Stone Zoo

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 forested, rocky hillsides devoted to larger habitats for 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 zoo was founded in 1905 as the Middlesex Fells Zoo.^[4] It began as a small collection of local animals, but soon began to include more exotic species as well. 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. The renovation project also 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 in honor of Walter D. Stone,^[7] after his death in 1968.

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

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

In the early 2000s, Zoo New England began a fund-raising campaign to reinvigorate both the Stone Zoo and the Franklin Park Zoo. Surveys made of zoo visitors about proposal plans have been used to direct their improvement and renovation plans. On September 24, 2005, Stone Zoo celebrated its 100th anniversary.^[2]

The current layout aims to make the whole grounds interesting and educational, without featuring as many large animals as a major zoo. Since 2000 a number of significant improvements have been made, such as:

• Birds of prey outdoor wild bird demonstrations (an independent contract with the World Bird Sanctuary based out of St. Louis, Missouri, running Memorial Day through Labor Day only) (c. 2005)
• Meerkats (c. 2006)
• Upgrades to the North American river otter exhibit (2008)
• A new American black bear exhibit, featuring two black bears, built on the site of the old polar bear exhibit (2008)
• An annual holiday light exhibit, ZooLights, with thousands of lights and Christmas displays (runs from Thanksgiving through Christmastime)
• A newly built open air environment for gibbons (2009), as gibbons are tree-dwellers.
• A temporary seasonal exhibit, Aussie Adventure (2013), open from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
• A new seasonal, but permanent, exhibit with three American Alligators opened up in the Spring of 2014.

Since the grounds of the zoo have been improved, attendance is up. The lynx exhibit was expanded, the snow leopard viewing area has been improved, and there is also a Nature Playscape. There will soon be an MBTA bus stop added to the zoo, to make access easier by public transportation.

• In the Summer of 2016, the Animal Discovery Center was demolished and the Llama and Capybara were reconfigured.
• In August 2016, Chacoan Peccary debuted in the former Coyote exhibit. The Zoo no longer has Coyotes.
• A new entry way opened in August 2017. A new animal discovery center that has taken over the former gift shop has opened. It has exhibits featuring smaller animals of various taxa. Now that these have opened, there will be a new exhibit for american flamingo adjacent to the new entry in the near future.
• The reimagined multipurpose exhibition and event facility replaces the zoos central exhibit building, Windows to the Wild. The new facility features a 200-person event space lined with live animal exhibits inside and new exterior exhibit spaces totaling over 50,000 sf. Natural light is allowed into all of the exhibit spaces with controls to vary intensity. The event space is visually suspended between exhibits and opens onto a large terrace overlooking the zoos central pond and waterfowl exhibits. The facility will also contain the zoos central commissary, holding spaces, and catering kitchen for events. The black bear exhibit is unremarkable and unchanged. The flight cages for spider and colobus monkey shall be expanded.
• Summer of 2017, a female Whooping Crane named “Sunflower” arrived from Calgary Zoo to join male Alec.

• A new, 6,000 square foot Walk-through Aviary featuring the zoos American Flamingo flock, Ibis & Macaw will open in Summer 2018. The area will also feature Jamaican Iguana, a first for Zoo New England. Calypso Trail with instruments of the Caribbean that guests can play. Flamingo flats where guests can do yoga poses like flamingo. There’s also a Bush dog exhibit, another first for Zoo New England. Visitors will have opportunities to feed and interact with the Flamingo flock and other Birds that share the aviary habitat. There will be an animal care provider area for Bush Dog training to share with visitors. Caribbean Coast is a $4 million exhibit complex complementing the $3 million entry complex that opened in 2017.

Exhibit areas

• Yukon Creek (opened in the early 2000s): Simulates the Canadian north woods; contains North American Porcupine, American Black Bear Bald Eagle, Canadian Lynx, Arctic Fox, Great Horned Owl and Reindeer
• Himalayan Highlands: Yak, Snow Leopards, Markhor, Reeves's muntjac and Black-necked crane
• Treasures of the Sierra Madre (opened in 2002): Jaguar, Chacoan peccary, Cougar, Spectacled Owl, Seba's Short-Tailed Bats, White-nose Coati, various Tarantula, Ringtail, Peregrine Falcon, Red-Tailed Boa, Rosy Boa and Gila monster
• Windows to the Wild (opened in May 2003): Kookaburra, Inca terns, Cotton-top tamarin, Red-rumped agouti, Prehensile-tailed porcupine, Rock hyrax, Central American Agouti, Barn Owl Tinamou, Hyacinth Macaw.
• Treetops & Riverbeds North American River Otter, White-Cheeked Gibbon (ca. 2008), Colobus Monkey & Black-Handed Spider Monkey
• Alfred Huang North American Crane Exhibit (ca. 2012 featuring Sandhill Crane) Whooping Crane (ca. 2014) Sandhill Crane, assorted waterfowl. A seasonal, American Alligator Exhibit is also featured. (ca. 2014)
• Barnyard: Guinea Hog, Chickens, Dwarf Goats and Zebu. This section also features a playground.
• Animal Discovery Center (ca. 2017) Honey bee, Blanding's turtle, Leopard Gecko, Collared lizard, Vinegaroon, California king snake, Rosy boa, Panamanian golden frog, Poison dart frog, Milk snake and Tree frog.
• Caribbean Coast (ca. 2018) Bush Dog, Jamaican Iguana, American Flamingo, Red-and-green Macaw, Blue-and-yellow Macaw and Scarlet Macaw (all macaw are pinned) will inhabit this 6,000 square foot walk-through aviary along with free-flight Scarlet Ibis.

References

External links

• Media related to Stone Zoo at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website