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"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world: indeed it's the only thing that ever has!"
Margaret Meade
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Hours and Information
Buttonwood Park Zoo is open every day (except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day) from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (gates close at 4:30 pm).
Admission Fees:
Adult: $6
Senior: $4.50
Teen: $4.50
Child 3-12 yrs: $3.00
Child under 3: Free
Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more with advance registration. Call (508) 991-6178 for more information.
Free parking.
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November is a great time to visit the zoo!
In a November visit to Buttonwood Park Zoo you might just catch a glimpse of a frolicking bison (yes, they frolic!), discover our white-tailed deer have grown their winter coats, or notice many of the animals preparing for winter by eating a bit more than usual.
Look below for fun turkey crafts, how to "Build your Wild Self", ways to read green with your kids and more!
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Wow!!
 The New Bedford chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) would like to thank everyone who participated in the first annual Elephant Tracks fundraiser. Your efforts raised $4,000 for wild Asian elephant conservation! Special thanks go to our sponsors and volunteers who made the event possible. With your help, next year's event will be even bigger.
Where did the money go?
$2,000 was donated to Elephant Care International for their
Elephant Tuberculosis Initiative.
Why? Elephants are susceptible to tuberculosis (TB) and are typically infected with the human strain. A 2006 study (Rothschild) identified Tuberculous lesions in 59 of 113 mastodon (Mammut americanum) skeletons-52 percent!--and implicated TB in the mastodon's extinction. While TB has only been identified in captive elephants, this startling discovery is a warning for us to act now to protect all elephants and other susceptible species.
$2,000 was donated to two projects of the
Why? Kaeng Krachan National Park is Thailand's largest national park, but there is no park Asian elephant population estimate. This project aims to assess the size and distribution of the elephants in the park, to identify threats to the elephants, and to reduce human-elephant conflict around the park
The remaining $1,000 went to a project dedicated to determining Asian elephant dietary ecology and assessing elephant habitat quality around the Seblat Elephant Conservation Center in Bengkulu Province, Sumatra.
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 Animal Poetry Contest
There's still time to enter! The deadline for submissions is November 16th, 2007.
Do you know a promising poet in 4th, 5th, or 6th grade? Are you a 4th, 5th, or 6th grade English teacher? Buttonwood Park Zoo is excited to announce the first Buttonwood Park Zoo Poetry Contest. Poems must be about an animal at Buttonwood Park Zoo and be at least 4 lines long, but the rest is up to your fourth, fifth, or sixth grader!
First, second, and third prizes will be awarded to participants in each grade level (a total of nine prizes) and include:
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1st prize: $200 savings bond
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2nd prize: $100 savings bond
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3rd prize: $50 savings bond
Winners will present their poems and receive prizes at the Annual Meeting of the Buttonwood Park Zoological Society on Tuesday, December 4, 2007. Winning poems will also be posted on the Zoo's website.
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Mark Your Calendars
The holiday season is quickly approaching. Why not plan to spend some quality time with your family at Holiday Lights at the Zoo, Milk and Cookies with Santa, or Breakfast with Santa? Visit our Save the Date page for more details!
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| Also in December: Merry TubaChristmas!
 Buttonwood Park Zoo is thrilled to host the first New Bedford performance of Merry TubaChristmas. Get into the holiday spirit like never before as you listen to your favorite Christmas carols and sing along as local tuba and euphonium players of all ages perform these specially arranged tunes. Be sure to bundle up for this outdoor performance! Our special guest conductor will be Dr. David MacKenzie, music director of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Musicians interested in participanting, please call (508) 991-6178 x 31 for more information.
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Build YOUR Wild Self
With help from former Buttonwood Park Zoo educator Tom Frankie, the Wildlife Conservation Society has created Build Your Wild Self, a website that aims to engage children and their parents in a fun and educational activity while generating excitement about visiting Zoos and Aquariums. Kids can first create a human representation of themselves and then "GO WILD" by replacing their human parts with over 80 different animal parts! The possibilities are only limited by a child's imagination. Once kids have completed their wild selves, they get fun facts about the animals they chose and can choose to save their creation as their desktop, print it out, or send it to their friends.
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| Creature Feature: Wild Turkey
 The wild turkey is a large bird native to North America. Adults have small, featherless, bluish heads, long, featherless legs, and a dark-brown body. The head is covered in fleshy growths called "caruncles", a fleshy flap on the bill engorges with blood when excited, and males have red wattles on the throat and neck. The male wild  turkey, weighing an average of 18 pounds, is substantially larger than the female. His feathers have areas of red, green, copper, bronze, and gold iridescence. Females usually weigh around eight pounds and have duller feathers in shades of brown and gray.
In early spring, male turkeys gobble and strut to announce their presence to females and competing males. Strutting males puff out their feathers, spread their tails and drag their wings. Watch a video of strutting Males are polygamous, so territories may contain as many as five hens. After mating, a hen will lay 10-14 eggs and incubate them for 28 days or more before the poults hatch. Poults are independent at hatching and leave the nest within 24 hours.
 Wild turkeys are omnivorous, foraging on the ground or in shrubs and small trees. They prefer nuts, seeds, berries, roots and insects, but are also known to occasionally eat small vertebrates such as snakes, frogs, or salamanders. Wild turkeys themselves were a very important food source for Native Americans, but were eliminated from much of their range by the early 1900s by hunting and habitat loss. Introduction programs have successfully returned the wild turkey to most of its original range and even to areas where it never occurred before.
Fascinating facts:
« Turkeys have between 5,000 and 6,000 feathers.
« Male turkeys are called gobblers or toms, females are hens, immature males are jakes, and hatchlings are called poults.
« The record-sized adult male wild turkey, according to the National Wildlife Turkey Federation, was 38 pounds.
« Wild turkeys can fly at speeds of up to 50 mph.
« Wild turkeys have many vocalizations: "gobbles," "clucks," "putts," "purrs," "yelps," "cutts," "cackles," and "kee-kees."
« At night, wild turkeys roost in trees.
« Ben Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the bald eagle, the national bird. Why?
More than likely, the turkey you will enjoy with your family this Thanksgiving will not be a wild turkey, but a domestic turkey raised on a farm. Domestic turkeys are the descendents of wild turkeys that were taken to Europe for domestication in the early 16th century. They have white-tipped tails and often weigh twice that of a wild turkey, making them too heavy to fly.
The bison pasture at Buttonwood Park Zoo is home to a flock of four male and six female wild turkeys. Clyde, a male domesticated Narragansett Turkey and Pig Pen, a female wild turkey, call the barn at Buttonwood Farm home. Our turkeys' favorite treats are dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, and frozen blueberries. Can you see the differences between our domestic turkey and the wild turkeys during your next visit to the zoo?
All about the wild turkey
Turkey crafts |
| Eco-Tip: Read Green with Children
We all do it, or have done it, or should do it. Reading together is one of the greatest ways to bond with children. Many valuable lessons can be learned during this time you and a child spend together, so take advantage of this opportunity by choosing to share books with underlying earth and animal friendly messages. A few of our favorites:
« Bears Barge In by Joni Sensel
« Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
« The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
« The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
« She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! by Kathryn Lasky
« Once there was a Tree by Natalia Romanova
« Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett
« The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer
Fun Fact: It doesn't necessarily have a creature friendly message, but of the 16,700 tons of paper used in the first printing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, 65% was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as sustainably harvested!
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 Webkinz Pet of the Month
Meet November's Webkinz Pet of the Month, the black bear, at The North Woods Gift Store. Adopt the black bear anytime during the month of November and get some super surprises at www.webkinz.com.
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Check Out Our New Website
That's right! http://www.bpzoo.org has been given a wonderful new look. Visit the site for information on programs offered at the zoo, upcoming events, special opportunities, animal information, and more.
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