The Zoo In Forest Park and Education Center, also known as the Forest Park Zoo, is a nonprofit

zoo A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zoo ...

situated in Forest Park, Springfield, Massachusetts. It spans an area of four acres and is home to a variety of exotic,

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

, and

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and in ...

species.

History

The Zoo in Forest Park opened in 1894, and was initially run by the city's Parks Department. Animals at the zoo in its first decade included

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

s, a bald eagle, bears, a Brazilian

marmoset The marmosets (), also known as zaris or sagoin, are 22 New World monkey species of the genera '' Callithrix'', '' Cebuella'', '' Callibella'', and ''Mico''. All four genera are part of the biological family Callitrichidae. The term "marmoset" ...

boars The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is n ...

, a buffalo,

cockatoos A cockatoo is any of the 21 parrot species belonging to the family Cacatuidae, the only family in the superfamily Cacatuoidea. Along with the Psittacoidea (true parrots) and the Strigopoidea (large New Zealand parrots), they make up the ord ...

, deer,

doves Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...

finches The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...

, Java pigeons, a pair of Indian leopards, lions (named Caesar and Calpurnia), lynxes, macaws, monkeys, an

ostrich Ostriches are large flightless birds of the genus ''Struthio'' in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, and kiwis. There ...

, prairie dogs, a rabbit, red-faced apes, timber wolves,

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five g ...

waterfowl Anseriformes is an order of birds also known as waterfowl that comprises about 180 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which i ...

, and a

wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while th ...

. Domestic animals included

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

, horses,

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

, and

Angora goat Angora may refer to: Places *Angora, the historic name of Ankara, the capital city of Turkey *Angora, Philadelphia ** Angora (SEPTA station), a commuter rail station * Angora, Minnesota * Angora Township, Minnesota *Angora, Nebraska *Angora Lak ...

s. Many of the animals were purchased from the animal show market of Coney Island, although some were donated. It was not until 1923 that the zoo began systematically labeling animals with their species, name, and origin. For thirty years, the zoo was curated by Theodor Robert Geisel, father of famous author and illustrator

Theodor Seuss Geisel Theodor Seuss Geisel (;"Seuss"
''

While working at the zoo, the elder Geisel occasionally gave his son antlers,

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for foo ...

s, and

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

from deceased zoo animals, which Seuss would purpose for a rogue taxidermy art collection he titled ''Unorthodox Taxidermy''. The zoo also inspired Seuss's acclaimed children's book ''

If I Ran the Zoo ''If I Ran the Zoo'' is a children's book written by Dr. Seuss in 1950. The book is written in anapestic tetrameter, Seuss's usual verse type, and illustrated in Seuss's pen-and-ink style. Plot When young Gerald McGrew visits the zoo, he dis ...

'' (1950). During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

the zoo replaced the standard

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...

given to

carnivores A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other so ...

with

horse meat Horse meat forms a significant part of the culinary traditions of many countries, particularly in Eurasia. The eight countries that consume the most horse meat consume about 4.3 million horses a year. For the majority of humanity's early existen ...

. The smaller animals were fed grain, acorns, and stale bread along with their standard vegetables. Well-known animals over the years included Jiggs the chimpanzee (until 1967), Snowball the polar bear (1951-1979), and Morganetta the

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

(1965-1980). Both Jiggs and Snowball were

taxidermied Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proc ...

and donated to the Springfield Science Museum. The zoo faced financial difficulties in the 1970s, leading to many of the animals being sold off. In 1976 the zoo received negative media attention as the result of their inclusion in a book titled ''Living Trophies: A Shocking Look at the Conditions in America's Zoos''. In 1979 a proposal for a new $2.7 million zoo was unveiled, but it received little public support. In 1980 the Springfield Parks Commission officially voted against the proposal. In early 1982 the zoo was officially demolished in the name of aesthetic improvements. However, a zoo did remain in Forest Park: the James P. Heady Kiddieland Zoo, a

petting zoo A petting zoo (also called a children's zoo, children's farm, or petting farm) features a combination of domesticated animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, many genera ...

, which was relocated to elsewhere in the park. After the closing and demolition of the original Forest Park Zoo, the Kiddieland Zoo was often referred to as the Forest Park Zoo. It was eventually expanded, and in 1986 the zoo received a $1 million grant from the Massachusetts government for the redevelopment and relocation of the zoo. In June 2016 one of the zoo's guenon monkeys, Dizzy, escaped his enclosure and made his way into Forest Park. He was re-captured several days later. The zoo temporarily closed in response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, but was able to re-open with restrictions in June 2020. In 2023 one of the zoo's screech owls, Clint Screechwood, won BonusFinder.com's 'Superb Owl' contest, which came with a $5000 prize for the zoo.

Operations

The zoo operates from late March until early November. During the hottest days of summer, some animals are kept inside, with the floors of their enclosures kept free of hay, and staff provide animals with ice.

Programs

Adopt an Animal

The Zoo offers the opportunity to become closer to the animals by 'adopting them': assisting in supporting the cost of their food and care. Any individual or group can adopt an animal. Most animals are adopted by more than one person or group. The program launched in 1989 as a way to raise money for animals' food and veterinary care.

Animals

Most of the animals at the zoo (~85%) are unable to be released in the wild due to injury, illness, or familiarity with humans. Animals that currently reside at the Zoo In Forest Park and Education Center include: Species that previously resided at the zoo include:

Events

Brew at the Zoo

Brew at the Zoo is an annual fundraiser featuring local breweries, held since 2017.

Eggstravaganza

Eggstravaganza is the zoo's annual

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

event, held the Saturday before Easter.

Spooky Safari

Spooky Safari is the zoo's annual Halloween event. Stations are set up within the zoo for

trick-or-treating Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The ...

, and additional activities like crafts and

face painting Body painting is a form of body art where artwork is painted directly onto the human skin. Unlike tattoos and other forms of body art, body painting is temporary, lasting several hours or sometimes up to a few weeks (in the case of mehndi or "h ...

are also offered. This event is the successor to "Halloween Happening", which first occurred in 1988.

Wine Safari

Wine Safari is an annual fundraiser event held since 2018, where guests taste test different

wines Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

and are able to meet animals from the regions where the different wines are produced.

Awards

* 2021: Educational Award of Excellence; Zoological Association of America * 2022: Educational Award of Excellence; Zoological Association of America

External links

Official Website

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoo In Forest Park 1894 establishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Springfield, Massachusetts Tourist attractions in Springfield, Massachusetts Zoos in Massachusetts