Buttonwood Park Zoo Is Making Plans To Include Rhinos

Major changes coming to the Buttonwood Park Zoo.

Zoo director Keith Lovett announced on the Rock and Fox Show this morning that the Buttonwood Park Zoo is going to be focusing on some endangered and threatened species...shifting the focus away from some of the animals that are native to New England.  Some of the new animals expected to join the zoo are jaguars, tigers, spider monkeys, leopards, and endangered Indian rhinos.

Lovett told us that the changes are part of the zoo's master plan. The cost is about $22-$25 million from private and public funds. The renovations will be made in three 5 year phases...with work scheduled to begin as soon as this fall.

"Animals like horses, pigs and cattle can be seen at many other local locations," Lovett said.  "Caring for endangered or threatened species is a much more specialized job that the Buttonwood Park is equipped to do."

Lovett confirmed to us that once the elephants pass away, no other elephants will be housed at the zoo.  That space will be used as an Indian rhino exhibit.  These rhinos are rare...there are only 3,000 left in the world...because of a desire for their horns.

Lovett stressed that the native animals will still outnumber the other animals that will  be brought in from around the world.

Additional reporting by Michaela Bottino