NNM.
Well-Known Member
Zoo New England's Franklin Park Zoo is nothing special. You never see it listed as one of the great American zoos, and the general consensus regards it as rather middle-of-the-road. And while I can definitely see why it is not that well-liked, to say that I have a personal fondness for it would be a gross understatement. I have been to few places more often in my entire life, I've been visiting for as long as I can possibly remember, and only much later in life did I realize all of its flaws. So maybe I'm a bit biased, but after visiting last week for the millionth time, I decided to look it over with a fully objective eye, going from exhibit to exhibit.
Serengeti Crossing:
An African savanna-based exhibit, made up of two smaller exhibits and one large one.
Main savanna exhibit:
Your standard multi species savanna, featuring Hartmann's mountain zebras (formerly Grant's), wildebeest, and ostriches. We are unfortunately starting off with a weaker one, because while the interior of the enclosure is fine and natural-looking enough, it is just a bit too small. This is especially frustrating, because it used to be much bigger, but was cut in half for more walkways. How lame. The fencing is also a generic and unnatural looking pole-and-wire fence. Thankfully, this area is getting redesigned this year, with the interesting addition of African penguins. 5/10
Warthogs and crested porcupines:
This is an interesting pairing of animals, and the enclosure is much better suited to the size of them. The fencing is still subpar, but there is mud for the warthogs and an area where the porcupines can go for privacy. It works. 7/10
Wattled cranes:
So this enclosure is located separately from the rest of the area, but is apparently still considered part of it. It's a nice-looking swampy area with a nest island spot. It still has the same unnatural fencing as the others. Honestly, this is my overall problem with the Franklin Park Zoo. The conditions of the enclosures are usually pretty good and up to standard, but many of them are notably smaller than they should be and have ugly and weak-looking fencing. 7/10
Overall: 6/10
Nature's Neighborhoods Childrens Zoo:
The Children's Zoo is interesting in that it is the first step in a grand plan to remaster the zoo to look more modern and better conditioned, and it very much shows here. The downside is that the original version of this exhibit had Amur leopards and prehensile-tailed porcupines in decent enclosures. But the ones they kept look better than before.
Red pandas and muntjac:
Maybe just a tiny bit small, but it is also vertically-designed with a good climbing structure for the red pandas, so this is more of a downside for the singular Reeve's muntjac. The fencing is actually good, with glass and being used for viewing and no wire or chain to be seen. 7/10
Aviary:
My girlfriend liked this one. It is well-sized and has many places for the ducks, magpies, pheasants, and singular crane to hide and rest. The water was a bit green, however. 8/10
Turtles:
Two well-sized outdoor pools for Blanding's and spotted turtles look good, but I question the decision for them to be outside in the colder months. 8/10
Prairie dogs:
They have plently of room and a hidden network of underground tunnels. I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that they very frequently fight, however. I also like the tunnel that allows small children to stick their heads in a bubble poking through the enclosure's floor. 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Franklin Farm:
This one isn't bad, but I personally don't like it. I know that farms are often built with heavily-fenced pens and such, but the look of it still rubs me the wrong way. My girlfriend enjoyed it, though.
Overall barn:
The goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys, cattle, and singular pony that call this barn home vary in how much space they have. The larger ones don't quite have enough - one of the Dexter cattle bellows a lot in what might be distress - while the goats, sheep, and pigs have access to the "Contact Corral," a weather-dependent petting zoo. The small aviary for barn owls is nice, with the back area having a floor window that guests can look up to view. 6/10
Chickens:
Not much to say, it's really just an average chicken coop. 6/10
Overall: 6/10
Butterfly Hollow:
I'll keep this one short. While it wasn't open on the time of this visit, because it was too cold, the actual aviary is very good. The interior is bright and lively, with a peaceful pool and colorful plants all over it. I do wish it still housed Costa's hummingbirds alongside the butterflies and waterfowl, but I can't be picky.
Overall: 8/10
Kalahari Kingdom:
The Kalahari Kingdom has changed a few times, but remains one of the better exhibit areas at the zoo. I especially like the theming of this one; the African motif is shown with fake animal skeletons, real animal bones, some signs left by a fictional park ranger, and best of all, a fake dead impala hanging from a tree as though a leopard left it there. It's very immersive.
Hyena:
The singular spotted hyena inside has a good setup around her, but the walls stretch too high and it remains too small. Admittedly, it better fits her than the tigers that used to inhabit it, as this enclosure was originally its own exhibit, Tiger Tales, and you can tell by the bamboo that is still all over the area. I miss the tiger siblings, but the enclosure was too small for them, and just a bit better for this hyena. 6/10
Lion:
One of the best enclosures. It could stand to be a bit bigger, and there is a weird gaping moat at the front, but otherwise it is a very nice and green layout with some elevation and a large heated rock, which also provides shading. I like the added detail of a Jeep crashed into one of the glass viewing areas. 8/10
African spurred tortoise:
I like the rocky and raised back of the enclosure, but the wiry fencing is back, and I don't think it has a pool. The weak link of this exhibit. 6/10
Red river hogs and nyalas:
It's spacious and does its job. I do miss the bongos that existed here before. 7/10
Kori bustard:
I like how green the enclosure is, and it's decently-sized, but the chain link fencing is especially bad here, and the birds have their wings clipped. 7/10
Camels:
I don't know why Bactrian camels are in an Africa-themed exhibit, but they do get one of the bigger and better-looking enclosures, with just the continued chain link from the bustard exhibit carrying it over bringing it down, along with the fact that the road is right behind them. 7/10
Overall: 7/10
Giraffe Savanna:
The far better of the two large savanna enclosures at the zoo, the other being Serengeti Crossing. It's very large and spacious, and well-planted. A good exhibits for the Masai giraffes, which admittedly are oddly-paired with Somali wild ass, but I believe that's just because the animals are highly endangered and the zoo needed somewhere to put them. That's fine, it just doesn't match as well as the formerly-present Grevy's zebras.
Overall: 8/10
Outback Trail/Aussie Aviary:
This is probably my least-favorite exhibit at the zoo. It just looks old and in need of an update, with very weak efforts for an Australian theme. I am glad that the tiny and cheap exhibits for cockatoos and other birds are seemingly gone.
Multi species exhibit:
The main enclosure of this area is one shared by both red and gray kangaroos, along with red-necked wallaby and emus. For so many species, the enclosure is only medium-sized, and has weird fencing through the exhibit as well as around it. It is wide and grassy enough, but the wire fencing is worse than ever, looking especially flimsy this time. 5/10
Indoor exhibits:
Inside are two decent enclosures for tawny frogmouth and kiwi, a unique bird that I like seeing in zoos when they show up. I like the monitors showing the insides of their shelters and how the entire room is kept completely dark to suit the nocturnal nature of both species. I do miss the tree kangaroos that were once here, though. 7/10
Aussie Aviary:
A good aviary for budgeriars with a lackluster enclosure for black swan. Not much to say. 6/10
Overall: 6/10
Bird's World Exhibit/Raptor Ridge:
I hate to say the weak train continues, but...actually, that's not entirely fair. There is a lot of good in Bird's World, but it is mostly on the inside. The outside is very outdated and honestly not very good, except for an additional enclosure that is technically its own exhibit.
Main building exterior exhibits:
The central building of this exhibit needs a redesign. I don't know why it's still an out-of-place looking pagoda of all things, and the lining exhibits for kookaburra and kea - which to be fair, is an interesting animal that I don't know how common it is in zoos - are small, heavily-fenced, and enrichment-light.
4/10
Bug room:
The first feature of the Bird's World building is a small room off to the side that people often walk past. It has decent terrariums for such creatures as tarantulas, cockroaches, beetles, and millipedes. 6/10
Indoor swamp area:
The building is split into four habitat-based sections, and this one is the best. It looks very convincing and has room for the birds to fly around. I also have a personal fondness for the goofy-looking boat-billed heron. 8/10
Indoor rainforest area:
A small, well-kept rainforest with an oddly small amount of birds. The waterfall could be more extravagant, but I like how the aracari are no longer confined to a net enclosure. It honestly just makes me wish I was in the superior Tropical Forest exhibit. 7/10
Indoor desert area:
The desert enclosre could be bigger and I don't like how the Gouldian finches it houses can fly around the room and possibly get stuck in the crevices between the walls and ceiling. I don't know how to fix this, I admit. Points for a decent blue-tongued skink terrarium. 5/10
Indoor riverbanks area:
A slightly-weaker version of the swamp area, but I like the underwater viewing and the inclusion of the critically-endangered bali mynah. Points off for the former tawny frogmouth exhibit not being repurposed to suit the screech owl it now houses. 7/10
White-naped cranes:
The Asian theme on the building makes much more sense here, and this enclosure is much better than the ones around the pagoda. I don't like, however, that it's lower-elevated than the walkways, and I honestly miss the flamingos that used to be here. 7/10
Raptor Ridge:
Made into its own exhibit after being the third step in the zoo's redesign plan, this massive walk-through aviary for Andean condors and a singular Steller's sea eagle is bar none the best part of the area. It's very well-planted and atmospheric, and belongs in a better part of the zoo. 8/10
Overall: 7/10 (6/10 without Raptor Ridge)
Tropical Forest/Gorilla Grove:
Thankfully, we can end on a high note. This is definitely my favorite exhibit at the zoo, and probably the best-conditioned, too. It's what you would want from a rainforest building, a common zoo exhibit type. It does have some rather small enclosures, but they are very well-designed and blend into the environment nicely. There are notable shortcomings, such as possibly the two worst indivdual enclosures at the zoo, but this is made up for by everything else.
Gorilla Grove:
Like Raptor Ridge, this functions as its own exhibit. This was the second step in the remastering, and it looks great. Guests can walk through a green space with tall climbing structures, a waterfall, and tall trees. By far one of the best enclosures. 9/10
Gorillas (indoor):
The fact that the gorilla troop have an outdoor area helps a bit, but this is still a very well-crafted enclosure, with many places to climb and many others to hide. There are four separate viewing areas, as well. 8/10
Lemurs:
Being fully inside is a minus, but I like how dynamic it is, and there is lots of enrichment, fitting for such active creatures as these. 7/10
Cotton-top tamarins:
I don't like this one. It's very haphazardly crammed into the side of the rock wall with unpleasant net covering a small space with not much inside. The worst primate exhibit at the zoo by far. 4/10
Pygmy falcons:
Even smaller than the tamarin enclosure and not very noticeable. This is the worst individual exhibit at the entire zoo. 3/10
Pygmy hippopotamus:
These animals don't receive quite enough space, and this largely comes from being kept fully indoors. Thankfully, they have two separate enclosures to...kind of make up for this. One is the former capybara exhibit, so there is a moderate amount of water, while the other has a deeper pool with an underwater viewing. I like the enclosures as is, but they could very much benefit from an outdoor section. 7/10
Snakes:
The small room housing a green anaconda enclosure and two other snake enclosures, which I admittedly forgot what they were for, is under construction. I hope the serviceable anaconda terrarium is bigger this time. 7/10
Potto:
Maybe the most noteworthy animal at the zoo to those invested in zoos as a whole, for I believe this is one of the only, if not the only zoo in America to house this odd primate. The enclosure itself is a decent one that is thankfully kept dark, as pottos are nocturnal. 7/10
Storks:
This enclosure for saddle-billed stork and the occasional free-flight yellow-billed stork is lush and has a big waterfall, but it is still a bit too small and the terrain is weirdly raised in the middle in a way that doesn't seem quite right. 6/10
Anteater:
I saw another review of the zoo that called this the worst exhibit, and while I do think it's a bit less spacious than it could be, it still has enrichment and water and what a giant anteater more or less needs. Still one of the weaker enclosures in the building. 6/10
Tapirs (indoor):
These animals actually do have an outdoor section. Good thing, too, because their indoor one isn't big enough, but at least they have a decent pool. 6/10
Bats:
A standard cave-like structure kept in the dark with a good amount of places to perch. I will say I haven't found many other zoos in my research that have Ruwenzori fruit bats.
Dwarf crocodile:
You know the drill by now; it's a good design, but too small. 7/10
Sloth:
This was being cleaned when I last visited, but I know the enclosure is well-designed as is. 7/10
DeBrazza's monkeys:
I miss the mandrills that once inhabited this one, but the enclosure built for those species also works well for this other species old world monkey. 7/10
Other indoor animals:
There are many free-flight birds, as well as straw-colored fruit bats, all of which have plenty of space and many places to nest and roost. The isolated terrariums for ball python and Amazon milk frog (which have sadly replaced red-eyed tree frogs) look good too. 8/10
Tapirs (outdoor):
I like it, but it could use more forested parts. 7/10
African wild dog:
These should really be classified as their own exhibit area, because they have nothing to do with the rainforest theme. Regardless, this suffers from the same issue as most of the other enclosures. It fits the dogs more than the hyenas that were here for a short time. 7/10
Overall: 8/10
Franklin Park Zoo is not a great zoo by any stretch. It doesn't come close to such giants as the San Diego and Bronx zoos. But even separated from my heavy nostalgia, it is still good. The enclosures eight times out of ten could use an expansion and a different style of barrier, but nine times out of ten, the interior looks up to par. I guess that's a metaphor for the zoo as a whole, really. It doesn't look like much, but past the gates, there is plenty seeing to make it worth the price of admission. And if nothing else, it's certainly better than the other zoo managed by Zoo New England, the lackluster Stone Zoo, which is mediocre at best. If you are not native to Boston and are visiting, I recommend putting the Franklin Park Zoo on your to-do list.
Overall: 7/10
Serengeti Crossing:
An African savanna-based exhibit, made up of two smaller exhibits and one large one.
Main savanna exhibit:
Your standard multi species savanna, featuring Hartmann's mountain zebras (formerly Grant's), wildebeest, and ostriches. We are unfortunately starting off with a weaker one, because while the interior of the enclosure is fine and natural-looking enough, it is just a bit too small. This is especially frustrating, because it used to be much bigger, but was cut in half for more walkways. How lame. The fencing is also a generic and unnatural looking pole-and-wire fence. Thankfully, this area is getting redesigned this year, with the interesting addition of African penguins. 5/10
Warthogs and crested porcupines:
This is an interesting pairing of animals, and the enclosure is much better suited to the size of them. The fencing is still subpar, but there is mud for the warthogs and an area where the porcupines can go for privacy. It works. 7/10
Wattled cranes:
So this enclosure is located separately from the rest of the area, but is apparently still considered part of it. It's a nice-looking swampy area with a nest island spot. It still has the same unnatural fencing as the others. Honestly, this is my overall problem with the Franklin Park Zoo. The conditions of the enclosures are usually pretty good and up to standard, but many of them are notably smaller than they should be and have ugly and weak-looking fencing. 7/10
Overall: 6/10
Nature's Neighborhoods Childrens Zoo:
The Children's Zoo is interesting in that it is the first step in a grand plan to remaster the zoo to look more modern and better conditioned, and it very much shows here. The downside is that the original version of this exhibit had Amur leopards and prehensile-tailed porcupines in decent enclosures. But the ones they kept look better than before.
Red pandas and muntjac:
Maybe just a tiny bit small, but it is also vertically-designed with a good climbing structure for the red pandas, so this is more of a downside for the singular Reeve's muntjac. The fencing is actually good, with glass and being used for viewing and no wire or chain to be seen. 7/10
Aviary:
My girlfriend liked this one. It is well-sized and has many places for the ducks, magpies, pheasants, and singular crane to hide and rest. The water was a bit green, however. 8/10
Turtles:
Two well-sized outdoor pools for Blanding's and spotted turtles look good, but I question the decision for them to be outside in the colder months. 8/10
Prairie dogs:
They have plently of room and a hidden network of underground tunnels. I'm not sure how I feel about the fact that they very frequently fight, however. I also like the tunnel that allows small children to stick their heads in a bubble poking through the enclosure's floor. 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Franklin Farm:
This one isn't bad, but I personally don't like it. I know that farms are often built with heavily-fenced pens and such, but the look of it still rubs me the wrong way. My girlfriend enjoyed it, though.
Overall barn:
The goats, sheep, pigs, donkeys, cattle, and singular pony that call this barn home vary in how much space they have. The larger ones don't quite have enough - one of the Dexter cattle bellows a lot in what might be distress - while the goats, sheep, and pigs have access to the "Contact Corral," a weather-dependent petting zoo. The small aviary for barn owls is nice, with the back area having a floor window that guests can look up to view. 6/10
Chickens:
Not much to say, it's really just an average chicken coop. 6/10
Overall: 6/10
Butterfly Hollow:
I'll keep this one short. While it wasn't open on the time of this visit, because it was too cold, the actual aviary is very good. The interior is bright and lively, with a peaceful pool and colorful plants all over it. I do wish it still housed Costa's hummingbirds alongside the butterflies and waterfowl, but I can't be picky.
Overall: 8/10
Kalahari Kingdom:
The Kalahari Kingdom has changed a few times, but remains one of the better exhibit areas at the zoo. I especially like the theming of this one; the African motif is shown with fake animal skeletons, real animal bones, some signs left by a fictional park ranger, and best of all, a fake dead impala hanging from a tree as though a leopard left it there. It's very immersive.
Hyena:
The singular spotted hyena inside has a good setup around her, but the walls stretch too high and it remains too small. Admittedly, it better fits her than the tigers that used to inhabit it, as this enclosure was originally its own exhibit, Tiger Tales, and you can tell by the bamboo that is still all over the area. I miss the tiger siblings, but the enclosure was too small for them, and just a bit better for this hyena. 6/10
Lion:
One of the best enclosures. It could stand to be a bit bigger, and there is a weird gaping moat at the front, but otherwise it is a very nice and green layout with some elevation and a large heated rock, which also provides shading. I like the added detail of a Jeep crashed into one of the glass viewing areas. 8/10
African spurred tortoise:
I like the rocky and raised back of the enclosure, but the wiry fencing is back, and I don't think it has a pool. The weak link of this exhibit. 6/10
Red river hogs and nyalas:
It's spacious and does its job. I do miss the bongos that existed here before. 7/10
Kori bustard:
I like how green the enclosure is, and it's decently-sized, but the chain link fencing is especially bad here, and the birds have their wings clipped. 7/10
Camels:
I don't know why Bactrian camels are in an Africa-themed exhibit, but they do get one of the bigger and better-looking enclosures, with just the continued chain link from the bustard exhibit carrying it over bringing it down, along with the fact that the road is right behind them. 7/10
Overall: 7/10
Giraffe Savanna:
The far better of the two large savanna enclosures at the zoo, the other being Serengeti Crossing. It's very large and spacious, and well-planted. A good exhibits for the Masai giraffes, which admittedly are oddly-paired with Somali wild ass, but I believe that's just because the animals are highly endangered and the zoo needed somewhere to put them. That's fine, it just doesn't match as well as the formerly-present Grevy's zebras.
Overall: 8/10
Outback Trail/Aussie Aviary:
This is probably my least-favorite exhibit at the zoo. It just looks old and in need of an update, with very weak efforts for an Australian theme. I am glad that the tiny and cheap exhibits for cockatoos and other birds are seemingly gone.
Multi species exhibit:
The main enclosure of this area is one shared by both red and gray kangaroos, along with red-necked wallaby and emus. For so many species, the enclosure is only medium-sized, and has weird fencing through the exhibit as well as around it. It is wide and grassy enough, but the wire fencing is worse than ever, looking especially flimsy this time. 5/10
Indoor exhibits:
Inside are two decent enclosures for tawny frogmouth and kiwi, a unique bird that I like seeing in zoos when they show up. I like the monitors showing the insides of their shelters and how the entire room is kept completely dark to suit the nocturnal nature of both species. I do miss the tree kangaroos that were once here, though. 7/10
Aussie Aviary:
A good aviary for budgeriars with a lackluster enclosure for black swan. Not much to say. 6/10
Overall: 6/10
Bird's World Exhibit/Raptor Ridge:
I hate to say the weak train continues, but...actually, that's not entirely fair. There is a lot of good in Bird's World, but it is mostly on the inside. The outside is very outdated and honestly not very good, except for an additional enclosure that is technically its own exhibit.
Main building exterior exhibits:
The central building of this exhibit needs a redesign. I don't know why it's still an out-of-place looking pagoda of all things, and the lining exhibits for kookaburra and kea - which to be fair, is an interesting animal that I don't know how common it is in zoos - are small, heavily-fenced, and enrichment-light.
4/10
Bug room:
The first feature of the Bird's World building is a small room off to the side that people often walk past. It has decent terrariums for such creatures as tarantulas, cockroaches, beetles, and millipedes. 6/10
Indoor swamp area:
The building is split into four habitat-based sections, and this one is the best. It looks very convincing and has room for the birds to fly around. I also have a personal fondness for the goofy-looking boat-billed heron. 8/10
Indoor rainforest area:
A small, well-kept rainforest with an oddly small amount of birds. The waterfall could be more extravagant, but I like how the aracari are no longer confined to a net enclosure. It honestly just makes me wish I was in the superior Tropical Forest exhibit. 7/10
Indoor desert area:
The desert enclosre could be bigger and I don't like how the Gouldian finches it houses can fly around the room and possibly get stuck in the crevices between the walls and ceiling. I don't know how to fix this, I admit. Points for a decent blue-tongued skink terrarium. 5/10
Indoor riverbanks area:
A slightly-weaker version of the swamp area, but I like the underwater viewing and the inclusion of the critically-endangered bali mynah. Points off for the former tawny frogmouth exhibit not being repurposed to suit the screech owl it now houses. 7/10
White-naped cranes:
The Asian theme on the building makes much more sense here, and this enclosure is much better than the ones around the pagoda. I don't like, however, that it's lower-elevated than the walkways, and I honestly miss the flamingos that used to be here. 7/10
Raptor Ridge:
Made into its own exhibit after being the third step in the zoo's redesign plan, this massive walk-through aviary for Andean condors and a singular Steller's sea eagle is bar none the best part of the area. It's very well-planted and atmospheric, and belongs in a better part of the zoo. 8/10
Overall: 7/10 (6/10 without Raptor Ridge)
Tropical Forest/Gorilla Grove:
Thankfully, we can end on a high note. This is definitely my favorite exhibit at the zoo, and probably the best-conditioned, too. It's what you would want from a rainforest building, a common zoo exhibit type. It does have some rather small enclosures, but they are very well-designed and blend into the environment nicely. There are notable shortcomings, such as possibly the two worst indivdual enclosures at the zoo, but this is made up for by everything else.
Gorilla Grove:
Like Raptor Ridge, this functions as its own exhibit. This was the second step in the remastering, and it looks great. Guests can walk through a green space with tall climbing structures, a waterfall, and tall trees. By far one of the best enclosures. 9/10
Gorillas (indoor):
The fact that the gorilla troop have an outdoor area helps a bit, but this is still a very well-crafted enclosure, with many places to climb and many others to hide. There are four separate viewing areas, as well. 8/10
Lemurs:
Being fully inside is a minus, but I like how dynamic it is, and there is lots of enrichment, fitting for such active creatures as these. 7/10
Cotton-top tamarins:
I don't like this one. It's very haphazardly crammed into the side of the rock wall with unpleasant net covering a small space with not much inside. The worst primate exhibit at the zoo by far. 4/10
Pygmy falcons:
Even smaller than the tamarin enclosure and not very noticeable. This is the worst individual exhibit at the entire zoo. 3/10
Pygmy hippopotamus:
These animals don't receive quite enough space, and this largely comes from being kept fully indoors. Thankfully, they have two separate enclosures to...kind of make up for this. One is the former capybara exhibit, so there is a moderate amount of water, while the other has a deeper pool with an underwater viewing. I like the enclosures as is, but they could very much benefit from an outdoor section. 7/10
Snakes:
The small room housing a green anaconda enclosure and two other snake enclosures, which I admittedly forgot what they were for, is under construction. I hope the serviceable anaconda terrarium is bigger this time. 7/10
Potto:
Maybe the most noteworthy animal at the zoo to those invested in zoos as a whole, for I believe this is one of the only, if not the only zoo in America to house this odd primate. The enclosure itself is a decent one that is thankfully kept dark, as pottos are nocturnal. 7/10
Storks:
This enclosure for saddle-billed stork and the occasional free-flight yellow-billed stork is lush and has a big waterfall, but it is still a bit too small and the terrain is weirdly raised in the middle in a way that doesn't seem quite right. 6/10
Anteater:
I saw another review of the zoo that called this the worst exhibit, and while I do think it's a bit less spacious than it could be, it still has enrichment and water and what a giant anteater more or less needs. Still one of the weaker enclosures in the building. 6/10
Tapirs (indoor):
These animals actually do have an outdoor section. Good thing, too, because their indoor one isn't big enough, but at least they have a decent pool. 6/10
Bats:
A standard cave-like structure kept in the dark with a good amount of places to perch. I will say I haven't found many other zoos in my research that have Ruwenzori fruit bats.
Dwarf crocodile:
You know the drill by now; it's a good design, but too small. 7/10
Sloth:
This was being cleaned when I last visited, but I know the enclosure is well-designed as is. 7/10
DeBrazza's monkeys:
I miss the mandrills that once inhabited this one, but the enclosure built for those species also works well for this other species old world monkey. 7/10
Other indoor animals:
There are many free-flight birds, as well as straw-colored fruit bats, all of which have plenty of space and many places to nest and roost. The isolated terrariums for ball python and Amazon milk frog (which have sadly replaced red-eyed tree frogs) look good too. 8/10
Tapirs (outdoor):
I like it, but it could use more forested parts. 7/10
African wild dog:
These should really be classified as their own exhibit area, because they have nothing to do with the rainforest theme. Regardless, this suffers from the same issue as most of the other enclosures. It fits the dogs more than the hyenas that were here for a short time. 7/10
Overall: 8/10
Franklin Park Zoo is not a great zoo by any stretch. It doesn't come close to such giants as the San Diego and Bronx zoos. But even separated from my heavy nostalgia, it is still good. The enclosures eight times out of ten could use an expansion and a different style of barrier, but nine times out of ten, the interior looks up to par. I guess that's a metaphor for the zoo as a whole, really. It doesn't look like much, but past the gates, there is plenty seeing to make it worth the price of admission. And if nothing else, it's certainly better than the other zoo managed by Zoo New England, the lackluster Stone Zoo, which is mediocre at best. If you are not native to Boston and are visiting, I recommend putting the Franklin Park Zoo on your to-do list.
Overall: 7/10
