Zoo May Close, Euthanize Animals {Boston}

[eppur_se_muova]

Source: WCVB-TV (ABC affiliate)

BOSTON -- The Franklin Park Zoo, the only Boston institution of its kind, may be forced to close and euthanize some of its animals, zoo officials said Friday.

Without more state funding, zoo officials said that they will run out of money within months and have to close both Franklin Park and the Stone Zoo in Stoneham.

The zoos would be forced to lay off most of their 165 employees and attempt to find new homes for more than 1,000 animals.

Zoo officials estimated 20 percent of the animals would not find homes and could be euthanized.

Read more: http://www.thebostonchannel.com/money/20021259/detail.html

---

The zoo is funded by private donations as well as state money, but the state budget cuts are largely responsible for the sudden shortfall.

[DCBob]

1. This is just the beginning of the deterioration of society.

Animals first -- the weak, elderly and handicapped may be next.

[eppur_se_muova]

13. Yes, I'm half-expecting to see similar announcements regarding nursing homes ...

maybe starting in CA.

[DCBob]

25. What happens in CA will be a precursor to what happens in the US in general.

So far they have just been kicking the can down the road. As some point shit is going to hit the fan and it likely will not be pretty.

[KamaAina]

36. Dubai needs to start a great big honkin' indoor air-conditioned zoo

and take 'em all.

As if. :eyes:

[Deja Q]

37. People were saying the same thing when circuses were going under thanks to television

And if it's the end of society, thanks for letting it happen.

[DCBob]

42. Well, this time it is not due to technological advancements...

it is more sinister than that.

[JayMusgrove]

2. I wonder if other Zoo's and shelters can take some of these

Mass has a big budget problem, and probably cannot support two metropolitan zoos around Boston, (no other public zoo's in Mass).

There are a couple of private zoo's in Mass, there are zoos in other states close by, (NY, PA), so maybe these animals can be saved.

Just wishing, on my part.

[tekisui]

4. I sounds like they have placed all the animals they can.

:-(

[northernlights]

40. no it doesn't -- more like this is the 1st announcement of problems

It said they *may* have to close and in that case they *would* have to find homes for 1,000+ animals and they *may not* be able to find homes for up to 20% of them and that *if* the state won't maintain the closed zoos *then* they would have to euthanize them.

This reads like it's the 1st public announcement. So there is time to take action and find them some money. They're only 4.5M short -- chicken feed to the uber-wealthy.

[Gormy Cuss]

46. They're definitely doing this to drum up donations.

The threat to close down zoos is the tipoff to me. Stone Zoo is small and flourished when surburbanites were afraid to go to Franklin Park --the park was a favorite body dumping ground and the surrounding neighborhood was pretty iffy for a while, and the zoo was so antiquated it was an embarrassment.

When Franklin Park zoo was modernized and the surrounding park made safer again there was some call to close Stone Zoo but by that time it had become an institution. If the zoos are in a financial crunch I can't believe that they couldn't keep ONE of the two open.

[No Elephants]

21. According to the article, both the Boston and the Stoneham zoos may close.

[tekisui]

3. America is falling. So sad.

[Mari333]

5. I hate zoos but my god

keep trying to place the little fellows!!
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." - Mahatma Gandhi

[peequod]

26. Here, here. I'm glad to see zoos go, but not like this.

I wonder if these zoos are really trying hard enough to place these innocent creatures.

[bread_and_roses]

33. Second that (n/t)

[Deja Q]

38. Excellent quote to stand the test of time with.

Pity it excludes people...

[InvisibleTouch]

6. I've passed this along to a friend who may be able to take some of them...

...or point others to people/facilities who can give them a good home.

[ensho]

7. this is awful - but a lot of people could care less about animals

nt

[JerseygirlCT]

8. Seriously, non-profits really need to make long-range plans

by which they could continue to exist without gov't funding. It's just going to keep happening. Learning to depend on that money is very, very dangerous.

[Mrs. Overall]

9. Euthanizing zoo animals due to lack of money? Very, very sad.

I hope this isn't a new trend.

[HughMoran]

10. Noo!!

This makes me sick - I hope they're just doing this to attract attention as priorities get messed up sometimes in down times.

[Maine-ah]

11. omg, this makes me so sad!

we went to these zoos when I was kid. I was hoping to take my own daughter when she was old enough.

[WriteDown]

12. There are A LOT of rich people in Boston and the surrounding

area. Can't someone make a large donation???!?!?!??!!?

[No Elephants]

22. Many probably do donate all the time. This story may be the first a lot of people are hearing

about the extremity of the situation. Still, it takes gobs of money daily to run two zoos. To get that much income from a donation--the donation would have to be monumental, not just large. Most likely, no single one time donation is not going to do the job. More likely many eople would have to commit to large monthly donations. Very difficut to get those kinds of commitments, especially when people's portfolios AND real estate holdings are iffy. And, commitments like that are not necessarily enforceable, anyway, if the donor decides to stop paying.

[WriteDown]

27. You may be right that people are hearing about this for the

first time. But there are people who can help. http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2006/03/06/daily55.html

[zonkers]

14. You don't become the custodian for a living thing and then kill it.

[eppur_se_muova]

15. That would be very hard on the employees.

I wouldn't be surprised to see some take-home adoptions, approved or otherwise.

[No Elephants]

23. And the alternative would be? Out of money is out of money. And these are not house pets.

[Odin2005]

30. As another poster said, first non-human animals, then disabled and elderly humans.

Realize the slippery-slope potential of your post.

[zonkers]

41. I am not sure. This is just awful.

[slackmaster]

16. I'll take one

I don't care what kind.

[eppur_se_muova]

17. You get an elephant -- they're very unpopular right now, for some reason. nt

:evilgrin:

[slackmaster]

20. Great, maybe it can take care of my goddamned out of control lantana bush

:hi:

[comtec]

24. Dips on zebras!

or tapirs
or any domesticated kinda, medium cat like a lynx LOL :)

[a la izquierda]

32. I'll take anything that will put my...

maniac dog in his place.

[Deja Q]

39. I want my pony! DIBS ON THE PONY! IT'S MINE!! MINE MINE MINE!

[EndersDame]

51. The Meerkats can stay at my Manor

;)

[progressoid]

18. ...

There's a sick joke somewhere in here about MJ and neverland ranch.

:hide:

[dflprincess]

58. This is the only sick joke I could think of

Though I really don't see much humor in the situation. I was at the Minnesota Zoo Saturday and while the animals and their enclosures look good there's a few signs of things that aren't being kept up (peeling paint here & there, stuff like that). I imagine if the Boston Zoos do close they'll be able to find homes for the endangered species, it's the ones that aren't on the endangered list that might be at risk there.

BTW the Minnesota Zoo has a neat ocean life exhibit called "Discovery Bay: United Healthcare Marine Education Center". Well, I suppose there's worse things UHG could have spent its profits on - like paying claims.

http://www.mnzoo.org/animals/animals_discoveryBay.asp

[undeterred]

19. Maybe the AIG execs will contribute their bonus money

to keep it open.

NOT.

[JayMusgrove]

28. This is going to be big news in Mass by Monday.. I predict

Cutting public funding for the two public zoos is going to spark a real call for other folks to give up their lavish pensions from state service, the entrenched thousands of state employees who saw little or no layoffs, etc.

Cuts to state colleges and universities have been put in place already, but no pensions for state legislators have been cut.

[Odin2005]

29. So how long before they euthanize us disabled poeple using the same reasoning?

:puke:

[slackmaster]

31. Hey, if it's only 20% of them what's the problem?

The other 80% just just got lucky.

[KamaAina]

35. A couple of years ago

in the Netherlands. Seriesly. :scared:

[Odin2005]

47. WHAAA!!!???

:scared:

[KamaAina]

49. A-yup. Kids with disabilities in particular are on the hit list.

More tomorrow. :(

[ret5hd]

52. Link?

[KamaAina]

53. Tomorrow (dial-up here)

you've just gotta trust me on this.

[katkat]

34. send them some money

Really, I see a lot of concern expressed for the animals here, how about everyone sending them $25 or something. Talk is cheap.

[DCBob]

43. Yeah, I agree. We should turn on the Obama cash machine...

and save the critters... seriously.

[dd20045]

44. how bout we overhaul health care

then we can worry about the zoos from the obama administration. on a personal note ive meen a member to the san diego zoos and wild animal park for almost 10 years, and if that were to close down i think i might cry as i visit almost 10 times a year

[DCBob]

45. Maybe we can two things at the same time..

:)

[Ian David]

48. My daughter went to summer camp at Franklin Park Zoo last year.

She's very upset by this.

She's going to call the governor on Monday.

[EndersDame]

50. I wish I had lots of land and money at times like these

If i had a lot of land I would use a good portion as a sanctuary/rescue for these and other animals

[Eugene]

54. DeLeo: Lawmakers to restore zoo cuts (Boston Globe)

Source: Boston Globe

DeLeo: Lawmakers to restore zoo cuts

July 13, 2009 01:28 PM

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo said today that House lawmakers plan to restore funding for Zoo New England, which could stave off the closure of two zoos in Greater Boston.

“With the amount of calls that I’ve gotten from the membership, I dare say that this is one of those items that I think will be overridden,” he said at a State House press conference.

Minutes before DeLeo spoke, Governor Deval Patrick, who has taken heat for reducing a state subsidy for the zoos in this year's budget, lashed out at zoo officials for suggesting last week that the facilities may have to close and that some animals may have to be euthanized.

“I do think that the public needs to know that the claim that animals in the zoo are going to be euthanized was false,” Patrick said. “And I think, frankly, the zoo is going to have to take some responsibility for that.”

-snip-

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/07/deleo_lawmakers.html

[eppur_se_muova]

55. Thanks for posting that! The announcement did seem planned ...

to provoke a response. Hope they didn't go too far.

[Tanuki]

56. That's good, but I'd still be happy to take in all of the ring tail lemurs

if they don't want them, and I guess I could let the otters hang out in my bathtub when I'm not using it.....

;-)

[fascisthunter]

57. I Can't Imagine the Franklin Park Zoo Closing

Went there as a kid and plan on going back very soon.

[Lorien]

60. The greater point here is that public outcry got them to change their actions

we could learn something from this (for all of those that say "calling and letter writing has no effect".)

[No Elephants]

59. It was a LIE, folks. Zoo officials lied to put pressure on legislators.

In fact, never in our history have animals been euthanized by a zoo, except in situations like those in which you might euthanize your own pet. And apparently, it worked because the legislators increased funding.



"Zoo New England offered a revised statement after public outcry erupted over the first, saying there are "no plans for the Zoo to euthanize any animals in the collection as a result of the budget cuts." In the revised statement, it laid the blame for any future euthanizations of zoo animals squarely on the shoulders of Massachusetts politicians, who would control the zoos if they were forced to close."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/07/franklin-park-zoo-boston-wont-kill-animals.html