I’m in Boston for work and I took advantage of the nice weather this afternoon to visit Zoo New England’s Stone Zoo. It’s the smaller of the organization’s two zoos, located north of the city center in Stoneham, but I was pleasantly surprised by what the facility had to offer. I found that overall, the facility made good use of its limited space by focusing primarily on species native to the Americas. Overall, I found this narrower collection more cohesive than my visit to Zoo New England’s sister park, The Franklin Park Zoo.
The spare, modern entrance immediately opens to the Caribbean Coast, a walkthrough aviary featuring flamingos.
The guest path borders right to the edge of the flamingo pool and the birds seem very comfortable with close visitor proximity. Several pairs stood within arm reach beginning to work on their nest mounds. Breeding season was in full display as the flock vocalized. In addition to the flamingos, Scarlet macaws, blue and yellow macaws, scarlet ibis, and Jamaican iguanas were listed on the exhibit signage but were all off exhibit.
After leaving the aviary, you come across the bush dog exhibit. It was great to see this trio of less common canids actively engaging in their exhibit. I especially liked the small trees in the back of the habitat which offered shade and the chance for the trio to dart in and out of view.
There was no formal signage, but after looking at a zoo map, I learned the exhibit area I was entering was the “Treasures of the Sierra Madre” region. The first habitat was a square mesh aviary for peregrine falcons. Like many of the animals I can across today, they seemed to be enjoying the warm spring day, basking with wings open on the highest perch in the aviary. I wish the structure of the aviary had been erected with perching opportunities in mind, as opposed to the couple of logs the keepers put in the center of the space. Despite the aviary's significant height, the birds weren’t able to take great advantage of it. Opposite the falcons is a chain-link oval for Chacoan peccary. A glass viewing window in the middle gives a view of the space. The trio slept in the far corner of the exhibit during my visit. I believe this exhibit was originally designed for coyotes and the tall fence with an overhang certainly seemed to be designed for a more dangerous animal. I appreciate the foliage in the exhibit, as well as all of the natural substrate, but the chain-link backdrop was a heavy-handed reminder that I’m staring at animals in a cage. Next on the trail is a cougar exhibit. Essentially a mesh square, this habitat has minimal opportunity for vertical use. The sole occupant spent its day laying in a grassy patch in the back corner of the exhibit. The holding building doubles as an abandoned mining shaft and has windows into terrariums for Pueblan milk snake, rosy boa, and California king snake. The bright light from the sun makes it hard to see into any of these terrariums (which look like they came straight from Petco). A larger window gives a view to a ringtail. On the opposite side of the trail from the mine building are two more mesh enclosures, connected by a small tunnel, home to three white-nosed coatis. While the exhibit seemed pretty basic, I observed all three coati sniffing and digging in the substrate, which I feel most coati exhibits don’t offer. Another window into the holding building has Seba’s short-tailed bats in a small cave in a simulated mine shaft. The other side of the building has additional terrariums for Dubia cockroaches, Gila monsters, and unnamed “isopods.” This brings you all the way around the holding building to the Jaguar exhibit. This habitat has slightly more theming than the neighboring cougar exhibit. There's a wagon split between the guest viewing and the exhibit and a wooden tower that stretches through the habitat. The viewing window is an extension of the “mine base camp.” The gunite exterior also has been built out a bit more to create resting platforms with some elevation. Based on the signage and map, it seems that the jaguar and cougar never rotate between these two neighboring exhibits, which seems like a wasted opportunity to me!
Next is a U-shaped building with glass windows into a menagerie of indoor stalls. Clearly a relic of the zoo's past, despite murals on the back wall, the heavy bars on the shift doors and concrete floors sent a shiver down my spine imaging what animals might have lived here in previous decades. One side of the U is four exhibits, Inca terns, rhinoceros hornbills, hyacinth macaws, and red-rumped agouti/prehensile-tailed porcupine. Each complete with a metal food dish with the animal's diet. Nothing to remind you of the zoos of yesterday year like plopping and animals daily food ration in a metal bowl. The next side had Linne’s two-toed sloth/cotton top tamarin and a particularly dismal display of black and white colobus. Fortunately, after continuing around the corner, you see two outdoor habitats with colobus monkeys.
Across from the colobus is the river otters, who were off-exhibit when I visited. Sharing a holding building with the river otters is a family of white-handed gibbons. The chain link-covered exhibit looks like it was purchased at Lowes. I can’t imagine it would’ve broken the bank to paint the thick silver support beams like bamboo. A little more theming would go a long way! Especially for a stand-alone exhibit. This is another exhibit that has lots of vertical space, but very few opportunities for the animals to utilize that space.
The Animal Discovery Center is not yet open for the season, but it looks like it’s the home of the ambassador animal collection and a free flight bird show.
Due to avian influenza, the whooping cranes were also off-exhibit.
The path then takes you to the Himalayan highlands at the far end of the park. I found this area to be the most successful exhibitry of the facility, mostly because of its utilization of a large rocky hill as a home for Markhor and snow leopard. The markhor exhibit would get top marks if it weren’t for the cumbersome chain link fence. The snow leopard exhibit is built into the cliffside and the guests' view is from the bottom, adding to the grandeur of the view. The snow leopards have great vertical access with several spots to bask and hide in the cliff wall. As I passed the exhibit throughout the day I noticed the snow leopard taking full advantage of the exhibit, basking in the sun, cooling down on a shady cliff, and stalking guests from behind a rocky outcropping.
You continue around the hill to the Mexican gray wolves. Another one of my favorites in the park, this expansive exhibit looks like an extension of the woods the zoo is set in. Though this exhibit is also chain link I wasn’t as bothered by it because it’s so weathered it almost blends in. The wolves are all named after famous conservationists, which I thought was a nice nod to their status in the wild. The exhibit covers the entire hillside and the pack took full advantage of the elevation offered, relaxing at the top of the exhibit and surveying the woods and spot pond beyond the zoo's border.
Perhaps the most disappointing exhibit I encountered was the reindeer. The dilapidated wire fencing was giving major roadside zoo vibes and did not have me excited to explore the rest of the Yukon creek. The Yukon creek is in a more densely wooded area of the park which offers a nice, shaded, coniferous backdrop. The exhibits are essentially enclosed mesh squares with a tented canopy. While the footprints are on the smaller side for the residents (arctic fox, Canadian lynx, North American porcupine, bald Eagle), I’d take less issue with it if there were more opportunities for the animals to use the space. But it again seems like the exhibit furniture is just a couple of logs the keepers found. None were taller than me. The last exhibit is the black bear exhibit. Home to two teenage rescues from Tennesse, the exhibit is pretty standard. Mesh enclosed, glass-fronted, small pool with waterfall. Nothing revolutionary, but seems sufficient.
I know I seem like a harsh critic, but I think that’s in part because I feel the zoo has so much potential. The heavy lifting is done! They have a great collection and appropriate exhibits, now I would just love to see some small changes to further enhance the welfare of the residents. I think the zoo could double down on the unique nature of its collection to better distinguish it from its sister park.
The spare, modern entrance immediately opens to the Caribbean Coast, a walkthrough aviary featuring flamingos.
The guest path borders right to the edge of the flamingo pool and the birds seem very comfortable with close visitor proximity. Several pairs stood within arm reach beginning to work on their nest mounds. Breeding season was in full display as the flock vocalized. In addition to the flamingos, Scarlet macaws, blue and yellow macaws, scarlet ibis, and Jamaican iguanas were listed on the exhibit signage but were all off exhibit.
After leaving the aviary, you come across the bush dog exhibit. It was great to see this trio of less common canids actively engaging in their exhibit. I especially liked the small trees in the back of the habitat which offered shade and the chance for the trio to dart in and out of view.
There was no formal signage, but after looking at a zoo map, I learned the exhibit area I was entering was the “Treasures of the Sierra Madre” region. The first habitat was a square mesh aviary for peregrine falcons. Like many of the animals I can across today, they seemed to be enjoying the warm spring day, basking with wings open on the highest perch in the aviary. I wish the structure of the aviary had been erected with perching opportunities in mind, as opposed to the couple of logs the keepers put in the center of the space. Despite the aviary's significant height, the birds weren’t able to take great advantage of it. Opposite the falcons is a chain-link oval for Chacoan peccary. A glass viewing window in the middle gives a view of the space. The trio slept in the far corner of the exhibit during my visit. I believe this exhibit was originally designed for coyotes and the tall fence with an overhang certainly seemed to be designed for a more dangerous animal. I appreciate the foliage in the exhibit, as well as all of the natural substrate, but the chain-link backdrop was a heavy-handed reminder that I’m staring at animals in a cage. Next on the trail is a cougar exhibit. Essentially a mesh square, this habitat has minimal opportunity for vertical use. The sole occupant spent its day laying in a grassy patch in the back corner of the exhibit. The holding building doubles as an abandoned mining shaft and has windows into terrariums for Pueblan milk snake, rosy boa, and California king snake. The bright light from the sun makes it hard to see into any of these terrariums (which look like they came straight from Petco). A larger window gives a view to a ringtail. On the opposite side of the trail from the mine building are two more mesh enclosures, connected by a small tunnel, home to three white-nosed coatis. While the exhibit seemed pretty basic, I observed all three coati sniffing and digging in the substrate, which I feel most coati exhibits don’t offer. Another window into the holding building has Seba’s short-tailed bats in a small cave in a simulated mine shaft. The other side of the building has additional terrariums for Dubia cockroaches, Gila monsters, and unnamed “isopods.” This brings you all the way around the holding building to the Jaguar exhibit. This habitat has slightly more theming than the neighboring cougar exhibit. There's a wagon split between the guest viewing and the exhibit and a wooden tower that stretches through the habitat. The viewing window is an extension of the “mine base camp.” The gunite exterior also has been built out a bit more to create resting platforms with some elevation. Based on the signage and map, it seems that the jaguar and cougar never rotate between these two neighboring exhibits, which seems like a wasted opportunity to me!
Next is a U-shaped building with glass windows into a menagerie of indoor stalls. Clearly a relic of the zoo's past, despite murals on the back wall, the heavy bars on the shift doors and concrete floors sent a shiver down my spine imaging what animals might have lived here in previous decades. One side of the U is four exhibits, Inca terns, rhinoceros hornbills, hyacinth macaws, and red-rumped agouti/prehensile-tailed porcupine. Each complete with a metal food dish with the animal's diet. Nothing to remind you of the zoos of yesterday year like plopping and animals daily food ration in a metal bowl. The next side had Linne’s two-toed sloth/cotton top tamarin and a particularly dismal display of black and white colobus. Fortunately, after continuing around the corner, you see two outdoor habitats with colobus monkeys.
Across from the colobus is the river otters, who were off-exhibit when I visited. Sharing a holding building with the river otters is a family of white-handed gibbons. The chain link-covered exhibit looks like it was purchased at Lowes. I can’t imagine it would’ve broken the bank to paint the thick silver support beams like bamboo. A little more theming would go a long way! Especially for a stand-alone exhibit. This is another exhibit that has lots of vertical space, but very few opportunities for the animals to utilize that space.
The Animal Discovery Center is not yet open for the season, but it looks like it’s the home of the ambassador animal collection and a free flight bird show.
Due to avian influenza, the whooping cranes were also off-exhibit.
The path then takes you to the Himalayan highlands at the far end of the park. I found this area to be the most successful exhibitry of the facility, mostly because of its utilization of a large rocky hill as a home for Markhor and snow leopard. The markhor exhibit would get top marks if it weren’t for the cumbersome chain link fence. The snow leopard exhibit is built into the cliffside and the guests' view is from the bottom, adding to the grandeur of the view. The snow leopards have great vertical access with several spots to bask and hide in the cliff wall. As I passed the exhibit throughout the day I noticed the snow leopard taking full advantage of the exhibit, basking in the sun, cooling down on a shady cliff, and stalking guests from behind a rocky outcropping.
You continue around the hill to the Mexican gray wolves. Another one of my favorites in the park, this expansive exhibit looks like an extension of the woods the zoo is set in. Though this exhibit is also chain link I wasn’t as bothered by it because it’s so weathered it almost blends in. The wolves are all named after famous conservationists, which I thought was a nice nod to their status in the wild. The exhibit covers the entire hillside and the pack took full advantage of the elevation offered, relaxing at the top of the exhibit and surveying the woods and spot pond beyond the zoo's border.
Perhaps the most disappointing exhibit I encountered was the reindeer. The dilapidated wire fencing was giving major roadside zoo vibes and did not have me excited to explore the rest of the Yukon creek. The Yukon creek is in a more densely wooded area of the park which offers a nice, shaded, coniferous backdrop. The exhibits are essentially enclosed mesh squares with a tented canopy. While the footprints are on the smaller side for the residents (arctic fox, Canadian lynx, North American porcupine, bald Eagle), I’d take less issue with it if there were more opportunities for the animals to use the space. But it again seems like the exhibit furniture is just a couple of logs the keepers found. None were taller than me. The last exhibit is the black bear exhibit. Home to two teenage rescues from Tennesse, the exhibit is pretty standard. Mesh enclosed, glass-fronted, small pool with waterfall. Nothing revolutionary, but seems sufficient.
I know I seem like a harsh critic, but I think that’s in part because I feel the zoo has so much potential. The heavy lifting is done! They have a great collection and appropriate exhibits, now I would just love to see some small changes to further enhance the welfare of the residents. I think the zoo could double down on the unique nature of its collection to better distinguish it from its sister park.
