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Southwick's Zoo
Southwicks Zoo -sign-2Sept2007.jpg
Sign within Southwick's Zoo
Date opened 1963
Location Mendon, Massachusetts, United States
Land area 300 acres (120 ha)
Coordinates 42°03′53″N 71°35′05″W / 42.064643°N 71.5848541°W / 42.064643; -71.5848541
No. of animals ~500
No. of species 100+

Southwick's Zoo is a large, privately owned zoo in Mendon, Massachusetts, USA. It covers 300-acre (120 ha) and opened in 1963. This zoo is still run by the same family today. It's a great place to see many different animals and learn about wildlife.

Discovering Southwick's Zoo: A Look at Its History

Southwick's Zoo started as a dairy farm way back in 1803. In the 1930s, Justin F. Southwick began collecting unusual birds. His son, Justin A. Southwick, loved birds just as much. He became an expert on birds that travel long distances, called migratory waterfowl.

In 1953, the family sold their dairy cows to focus only on birds. By 1956, they had so many birds that they put out a donation box. This helped them buy even more birds for their growing collection.

How the Zoo Began

The Southwick family officially opened the zoo in 1963. After a few years, the family created two companies to manage the animals. Different family members helped run the zoo over the years. In 1977, the Brewer family, also part of the Southwick family, took over. They helped the zoo grow and improve.

Exciting Changes and New Attractions

Over the last 20 years, Southwick's Zoo has changed a lot. Many animal homes have been made larger and more natural. This includes new habitats for chimpanzees, lions, tigers, and giraffes. The zoo now covers over 250 acres and has more than 750 animals. It is the biggest zoo experience in New England!

In 2008, the zoo added the Skyfari Skyride. This is a unique chair lift ride that takes you high above the zoo. It's the only one of its kind in North America. The Woodland Train ride also takes visitors through wetlands and the Elk Forest. The zoo also offers fun and educational shows, like bird shows and Earth Educational presentations.

Interactive Fun at the Zoo

In 2012, the Elkhorn Mining Company opened. Here, you can walk into a mine and try panning for gold, gems, and fossils. Right next to it are the Elkhorn Livery Stables, where you can enjoy pony rides.

The Parakeet Aviary is a special place where you can walk among free-flying parakeets. You can even feed them! For younger kids, there are six mechanical rides, a park, and a petting zoo. At the petting zoo, you can meet African pygmy goats and sheep.

Southwick's Zoo also offers special encounters with giraffes and rhinoceroses. The money from rhino encounters helps the International Rhino Foundation. This group works to protect rhinos in the wild. The zoo does not have elephants on display anymore.

The zoo is open from mid-April through October. The Purple Peacock Gift Shop is open even longer, from mid-April to December. You can visit the gift shop without buying a zoo ticket.

Exploring Animal Exhibits

Southwick's Zoo has many different animal exhibits. Each one is designed to give you a close look at amazing creatures.

North American Exhibit: Discovering Local Wildlife

This exhibit is home to North American elk and wild turkey. The Woodland Express Train ride goes through this area. This 12-minute ride lets you see the elk up close. You can also spot other local animals in the surrounding wetlands.

Deer Forest: Walk Among the Deer

The Deer Forest is a 35-acre (14 ha) area where you can walk right through. You can get close to and even feed fallow deer. Keep an eye out for native wildlife like turtles, hawks, and wild turkeys too!

Birds: A Feathered Wonderland

Birds have always been important at Southwick's Zoo. The zoo started with a focus on migratory waterfowl. You can find birds in many exhibits, including the Earth Discovery Center and Parakeet Landing.

Parakeet Landing: Feed the Birds

Parakeet Landing is a walk-through aviary. Here, you can get very close to parakeets and cockatiels. You can even feed them! Other birds at the zoo include colorful macaws, cockatoos, conures, eclectus parrots, ostriches, African crowned cranes, flamingos, and kookaburras. The zoo also has live educational shows about birds. These shows teach you about training, enrichment, and how to protect birds.

EARTH Discovery Center: Learning About Animals

The EARTH Discovery Center is the main spot for EARTH Ltd. This non-profit group focuses on environmental education. The center is home to EARTH's animal ambassadors. These are animals that help teach people about wildlife. They include macaws, a bush baby, porcupines, turtles, snakes, and bearded dragons. These animals are part of educational programs at the zoo and in schools.

Big Cats: Powerful Predators

Southwick's Zoo has four exciting big cat exhibits. You can see powerful lions, majestic bengal tigers, sleek African leopards, and speedy cheetahs.

Giraffe Exhibit: Tall and Graceful

The zoo opened a new, larger giraffe exhibit in 2011. Since 2010, you can also have special giraffe encounters on weekends. This lets you get up close to these tall, graceful animals.

Primates: Our Closest Relatives

Southwick's Zoo has the largest collection of primates in New England. Primates are a group of mammals that includes monkeys, apes, and humans. You can see chimpanzees, white-handed gibbons, siamangs, mandrills, and many types of monkeys and lemurs. Southwick's Zoo is the only zoo in New England with a chimpanzee exhibit.

More Fun Attractions

Southwick's Zoo has over 115 different species of animals. Beyond the main exhibits, there are many other cool creatures to see. These include capybaras, two-toed sloths, Brazilian tapirs, white rhinos, and an American alligator.

Rides and Play Areas

Besides the animals, the zoo offers a petting zoo, pony rides, and camel rides. There's also a play area for children. Its play structures are made from recycled materials.

Skyfari Sky Ride: A View from Above

The Skyfari Sky Ride opened in 2008. This ride takes you over a big part of the zoo in a triangular path. It's a 15-minute ride on a two-seat chair lift. From above, you can see animals like alligators, watusi cattle, camels, chimpanzees, mandrills, and fallow deer.

Woodland Express Train: Ride Through Nature

Another fun ride is the Woodland Express Train. This train goes through the North American Exhibit. It gives you a closer look at the zoo's elk. The train also passes through native wetlands. Riders often see local animals like herons, snakes, turtles, and waterfowl. This ride lasts about 12 minutes.

EARTH Limited: Education and Conservation

Southwick's Zoo is also home to the Earth Discovery Center and E.A.R.T.H Limited. E.A.R.T.H stands for Environmental Awareness of Resources and Threatened Habitats. This group is a non-profit organization. It focuses on teaching people about protecting the environment and animals.

New Animals and Experiences

The zoo is always adding new things! In 2013, a much larger prairie dog exhibit opened. You can see it from the Woodland Express Train Station. Scimitar-horned oryx were added to the Savannah Exhibit. There's also a two-toed sloth exhibit near the chimpanzees.

In 2014, new animals included cotton-top tamarins and Wolf's guenons. A new cheetah exhibit also opened in June 2013. In 2015, vicunas joined the zoo family.

Rhino Encounters: Helping Conservation

In 2014, EARTH Ltd. and Southwick's Zoo started offering Rhinoceros Encounters. These special encounters help teach people about the serious problem of rhino poaching. They also give you a chance to get close to and even touch the zoo's two white rhinos, Thelma and Louise.

In 2016, the zoo opened a new building for reptiles and insects. Over 20 species now live there. Also in 2016, Red river hogs and brand new Bird Shows debuted. Every July, the zoo celebrates Zoobabies Day. This day highlights all the new baby animals born at the zoo that year. In 2017, a new restaurant and event building opened for visitors.

Amazing Animals at Southwick's Zoo

Here's a list of some of the many animals you can find at Southwick's Zoo!

Parakeet Landing Animals

EARTH Discovery Center Animals

Reptiles & Insects Building Animals

Other Animals You Can See

Education at Southwick's Zoo

EARTH Ltd. provides many educational programs at Southwick's Zoo. They give live animal presentations at the EARTH Discovery Center. These talks cover topics like ecology (how living things interact with their environment) and adaptations (how animals change to fit their surroundings).

EARTH also offers ZooMobiles. This program sends an educator and about 8 animals to schools, libraries, or other places. They perform an educational presentation there. EARTH also runs Wild Adventure spring and summer programs for kids in kindergarten through 8th grade. The interns and volunteers who work at the zoo are also trained by this non-profit group.

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