ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - A big change is coming to Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro. The city announced plans to transform it into a nature reserve and wildlife rehab center.
Mayor Cathleen Desimone said it’s been too expensive to maintain.
“The zoo’s been an important part of the city but we have to address the issue, and I’m trying to do it so we keep the Capron Park Zoo as a very special place that it is and was, and I think it will continue to be,” Desimone said. “It’ll be different but it will be equally special.”
Desimone points to millions in needed repairs, declining attendance, and rising costs as reasons for the change.
The plan is to keep the space open and free, but gradually phase out traditional animal exhibits.
“The goal is to get to a place you don’t have those personnel costs,” Desimone said. “You have one time costs and maintenance costs which will be greatly reduced overtime. This is a long time, it’s a process to get to a better place that’s more sustainable.”
The city said the transformation will take years with the zoo operating as usual through next season before the changes begin.
Officials also say animals will be relocated to accredited facilities while the space is reimagined for future generations. But some in the community say it feels like losing a local staple.
“Closing the zoo is going to be disasterous to the city of Attleboro,” Jack Lank said, President of the United Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Great place for events, they have many events that are held there that bring the community in. There are events that people can’t even get tickets to because they’re sold out. It’s going to be a shame if she allows this to happen.”
Many small business owners nearby are worried about what happens next. They say fewer visitors could mean less business especially during the busy seasons.
“Frankly, we’ve let the animals down,” Nicholas Lavoie said, a local business owner. “We’ve let hardworking employees, hardworking volunteers down.”
The city plans to establish a transition team in July.
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