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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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 Emily Wishes You A Very Happy May Day!
Spring is always an exciting time at Buttonwood Park Zoo. The flowers are blooming, the trees are budding and the zoo is the perfect place to enjoy the very special signs of spring. |
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YouTube Video Contest
Take a shot at making a zoo movie and submit it by May 23rd for a chance at great prizes! Grand Prize is a lifetime membership to the zoo and the top 5 videos will be posted on YouTube and on the zoo's website. Creativity is encouraged, but all videographers and stars are expected to follow zoo visitor guidelines. Zoo admission rates do apply. Submissions are due by 5:00 pm May 23rd. See our website, visit the zoo or call (508) 991-4556 x 19 for contest details. Download an entry form and media consent form.
All are invited to the YouTube Video Release Party on Thursday, June 12th from 7:00 - 8:00 for the premiere of all winning videos. |
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The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is highlighting 2008 as the Year of the Frog to mark a major conservation effort to address the amphibian extinction crisis. Get involved and explore the world of amphibians!
 FrogWatch USA Training
Saturday, May 3rd 10:00 AM
Frogwatch USA is a national frog and toad monitoring program managed by the National Wildlife Federation in partnership with the US Geological Survey that gives YOU the opportunity to help scientists conserve amphibians! Take part in one of our two trainings to discover what species of amphibians live in Massachusetts, learn how to identify frogs and toads by their calls and see the ways the information you collect can help scientists.
This training is free but please call (508) 991-6178 x 31 to register. |
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Pet Fest in the Park
The 9th Annual Walk for Animals and Pet Fest will be held on Sunday, May 18, in Buttonwood Park from 11:00 to 3:00 PM. The day will begin with a Dog Walk to raise money to support the efforts of the Humane Coalition for Animals, an all-volunteer group of local animal welfare organizations and advocates dedicated to making a difference in the lives of animals. Registration for the Dog Walk will take place between 11:00 and 12:00; the Dog Walk begins at 12:00 PM. Walkers with and without dogs are welcome! There will be great prizes for the most money raised in the adult, child and team categories. In the past, walkers have been successful in getting sponsors at work, from their family, and from friends and neighbors. Walkers without pets are also welcome.
After the walk the park will be filled with fun and activities, including:
« A "Doggie Fashion Show" sponsored by Doggie Boutique of New Bedford with special guest Miss Massachusetts
« Carabiner's 42' high Portable Rock Climbing Tower (please note that children under 18 need must have a Carabiner's waiver form signed by a parent and a copy of a parent's license for signature verification if the parent is not present)
« New Bedford Police K-9 Demo Team
« Rescue DEMO by Animal Rescue League of Boston
« New England Reptile Bird of Prey Show
« Information tables on rescue groups, shelters and other activities
« Music by Dave Antunes
« Refreshments and food
Sponsors include Buttonwood Park Zoo, Domino's Pizza, Petco, Carabiner's Indoor Rock Climbing Gym, Zeiterion Theatre
Mr. Cesspool Sanitation Service, Uptown Transportation, Café Funchal, Down to Earth Natural Foods for Pets and People, and Westport Rivers Vineyard and Winery.
Walk brochures and sponsor sign-up sheets are available by calling New Bedford Animal Control at 991-6366, Down to Earth 996-1995, Animal Advocates 991-7727 or by visiting Buttonwood Park Zoo. You can also directly download the brochure and sign up sheet here.
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The Art and Science of Beekeeping
Tuesday, May 20 7:00 PM
 With approximately one third of our food crops reliant on honeybees for pollination, bees have been in the news a lot lately, especially with concerns about CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder. Please join us for a lecture by Dr. J. Greer McBratney of Dartmouth. An experienced keeper of Apis mellifera or the European honeybee, Dr. McBratney has experienced the challenges and opportunities of working with these domesticated insects firsthand. Honey produced by his bees is sold locally. The lecture is free and is recommended for adults and children over the age of 12. Please RSVP at (508) 991-6178 x 31. Refreshments will be served.
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Your Mission This May
It's spring and things are changing and growing at Buttonwood Park Zoo, starting in the Aquatics Environment Center. On your next journey from the Berkshires to the Sea, can you find the answers to the questions below? We've given you a few hints.
What is a "mermaid's purse"?
 How many of these growing trout fry are currently in the Mountain Stream exhibit?
What has an exoskeleton, teeth in its stomach and senses its surroundings with antennas and tiny hairs?
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Did You See Us?
Buttonwood Park Zoo had quite the presence at April 10th's AHA! Earth Eve procession. The event featured people-powered floats created in collaboration with community partners to highlight current environmental issues. The zoo's new Roots and Shoots program chose to bring attention to sea turtle conservation while a group of UMASS students created a float to highlight the 2008 Year of the Frog, an AZA initiative to highlight the amphibian extinction crisis.
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New this Summer!
 Girls' Night Out
Saturday, August 9th to Sunday, August 10th 2008
6:30 PM to 9:00 AM
Join zoo staff for the first ever girls only overnight at Buttonwood Park Zoo! We'll enjoy a pizza and salad dinner before diving into activities, a flashlight tour of the zoo, roasting s'mores and finally falling asleep to an animal-themed animated movie. Wake up early for an easy breakfast and second tour of the zoo before heading home in time for your Sunday plans.
Boys' Night Out
Saturday, August 30th to Sunday, August 31st 2008
6:30 PM to 9:00 AM
Dads, uncles, big brothers, little brothers, join us for the first ever no girls allowed overnight at Buttonwood Park Zoo. Feast on pizza and ice cream, tour the zoo by flashlight, roast s'mores and fall asleep with a movie on. Wake up early for an easy breakfast and second tour of the zoo before heading home in time for your Sunday plans.
Costs:
Members: $80 adult/child pair, $40 each add'l participant Non-members: $90 adult/child pair, $45 each add'l participant
Participants for Girls' Night Out and Boys' Night Out must be at least 6 years old. Both programs require pre-registration and pre-payment 14 days in advance by calling 508-991-4556 x 18.
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Eco-Tip: Choose Native
As you begin or continue planning your spring and summer garden, consider landscaping with native plants. Native plants are those that have grown in the area you live prior to European settlement. They are adapted to local conditions and are easier to grow and maintain, resulting in savings in both time and money. Native plants require less fertilizer, less water and less effort in pest control. They stabilize soil and reduce erosion, effectively filter storm water and promote biodiversity by offering the food, nectar, cover and nesting areas that local birds, butterflies, bees and mammals need.
Craig Tufts, chief naturalist for the National Wildlife Federation has time and time again made a case for using native plants in landscaping. As he says: "Americans spend $27 billion a year on lawn care--10 times more than we spend on school textbooks. The average lawn requires 9,000 gallons of water per week, and 5-10 pounds of fertilizer per year, more than the entire country of India uses for its food crops. With natural landscaping many of these costs are weeded out. Best of all, these landscapes demand less routine maintenance so people can spend more time enjoying and feeling connected to the wonders of nature. Simply stated, natural landscaping is designed to work with, rather than against nature."
Get started:
Project Native
New England Wildflower Society
Visit the Zoo's Garden for the Butterflies for inspiration.
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Creature Feature: Sandhill Cranes
Occasionally while walking through the zoo or Buttonwood Park you may hear a sound that eerily resembles that of the velociraptors in  the Jurassic Park series. The originators of that sound are not dinosaurs, but sandhill cranes, tall migratory birds with a fascinating natural history.
A fossil from the Miocene Epoch, some ten million years ago, was found to be structurally identical to the modern sandhill crane, meaning that little evolution has occurred for millions of years. One of the few species of cranes that are still common, sandhill cranes are now found predominately in North  America but range south to Mexico and Cuba and as far west as Siberia. Like many retired US citizens they undertake long southern journeys each winter to Florida, Texas, Utah, Mexico and California and return as warmer weather comes to the North.
Most sandhill cranes live in freshwater wetlands. They are opportunistic eaters that forage in shallow water or fields for plants, grains, mice, snakes, insects or worms. Sandhill cranes do not breed until they are at least two, sometimes seven, years old, but will then mate for life (up to 25 years in the wild and more than twice that in captivity). Their breeding habitat is the marshes and bogs of central and northern Canada, Alaska, part of the Midwestern and southeastern US, Siberia and Cuba where pairs court one another with vocalizations known as "unison calling", dancing and leaping high in the air in a graceful courtship display. While the male generally takes responsibility for defending the nest, both parents share responsibilities of feeding their young, called "colts" that are quickly able to feed themselves.
Buttonwood Park Zoo is home to a male and a female sandhill crane. They are best viewed through large picture windows while enjoying a tasty treat in the Bear's Den Café.
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Half-Price Webkinz Special in the North Woods Gift Store
Beginning May 1, purchase any regular size Webkinz at $12.95 OR any 2 Lil' Kinz at $8.95 and you can purchase May's Pet of the Month, the Panda, for half price! Member discount will not apply to the half price item. This offer excludes previous purchases.
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 Save the Date for the WILDest Gala in the South Coast!
The Buttonwood Park Zoological Society's Annual Fundraising Gala. Call (508) 991-4556 x 10 for tickets.
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May Zoo Happenings
Every Monday 10:30 & 12:30
Toe Jam Puppet Band Creative Arts Playgroup
Cost: Zoo admission + $5/family
Come sing, dance and play the hour away with the famous Toe Jam Puppet Band in this creative arts playgroup at Buttonwood Park Zoo.
Saturday, May 3 10:00 am
Frogwatch USA Workshop
Cost: Free, but pre-registration is required at
(508) 991-6178 x 31
Join Buttonwood Park Zoo in an effort to conserve local frog species by contributing to a national frog census. Start with learning to identify different frogs based on the sounds they make in this Saturday workshop. Recommended for adults and children age 6 and up.
Saturday, May 3 1:00 - 4:00
Spring on the Farm
Cost: Free with zoo admission
The sun is up, the soil is warm and it's time to get busy. Visit Buttonwood Farm at the Zoo to plant seeds, visit the animals, and learn about life on the farm. Learn how to weave on the community loom and make a farm craft to take home.
Saturday, May 10 1:00 pm
Build-a-Birdhouse Workshop
Cost: Zoo Members: $10/child
Nonmembers: $20/child
Create a beautiful wooden birdhouse just in time for the returning spring migrants in this adult-and-child workshop. One birdhouse kit is included in the program fee. Additional kits will be available for purchase the day of the workshop at the price of $6 each. This workshop is recommended for children age 5 and older. An adult should accompany each child. There is no charge for adults to attend the workshop. Pre-registration and pre-payment is required. Please contact the North Woods Gift Store at (508) 991-4556 x 14.
Sunday, May 11
Mother's Day at the Zoo
Cost: Mothers free with a paying child
Enjoy a beautiful Sunday at Buttonwood Park Zoo with mom. Brush up on your maternal vocabulary and play "What Would Your Mother Say?" a zoo-wide search for the names of mothers in the animal world. Show your completed sheet at the admission desk for a small reward.
Tuesday, May 20 7:00 pm
Creatures Great and Small spring lecture series at the Buttonwood Park Zoo
The Art and Science of Beekeeping
With approximately one third of our food crops reliant on honeybees for pollination, bees have been in the news a lot lately, especially with concerns about CCD or Colony Collapse Disorder. Please join us for a lecture by Dr. J. Greer McBratney of Dartmouth. An experienced keeper of Apis mellifera or the European honeybee, Dr. McBratney has experienced the challenges and opportunities of working with these domesticated insects firsthand. Honey produced by his bees is sold locally. The lecture is free and is recommended for adults and children over the age of 12. Please RSVP at (508) 991-6178 x 31. Refreshments will be served.
Saturday, May 17 1:00 - 4:00
Bear Awareness Day
Cost: Free with zoo admission
Bears, bears everywhere! Learn about the black bears at Buttonwood Park Zoo and their relatives during Bear Awareness Day. Go on a "bear hunt" to find all the bears at the zoo. Create a bear craft to take home. Fun for the whole family!
Saturday, May 24 through Monday, May 26
Military Service Appreciation Weekend
Memorial Day Weekend all active duty, retired and reserve military personnel and their dependants who show proof of service will be honored with free admission to Buttonwood Park Zoo.
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Contact Info
Buttonwood Park Zoological Society
(508) 991-4556
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