crying for extended periods of time. The teacher in question was identified as Suzette Virgo. An extensive investigation was conducted and evidence supporting the allegations was purportedly obtained. A warrant for Ms. Virgo’s arrest was completed and signed by a Superior Court Judge.
On the afternoon of December 17, 2021, Ms. Virgo turned herself in at the Westport Police Department. Per the warrant, she was charged with Risk of Injury to a Child. Ms. Virgo was released after posting a $50,000.00 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on January 5, 2022.
Ayshia Jaeger, Ridhita Gupta, & Kelleigh Cantiello: Failure to Report Neglect or Abuse by a Mandated Reporter
On June 15, 2021, the Westport Police Detective Bureau began to investigate the possible abuse and/or neglect of infants at a local daycare center. The subsequent investigation resulted in the arrest of one of the teachers on a charge of Risk of Injury to a Child. During the investigation, evidence was purportedly obtained which led the detectives to believe that daycare center staff members Ayshia Jaeger, Ridhita Gupta, and Kelleigh Cantiello were allegedly made aware of the possible abuse/neglect but failed to make a report to the Department of Children and Family Services as is required by law since all three are mandated reporters. Warrants for their arrests were completed and signed by a Superior Court Judge.
All three women turned themselves in at the Westport Police Department shortly after learning of the arrest warrants. Per the warrants, each individual was charged Failure to Report Abuse or Neglect by a Mandated Reporter and was released after posting a $25,000.00 bond. Ms. Jaeger is scheduled to be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on January 5, 2022. Ms. Gupta is scheduled to be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on December 30, 2021. Ms. Cantiello is scheduled to be arraigned at Stamford Superior Court on January 4, 2022.
Morning Weather Report
Today
Mostly sunny, with a high near 44. Wind chill values between 20 and 30. West wind around 5 mph becoming light and variable in the afternoon.
Tonight
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 33. Calm wind.
Tomorrow
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly before 9am. Cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 46. Light north wind becoming northwest 8 to 13 mph in the morning.
Tomorrow Night
Mostly clear, with a low around 25. Northwest wind 9 to 16 mph.