Today I went to Attleborough, Massachusetts, to visit the Capron Park Zoo and the WWI Memorial Park and Zoo. I will be writing a little bit about my experiences at both places over the next couple days, but I decided to document my time at WWI Memorial Park Zoo first, because it is a facility that people are less familiar with. Review The WWI Memorial Park Zoo is a ~4 acre zoo in North Attleboro, Massachusetts. The zoo was founded in 1968 with a pair of deer, but has since expanded to include a larger collection of mostly domestic animals (source). While the zoo has grown over the past 54 years, the entire thing can still easily be seen in about half an hour. It consists of one circular path, which wraps around several pens, which wrap around a barn (which is used as a maintenance/holding building). The pens themselves are cheaply made. They all use chain link fencing, and all have dusty floors made of compressed gravel and no grass. Most of the pens offer their animals little to no privacy. At least some of the pens gave their animals shade, either in the form of trees or (rarely) smaller shelters. The Barn Emu Pen Aside from the main section of the zoo, there was a tiny "aviary" for domestic turkeys and a row of uninhabited cages on the other side of the road. The row of cages seems like it may have once held small carnivores (like a red fox or two?), but now it is out of use and falling apart. The Danny Nicholson Aviary (though calling this shadowy cage an "aviary" may be a generous use of the term) Because the zoo’s animals are mostly domestic, guests are allowed to reach into most of the exhibits to touch and/or feed the inhabitants. In fact, some visitors brought their own fruits and vegetables for this express purpose. The animals are clearly accustomed to the people, and sometimes they would sadly approach the fence, whining, making crying noises, begging for our food and attention. Equids lining up against the fence, vocalizing to beg for food The zoo also clearly struggles financially, and a lack of care or resources may be part of why the animals begged from zoo visitors so much in the first place. I saw several stations where people could donate used cans to earn the zoo money. The zoo also does not require paid admission, and I wonder if this policy should be changed. Additional funding could allow the zoo to fix their row of uninhabited cages, to expand their collection, or to improve their existing exhibits to provide their animals with a better quality of life. The zoo also has a lot of history, and I saw many engravings honoring local animal-lovers who have passed on. One read, “In Memory of Dr. James DeWitt, whose love of animals shows throughout this zoo”. I know nothing about the life of Dr. James DeWitt, but it is disappointing to think that he may have poured his heart and soul into this small zoo, just for the place to end up in such a poor position today. Dr. James DeWitt Memorial So overall, between these different factors, I would not really recommend visiting the WWI Memorial Park Zoo. It is definitely not as bad as Animal Adventures or most of the other awful roadside zoos throughout the country, but this zoo’s low-quality enclosures and the begging animals left a bad taste in my mouth. I will say that there are other parts of WWI Memorial Park which are much nicer than the zoo itself. The park has a good playground, which would be nice for kids. And the park also contains a highest point in Bristol County, giving a great, picturesque view out into the distance. Overlook
Species List Domestic Sheep (Ovis aries) African Pygmy Goat (Capra hircus) Domestic Donkey (Equus africanus asinus) Boer Goat (Capra hircus) Domestic Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo domesticus) Domestic Horse (Equus ferus caballus) Sika Deer (Cervus nippon) Fallow Deer (Genus Dama) Domestic Llama (Lama glama) Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) Vietnamese Pot-Bellied Pig (Sus domesticus) Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - DID NOT SEE
