What is the best zoo in new england

I went to Forest Park once and I remember it as one of those horrible little zoos that should be closed. I don't know if that's changed.
I haven't been to Lupa yet, as I recently found out about it. Also it seems like no one here has either. Since you are close why not be the guinea pig and let us know how it is.:)
 
I've never been to neither but do have an interest to. But they are kinda far away from where I'm at butI live very close to southwick's
 
Birdlover said:
I went to Forest Park once and I remember it as one of those horrible little zoos that should be closed. I don't know if that's changed.
I haven't been to Lupa yet, as I recently found out about it. Also it seems like no one here has either. Since you are close why not be the guinea pig and let us know how it is.:)
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Might do, though it doesn't seem as though they have much of interest to me. Lupa and Forest Park are only 20ish minutes away from one another so I'd likely get both down in a day whenever I find time to do so.

~Thylo
 
Thylacine: Africans are naturally more cold tolerant but both species could be successful in Northern zoos, i.e. Pittsburgh, ALS etc. But it comes down to money which no New England Zoo has in abundance. Not necessarily attendance or space. RWP's barn is no worse than Bronx's giraffe barn and Zoo Center combined but still could be improved. I see Black rhino being the future but would be more adequate for GoH if they decided to go non- African. Would love to see FPZ have them. But no ones sinking the money into it. And Capron and RWP can be in one day and its worth it.

Like I said it would be great to see "the Boston zoo" do it. They have the land and attendance but not the money. RWP isn't even made to hold bulls so it will be last to have them but dont have hope after.
 
Even though a lot of money runs through the area, zoo's do not seem high on New Englanders priorities. Most the MA zoos (Southwick, Forest Park, Capron, Lupa, Stone) have slowly been upgrading their respected facilities. I haven't been to Forest Park or Lupa in a while but both had a feel they were in a transition phase. Lupa having the more "old school" feel but having an interesting collection, Asiatic black bear, tayra, genet and jungle cats to name a few. Forest Park had a more traditional collection but having more pleasing looking enclosures.

Pleistohorse: I was lucky enough to visit Bensons a couple of times when i was younger and that used to be an amazing collection. Only recently did I find out it was Hagenbacks first US facility he started importing too
 
That's interesting on the elephants being more cold-tolerant. I was going to say there are significantly more Asian Elephants than African in Northeast zoos but I just looked into it and there are three with African (Pittsburgh, Seneca Park, RWPZ) and four with Asian (Bronx, Rosamond Gifford, Buttonwood, and Buffalo) so I suppose there's not much difference there. Only one zoo with each species in New England as well. Bronx's giraffe house is better than RWPZ's because there are multiple separate pens in the back whereas what you see at RWPZ is what you get. I do agree that neither is acceptable, though. Does FPZ have the space? I never saw them as being all that large but I suppose they could possibly have more land than what's developed like Beardsley.

~Thylo
 
Thylo : I feel if FPZ got rid of their giraffe exhibit and cut down the trees behind it they might be able to fit a asian bull ( I say bull because they can be kept solitary from what i heard). Maybe they could fit the african girls depending on how much land they have.
 
Dyl0526 said:
Thylo : I feel if FPZ got rid of their giraffe exhibit and cut down the trees behind it they might be able to fit a asian bull ( I say bull because they can be kept solitary from what i heard). Maybe they could fit the african girls depending on how much land they have.
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Why would they get an Asian bull and then three African cows?

Also why would they phase-out Masai Giraffe- an important SSP species that's only kept in American zoos and is the only pure giraffe subspecies in the country, not to mention they bring in a lot of visitors- in order to keep much more expensive, non-breeding elephants?

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Why would they get an Asian bull and then three African cows?

Also why would they phase-out Masai Giraffe- an important SSP species that's only kept in American zoos and is the only pure giraffe subspecies in the country, not to mention they bring in a lot of visitors- in order to keep much more expensive, non-breeding elephants?

~Thylo
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Wait, Masai giraffes are the only pure subspecies?! Where can I find pure Reticulates?
 
Sorry if that was unclear I meant they could keep a asian bull or the african cows. I think this because They could probably hold a asian bull. But depending how much land they own they might be able to hold the african cows. But now that I'm thinking about it more I don't think that can happen. I would like to see FPZ to get a asian bull because they can be housed alone from what I hear. It's a crowd pleaser and maybe it would be a good step in the right direction to make the great the great boston zoo that i'd love to see.
 
Being an AZA facility, they won't house a single elephant even tho males are naturally solitary. FPZ has a large amount of unused land, including the old hoof and horns area. If you look at their zoo map you will see what I'm talking about. Plenty of acreage to build a respectable elephant barn and enclosure. And they wouldn't move the giraffe out. Its one of the zoos biggest draws and they have been pretty successful with them
 
Looking at the map I now can see FPZ can hold elephants with out getting rid of the giraffes and what was the hoof and horn area i'd love to learn about that
 
I'm going to york animal kingdom this month is their anything anybody wants me to check out.
 
Dyl0526 said:
Looking at the map I now can see FPZ can hold elephants with out getting rid of the giraffes and what was the hoof and horn area i'd love to learn about that
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They may have the room (which most zoos do not), but it should not be their focus. Already the zoo cannot hold a herd of giraffes, as their barn only really allows for a pair + offspring. The gorillas do not have outdoor access, (not that their indoor exhibit is bad, the issue is its their only exhibit) The flamingo and bird house area definitely needs a renovation as well. So the zoo has a lot more priorities compared to elephants, which are not really fiscally responsible for a zoo still facing financial hardships. I have not visited in many years, yet from pictures it seems to be stagnant. Stone Zoo has faced some of the same issues, yet seems to be moving forward rather rapidly.

Roger Williams could have elephants longterm, if they were to build an exhibit like Rosamond Gifford. A barn could cover the giraffe exhibit and the yard would essentially be the current yard plus the cheetah and zebra yard. The issue with this is it would warrant the removal of almost all African animals. I don't think it would be a smart decision but it is do-able. Yet the master plan is not full of great decisions either, with plans for penguins and sea lions replacing most of the African animals.
 
Had a nice visit yesterday and I would now move Southwick's into 2nd place dropping Buttonwood to 3rd and Franklin Park to 4th ( I still think a separate bird house and rainforest building gives them a edge over Stone) with all others staying the same. Will comment further on Southwick's in their thread.
 
Thinking about this more. Have not been to Franklin Park in 10 years likely, when I wen't in the middle of a massive snowstorm. Definitely my most memorable zoo visit ever, barely being able to traverse the pathways. Have been to Boston since but did not have time to do the zoo as the aquarium is obviously more centrally located. But Roger Williams and Franklin Park are the larger zoos I have been to in the region. Roger Williams is a really nice zoo, yet its collection is largely standard, not many rareties when I thought about. Franklin park currently has kea, stellar's-sea eagle, siberian crane (as well as 4 other species of crane), kiwi, potto, Ruwenzori Fruit Bat, and red-breasted merganser. Now I am not saying Franklin Park is better, as it is obviously not, yet it does have some very nice-rare species. Plus is doing some great conservation work at the moment. Especially with the aquisition of "Grassroots Wildlife Conservation", which works to protect endangered New England species.

Now if only Franklin Park get some investment, although I am happy to see their financials stabilize after years under the threat of closure. An outdoor gorilla exhibit (something simple like a netted habitat would work great), bringing in another megafauna species (bears maybe), and renovating the bird house are all things I would like to see done.

NE Zoos I have been to:
1. Roger Williams
2. Franklin Park
3. Beardsley

And aquariums for fun:
1. Mystic Aquarium
2. NE Aquarium
3. Maritime Aquarium
 
I've been to many of the New England Zoos and Aquariums, And I would probably say Roger Williams is the best in New England. It may not be huge but when compared to everything else nearby it is certainly better looking and has a solid lineup of species. I went back in 2012 when the old rain forest building was around and it was still very nice. I really want to go back someday to see the new one when it is done. As for my rankings of zoos and aqauriums I have been too this is the order I would put them in.
1. Roger Williams
2. Mystic Aquarium
3. Stone Zoo
4. NEA
5. FPZ
6. Beardsley Zoo
7. Maritime Aquarum
8. Maine Wildlife Park (Not technically a zoo, but has many native species)
9. Maine State Aquarium
10. York's Wild Kingdom

I actually prefer Stone over FPZ, I like the rain forest at FPZ but after that Stone zoo is a nicer overall experience. And I don't mean just animals but the way the zoo looks and is laid out and amenities. Im also not a huge fan of the New England Aquarium, but it does have a great collection when compared to Maritime. The Maine Wildlife Park is also on this list because while it technically isn't a zoo, it does have exhibits featuring Maine Wildlife, most which has been rehabilitated and/or cannot be released to the wild. they have a great Moose exhibit and has renovated their Black Bear exhibit.
 
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