MOG2012
Well-Known Member
Hello Zoochat, I'm doing another species list for this Zoo but with more details. This is in the same style as my Mandalay Bay review which was inspired by @Astrotom3000 .
In this thread, I'm reviewing Franklin Park Zoo which is located in Boston, Massachusetts. I visited this facility on January 18, 2025 and February 21, 2025 with this review being planned for the first visit. Franklin Park Zoo is my local zoo and this year, I acquired a membership due to my frequent Zoo visits. On my first visit in January, it was around 34° F (1° C) to 43° F (6° C) with my visit today being 19° F (-7° C) to 32° F (0° C) which led to a lot of animals not being present. This is also my first facility where I used a real camera to take photos instead of a phone or iPad.
Franklin Park Zoo is an AZA-accredited 72-acre (290,000 sq. m) zoo operated by Zoo New England (which also operates Stone Zoo). It's located in Boston's largest park, Franklin Park, being the last component of the city's "Emerald Necklace." It opened on October 4, 1912 and was operated by the city of Boston (specifically the Boston Parks Department) until 1958, having free admissions. The idea of a zoological facility was a plan of Frederick Law Olmsted (the landscape designer of Franklin Park) but instead of being the naturalistic area with only native animals that he planned, it became a more traditional Zoo with exotic animals.
After the Great Depression and World War II, the Metropolitan District Commission took control of the zoo, making it more organized by having fences, admissions, and gates. After this, the Zoo had its first professionally trained zoologist, Walter D. Stone became its director with an animal hospital and administrative buildings were added soon after. In 1973, a $24,000,000 master plan was created to expand the facility while renovating other parts of it with a mostly African theme. Most of the masterplan's largest exhibits weren't completed but the 3-acre Children's Zoo was reopened along with the African Tropical Forest Pavilion. Later in 1990, the zoo was accredited by the AAZPA with it and Stone Zoo being the only zoos in the country to be government-run.
In 1991, the management was transfered to the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation (now known as Zoo New England) with several exhibits opening after but the zoo still faced several problems (not as bad as Stone Zoo though). There were several budget cuts and small attendance but the zoo still survived.
I entered the Zoo through the Giraffe Gate at around 2:00 PM on my first visit and around 10:30 AM on my second visit. When you first enter the zoo, you can see the free-roaming peafowl and an enclosure. The enclosure near the entrance has historically held cheetahs, then African Wild dogs, and finally spotted hyenas until recently. In 2023, African Wild Dogs returned after not being in the Zoo for nearly a decade.
For both visits, I didn't see the african wild dogs or peacocks when I entered but on my first visit, I was able to see the wild dogs when I was exiting the facility. The peacocks are viewable throughout the zoo but on my first visit, I saw one in Nature's Neighborhood and another one near Bird's World with a male individual in the Franklin Farm Barn. On my second visit, I didn't see any peacocks at all.
Free-Roaming:
I'll continue soon with my next post being Bird's World and Raptor Ridge.
In this thread, I'm reviewing Franklin Park Zoo which is located in Boston, Massachusetts. I visited this facility on January 18, 2025 and February 21, 2025 with this review being planned for the first visit. Franklin Park Zoo is my local zoo and this year, I acquired a membership due to my frequent Zoo visits. On my first visit in January, it was around 34° F (1° C) to 43° F (6° C) with my visit today being 19° F (-7° C) to 32° F (0° C) which led to a lot of animals not being present. This is also my first facility where I used a real camera to take photos instead of a phone or iPad.
Franklin Park Zoo is an AZA-accredited 72-acre (290,000 sq. m) zoo operated by Zoo New England (which also operates Stone Zoo). It's located in Boston's largest park, Franklin Park, being the last component of the city's "Emerald Necklace." It opened on October 4, 1912 and was operated by the city of Boston (specifically the Boston Parks Department) until 1958, having free admissions. The idea of a zoological facility was a plan of Frederick Law Olmsted (the landscape designer of Franklin Park) but instead of being the naturalistic area with only native animals that he planned, it became a more traditional Zoo with exotic animals.
After the Great Depression and World War II, the Metropolitan District Commission took control of the zoo, making it more organized by having fences, admissions, and gates. After this, the Zoo had its first professionally trained zoologist, Walter D. Stone became its director with an animal hospital and administrative buildings were added soon after. In 1973, a $24,000,000 master plan was created to expand the facility while renovating other parts of it with a mostly African theme. Most of the masterplan's largest exhibits weren't completed but the 3-acre Children's Zoo was reopened along with the African Tropical Forest Pavilion. Later in 1990, the zoo was accredited by the AAZPA with it and Stone Zoo being the only zoos in the country to be government-run.
In 1991, the management was transfered to the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation (now known as Zoo New England) with several exhibits opening after but the zoo still faced several problems (not as bad as Stone Zoo though). There were several budget cuts and small attendance but the zoo still survived.
I entered the Zoo through the Giraffe Gate at around 2:00 PM on my first visit and around 10:30 AM on my second visit. When you first enter the zoo, you can see the free-roaming peafowl and an enclosure. The enclosure near the entrance has historically held cheetahs, then African Wild dogs, and finally spotted hyenas until recently. In 2023, African Wild Dogs returned after not being in the Zoo for nearly a decade.
For both visits, I didn't see the african wild dogs or peacocks when I entered but on my first visit, I was able to see the wild dogs when I was exiting the facility. The peacocks are viewable throughout the zoo but on my first visit, I saw one in Nature's Neighborhood and another one near Bird's World with a male individual in the Franklin Farm Barn. On my second visit, I didn't see any peacocks at all.
Free-Roaming:
- Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
- African Wild Dog Lycaon pictus
I'll continue soon with my next post being Bird's World and Raptor Ridge.
