I would specify this as being the strongest *mammal* collection in New England. Once you get past mammals, the collection at Southwicks falls flat in my opinion.
Is the deer forest a cool experience? Yes. However it can also be a very risky experience:
I don't think you'll find anyone on this site who will praise Southwicks for its layout, lol. That's one of the zoo's biggest flaws, and one that would unfortunately be difficult to solve without extensive renovations. As for the commercial feel, while I understand that may not be what you or I value in a zoo, that commercial feel is, at least from my experience, the norm outside of the AZA/almost AZA zoos. At least unlike a lot of non-AZA zoos, Southwicks has education as part of its mission and is actively involved in the community as an educational resource. Too many non-AZA zoos ignore this vital role they should be playing.
Honestly, the restaurant is something that I wish more zoos would consider. I would happily pair a visit to the zoo with a nice meal, rather than the way too common standard fast food fare most zoos have. While I agree that Southwicks overdoes the rides and activities, the restaurant is an area I will praise the zoo for.
Thankfully, most of the worst offenders in this regard have already been replaced- with the lemurs and gibbons all receiving new homes. Unfortunately, however, there's still a lot of improvements to be made, especially in terms of how small the holdings are.
Unfortunately, this is a widespread problem, even inside the AZA. I can think of more zoos that flight-restrict macaws than put them in aviaries, and it saddens me that so many zoos (including highly regarded ones) continue to exhibit macaws in this way. There's even a major AZA zoo that's building a new parrot-on-a-stick exhibit this year...
Even if the deer exhibit is dangerous, I still found it to be really beautiful:
I agree about education, and there were some educational elements here that surprised me in a good way (like the interpretive video displays by the rhino enclosure, with the life-size rhino skull and the graphics about how endangered each rhino species is). The zoo also did a better job than I expected in terms of signage for their white tiger, as the placard acknowledged that white tigers are crossbred and do not have conservation value. Unfortunately, they still labeled their orange tiger as a Bengal, though.
Having a restaurant like Galliford's is nice, it was just surprising. It also felt out of place to have such an upscale restaurant in comparison to how many of the zoo's exhibits were cobbled together with mesh, fence, wood, and wire. If the restaurant quality was extended to the quality of the rest of the zoo, it would fit in more. 10 years ago, before the restaurant was built, there was a really nice spot by the zoo entrance where you could see the African Plains from the parking lot as a free preview before buying your ticket. With the additions of the restaurant and skyline, that view no longer exists, which I found disappointing.
The zoo got new rhinos? I thought they still had the same two elderly individuals they've had for years.
where is the porcupine located in the zoo?
Look, spider monkeys are really cool animals and all, but I hate seeing Southwick's prioritize adding new primates to their collection over improving the lives of the primates they already have. Some of their primate exhibits are legitimately awful, and while I'm glad some of the worst offenders have since been demolished (e.g., lemurs), there's still a lot of work to improve existing accommodations- especially given the lack of dedicated, spacious indoor facilities and being located in a cold-weather climate.
I managed to get free tickets to the zoo, and visited today for the first time since 2021. A few things of note:
- The new spider monkey exhibit looks excellent. It's very large, with plenty of climbing opportunities throughout the entire space. Unfortunately, it falls victim to the same problem many of Southwick's primate exhibits do, in having way too small of a connected holding building for what New England's climate warrants. The exhibit is located across from the siamangs and next to the lions.
- I saw no less than four sloth exhibits in the zoo today- interestingly two of the four were signed as C. didactylus while the other two were signed as C. hoffmanni. Definitely interesting to see both sloth species at the same zoo, although it would've been cooler if the exhibits were next to each other to compare.
- The red-legged seriema has been replaced with a domestic turkey.
- I forgot how much I liked the chimpanzee exhibit. I think I oftentimes overly focus on the parts of the zoo I have issues with, to the point I forget there are a lot of excellent areas too. While having a bigger holding building would be appreciated for the winter months, the outdoor chimpanzee exhibit is excellent by its own merits and allows plenty of space and complexity for the zoo's chimpanzee troop.
- Interestingly, I found that the zoo's smallest primates, cottontop tamarins, got the nicest exhibit out of all the primates.
- On a concerning note, it appears that the zoo has connected the patas monkey and white-faced capuchin exhibits into one single, mixed-species exhibit. Given the risk of disease transmission between new world and old world monkeys, as well as the size disparity between these species, this mix is a problem waiting to happen. Even on my visit today I noticed a lot of aggression from one of the patas monkeys directed towards a capuchin, which was concerning to watch.