Stone Zoo

Stone Zoo
Date opened1905; June 6, 1992
LocationStoneham, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates42°27′47″N 71°05′35″W / 42.462961°N 71.092947°W / 42.462961; -71.092947Coordinates: 42°27′47″N 71°05′35″W / 42.462961°N 71.092947°W / 42.462961; -71.092947
Land area26 acres (11 ha)
No. of animals797[citation needed]
No. of species87[citation needed]
MembershipsAZA[1]
Major exhibits63 exhibits are found at this medium-sized Zoo. Highlights are, Yukon Creek, Treasures of the Sierra Madre, Windows to the Wild, Animal Discovery Center, Treetops & Riverbeds, Alfred Huang North American Crane Exhibit, Caribbean Coast, Himalayan Highlands, Barnyard, Mexican Gray Wolves
Websitewww.zoonewengland.org/stone-zoo Edit this at Wikidata
A flamingo at Stone Zoo

Stone Zoo is a medium- to small-sized zoo of about 26 acres (11 ha) in Stoneham, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1905, the zoo includes low-lying areas densely developed with smaller exhibits for animals as well as rocky forested hillsides devoted to larger habitats for Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs. It is operated by the Commonwealth Zoological Corporation,[2] doing business as Zoo New England, which also operates the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston.

Stone Zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.[3]

History

The Stone Zoo was founded in 1905 as the Middlesex Fells Zoo,[4] a small collection of local animals which soon began to include more exotic species.[citation needed] A new attraction, the Kiddy Zoo, largely based on Mother Goose stories, opened in the 1950s.[5] In the 1960s, the zoo underwent major renovations under the guidance of zoo director Walter D. Stone, including the construction of a large free-flight aviary.[citation needed] The renovation project saw the inclusion of elephants, giraffes, zebras, pygmy hippopotamus, sea lions, and many other large animals.[6] On March 14, 1969, the zoo was renamed the Walter D. Stone Memorial Zoo, following his death in 1968.[7]

The zoo continued to operate through the 1970s and 1980s and began breeding endangered species, including orangutans, kinkajous, siamang, and kudus.[citation needed] A polar bear named "Major" arrived in July 1979, and soon became the zoo's main attraction.[citation needed]

On November 12, 1990, state budget cuts caused the Stone Zoo to cease operation.[citation needed] Following public outcry, the state senate established a private, non-profit corporation to manage the zoo, with the help of fund-raising and donations,[citation needed] and the zoo reopened on June 6, 1992.[citation needed] During this transition period, the zoo fell into disrepair and lost all of its large animals, with the exception of Major who remained until his death in 2000.[citation needed] The zoo rapidly declined in quality and attendance.[citation needed] Old facilities were repurposed including using the former giraffe house as an animal education center.[citation needed]

Recent developments

In the early 2000s, Zoo New England began a fund-raising campaign to reinvigorate both the Stone Zoo and the Franklin Park Zoo.[citation needed] On September 24, 2005, Stone Zoo celebrated its 100th anniversary.[2] The zoo layout was modified to make the grounds interesting and educational, despite the lack of large animals. Many new exhibits were created and existing ones expanded or upgraded. These improvements have been credited with increasing zoo attendance.

A Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus stop is expected to be added to improve access by public transportation.

Exhibit areas

The major exhibits and animals on display are:

  • Mexican Gray Wolf Exhibit (c. 1998) Home to a single, lone lobo.
  • Yukon Creek (c. 2000): Simulates the Canadian boreal forest; contains North American porcupine, American black bear (added in 2008), bald eagle, Canadian lynx, arctic fox and reindeer (caribou).
  • Himalayan Highlands (c. 1998)Yak, snow leopards, markhor, Reeves's muntjac and black-necked crane
  • Treasures of the Sierra Madre (c. 2002): Jaguar, chacoan peccary, cougar, horned owl, Seba's short-tailed bats, white-nose coati, tarantulas, ringtail, peregrine falcon, red-tailed boa, rosy boa, california kingsnake, milksnake and gila monster
  • Windows to the Wild (c. 2003): Kookaburra, Inca terns, cotton-top tamarin, red-rumped agouti, prehensile-tailed porcupine, rock hyrax, rothschild mynah, rhinoceros hornbill, grey-cheeked hornbill, black-handed spider monkey, southern two-toed sloth, hyacinth macaw. A tortoise exhibit featuring a trio of africa spurred tortoises opened in the former flamingo grotto in July 2019.
  • Treetops & Riverbeds (c. 2008): an open-air environment with North American river otter, white-cheeked gibbon, colobus monkey
  • Alfred Huang North American Crane Exhibit (c. 2012) : sandhill crane, whooping crane (c. 2014), assorted waterfowl.
  • Barnyard: Guinea hog, chickens, dwarf goats and zebu. This section also features a 'nature playscape' playground.
  • Animal Discovery Center (c. 2017) Honey bee, Blanding's turtle, box turtle, marble salamander, leopard gecko, vinegaroon, California king snake, rosy boa, Panamanian golden frog, poison dart frog, snapper turtle and tree frog.
  • Caribbean Coast (c. 2018): A 6,000-square-foot (560 m2) walk-through aviary featuring Jamaican iguana, American flamingo, macaws, and scarlet ibis. Nearby, a bush dog exhibit displays a breeding pair. The pair had two pups, one male and one female born in November 2018.

Seasonal exhibits

Past exhibits

  • Aussie Adventure (summer 2013): A temporary seasonal exhibit which showcased koalas, kookaburras, wallaby, tawny frogmouths, etc. Also included was a free-flight budgerigar aviary, similar to the one at the Franklin Park Zoo.
  • Polar bear (1979–2000): the zoo's main attraction for many years
  • Coyote (c. 2016)
  • Llama & capybara (c. 2016)
  • Meerkat exhibit (c. 2006)
  • Snowy owl (c. 2010)
  • Matschie's tree kangaroo (c. 2018)

References

  1. ^ "Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums". aza.org. AZA. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  2. ^ a b "About Zoo New England | Zoo New England". www.zoonewengland.org. Retrieved 2018-08-08.
  3. ^ https://www.aza.org/current-accreditation-list#S
  4. ^ http://www.zoonewengland.org/about-us
  5. ^ https://patch.com/massachusetts/stoneham/then-and-now-walter-d-stone-memorial-zoo
  6. ^ https://books.google.ca/books?id=Xt7NBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA92&lpg=PA92&dq=middlesex+fells+zoo&source=bl&ots=B2VgFFvWwr&sig=2kxJvwiBRe4Mijg38SNwDhMNvWQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjlmLOzhobdAhVPUt8KHc-pCMsQ6AEwDXoECAIQAQ#v=onepage&q=middlesex%20fells%20zoo&f=false}}
  7. ^ "Stone Zoo". stonezoo.org. Stone Zoo. Retrieved 22 February 2010.

External links


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