Cash-Strapped Boston Zoo May Be Forced To Close Doors, Euthanize Animals

The Boston Globe:

The Franklin Park Zoo, an inner-city Boston institution that has drawn generations of city and suburban families, may be forced to close its doors and possibly euthanize some of its animals as a result of the deep budget cuts imposed by Governor Deval Patrick, zoo officials said today.

Read the whole story: The Boston Globe

Comments

[montemalone]

Why do I get the feeling that the Mass budget has more than a few mutlimillion dollar expenses for businesses, most of which could be eliminated without any effect whatsoever on the public?
Once again, politicians doing surgery with a chainsaw.

[CentralVA]

The Massachusetts budget is riddled with wasteful, if not outright corrupt, spending. Voters in Massachusetts need to demand a better system.

[pfc1369]

Welcome to the banana republic:

Established 1981 by Ronald Reagan

And going strong ever since.

[Peter007]

This is a scare tactic. The government does this every time they are running low on money.
When its time to build that 200 million dollar office complex and give out the $100,00 salaries, no one makes a peep.
In New Jersey, come July 1st and there is no budget in the state house, they close the parks and shut down the DMV so people are inconvenienced. State workers get a free, tax payer paid holiday until the budget is passed with new taxes.
In this story, they can't afford $1,000 in food so they kill the animal. What about that $130,000 salary to the head of the zoo? Can't you find anyone that will work for less?

[Gasparilla]

When the housing bubble was going strong and taxes were pouring in, my county built a huge office complex with granite floors and wood detailing. Everyone has long called the local education complex the "Taj Mahal". One teacher wrote a resignation column in the paper years ago in which he said he wished he could just teach instead of having to address all the "programs" and reports that the endless chain of bureacrats imposed on him.

[Peter007]

My wife is a teacher and she complains about having to 'Teach" to the test. All they care about now is for kids to be able to pass the state tests. Kids can't think any more, they only learn how to pass a test.

[StillAmused]

Once you assume responsibility for a living creature, especially after placing it in captivity, it's for keeps.

When the old man loses his second, part-time job, do he and mom decide which of the kids should be put down so they can make ends meet?

Everything else that's twisted and perverse in this culture's priorities proceeds from its feckless attitude toward animals.

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals." -- Ghandi.

[EastTraveler]

As I heard this on the news last evening the first thought that I had was how much of a scare tactic can someone come up with to raise money. This will indeed cause a national stir and I don't blame people for getting ticked off because of the headlines. Wake up people and don't drink the kool aid...

[TheBlackCat]

The Stone Zoo is better closed. Even if some animals are sadly euthanized now, better that than this zoo keep operating for years more, housing animals.

Well run zoos that exist for the benefit of the animals within them are fine, in my opinion. Zoos that maintain a stimulating and nurturing environment. The fact is a lot of kids wouldn't care about saving an elephant if they'd never seen one. Zoos help get kids interested in the welfare of animals. Many well run modern zoos are rehabilitative and release many of the animals they hold back into the wild, and hold many animals that cannot be released into the wild due to injury, trauma, domestication, etc.

But the Stone Zoo was just awful. Tiny cramped pens with nothing but dirt, small cages...th­ere were birds in cages so small they couldn't even fly. There were a very few not awful exhibits, but for the most part it was horribly depressing. The animals mostly appeared to have little to no quality of life.

[dutchman]

Hey BC. Agreed. I was just at the Artis not that long ago, and while I think it's better than most zoos, it could also stand to make its facilities more animal friendly.

The best zoo? Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo. They have set the standard for many types of animal enclosures.

[AuntiepoppyCock]

Had they left them in their natural habitat there would be no need to euthanize them. Now their use to eating human food and laying around in a cramped environmen­t... the zoo!

[Cacaoatl]

Actually, if they were left in their natural habitats they would face poachers and habitat degradation.

[BBCup]

Sadly, quite a few of these animals will end up in laboratories or canned hunt facilities. Euthanasia is a kindness next to being tortured. It's quite telling about our society that this is the end they may come to.

[peacekitten]

there is less than no reason why something like this, which is utilized by working people who less and less can afford to vacation, should be on the ch0pping block. there are lives involved, rare and precious lives that it is a PRIVILEGE to be able to care for, not a burden.

i wish the legislature every success in overriding this exercise in stvpidity.

[GardenerNorCal]

"The Franklin Park Zoo was operated by city and state agencies until 1991, when a nonprofit, private corporation was founded to oversee it. "

I'd like to know what the percentage of this non-profit's budget is spent on administration?

"The Franklin Park Zoo, which was founded in 1913, has faced closure numerous times in the past because of a lack of funding, most recently in 2002 when House lawmakers cut its funding from $6 million to $3.5 million."

Why can't they do what they did in 2002 to keep operating? This shortfall is very similar.

[LeftLeanWing]

I lived in boston for 16 years.... and the Franklin Park Zoo looked so pitfull from the outside..I didn't think it was actually opened

I left in 89 so evidently I missed it's Heyday....

[Sensiblebg]

Its a trade off people.. Either more services for animals or more services for people - pick one..

[live]

bull. we are animals. i dont want to live on a planet without them. More to the point i dont think humans CAN exist without them.

we are paying for two wars of choice. i guess all we can afford to do is kill people.
two trillion for banks so they can have gold toilets.

we stink

[Sensiblebg]

So go live with the animals since they are so much more civilized.­.

[HelloooCanada]

close it and place every animal in it into a better environment. the franklin park zoo, like too many zoos, i fear, is a travesty.

the one time i went to it, i came away deeply depressed after seeing the living conditions of many of the animals.

to me, the only legitimate reasons to have zoos anymore are to rehab animals or to provide safe living environments for animals that can not live in the wild, for whatever reason. the old argument that zoos are invaluable educational tools doesn't resonate with me any more.

reading the story of the running of the bulls, i remembered one of my favorite quotes: "the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" (ghandi)

[peacekitten]

i'd rather these beautiful animals didn't need to live in zoos, but for some, it is their only chance for survival because of us.

some places, like san diego's zoo, are amazing and well run.

and yes, gandhi was absolutely right.

we've got a lot of work to do.

[dutchman]

Hey there PK - I agree that zoos can be a very powerful source of good for many endangered animals, but the Stone Zoo isn't one of them. It's never been as good as the New England Aquarium, for example. The facilities are decrepit and it's hard to think that the animals are happy there.

I say send them to Omaha's amazing Henry Doorly Zoo or to San Diego.

[Freesia2]

I can't get the link to open so they may mention this.

But why don't they do a fundraiser? Online. Everyone who reads who is inclined could donate a few dollars. Or even do what some shelters/s­anctuaries do and allow people to sponsor an individual animal. (Or several people for one animal). $10 bucks a month, or $5, to help sponsor someone. It makes great gifts to give in someone's name or just because you happen to want to be a lifeline for an animal you're fond of or in appreciation to the workers who are trying to keep them alive. I bet they'd get more support than they realize.

[iworshipthedoggod]

i would much much rather just euthanize some people because there is no place for them,makes more sense.

[peacekitten]

agreed.

[dutchman]

There are several spots in Africa where this is happening right now.

Sigh.

[RaWen]

Great, so you imprison these guys and, when you realize, "oh crap! Maybe we can't take care of all of them", the logical answer is to euthanize? Jeez...

[Zoidie]

Exactly... a horrifying philosophy, a continuation of the morale that considers all "non-human" entities utilitarian. Disgusting.