Franklin Park Zoo
| Date opened | October 4, 1912 |
|---|---|
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 42°18′19″N 71°05′21″W / 42.3052°N 71.0891°WCoordinates: 42°18′19″N 71°05′21″W / 42.3052°N 71.0891°W |
| Land area | 72 acres (29 ha) |
| No. of animals | 1000+ |
| No. of species | 220 |
| Memberships | AZA |
| Major exhibits | Nature's Neighborhoods, Farmyard, Outback Trail, Bird's World, Serengeti Crossing, Giraffe Savanna, Tropical Forest, Kalahari Kingdom |
| Website | zoonewengland |
The Franklin Park Zoo is a 72 acres (290,000 m2) zoo located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is currently operated by Zoo New England, which also operates the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts. The zoo is located in the northeast portion of Franklin Park, Boston's largest park and the last component of the city's famed Emerald Necklace.
The zoo was opened to the public in 1912, and managed by the City of Boston until 1958, when the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) took control. Under the MDC's management, the zoo opened several new exhibits, including Bird's World (c. 1975), the Children's Zoo (1984), and the African Tropical Forest (1989). In 1991, the zoo's management was handed over to the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation (CZS), which also gained management of the Stone Zoo. (In July 1997, the CZS was renamed Zoo New England to "reflect the changing image of both zoos".) The zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) since 1990.
The facility is funded by state money, and has had a history of staff and financial problems, most notably in 2002 and 2009. The zoo has never closed during these occasions.
Frederick Law Olmsted, the original landscape designer of Franklin Park, created plans for a future zoological garden. This plan, however, was to be a naturalistic area for native animals, rather than a traditional zoo. The Franklin Park Zoo officially opened to the public on October 4, 1912 (although most sources say 1913). According to plans by Arthur A. Shurtleff, the new zoo represented a major departure from Olmsted's original plans, and included more exotic animals. However, Shurtleff's design for the zoo was modest and was intended to be in harmony with key elements of the plan, such as a half-mile long grassy mall called "the Greeting", which began at Peabody Circle. The zoo was managed by the Boston Parks Department, was free to all, and extremely popular. An estimated two-million people visited the zoo in 1920.
Unfortunately, the zoo fell into disrepair starting around the time of the Depression and through World War II. In 1958, the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) took control of the Franklin Park Zoo. The MDC put up fences and gates and started charging admission to the zoo, and areas of the zoo that were difficult to take care of, such as the elephant house and the Bear Dens in Long Crouch Woods, were separated from the zoo property and left to deteriorate. Soon afterward, the zoo received its first professionally trained zoologist to serve as its director, Walter D. Stone. An animal hospital, administrative buildings, and the Children's Zoo (opened in 1962) were also added. In 1970, the Boston Zoological Society assumed some, but not all, management of the zoo, while the state continued to provide funding for the facility.
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