New Bedford Zoo Opens Animal Ambassador Center With Foxes and More

The Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford has officially welcomed a new group of animal residents this week with the opening of its Animal Ambassador Center.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Mayor Jon Mitchell joined zoo staff to introduce Finn and Fern, two young red fox siblings making their public debut. The foxes, less than a year old, were among 300 animals rescued from a farm near Cleveland, Ohio, earlier this year.

Meet Finn and Fern the Red Foxes

Finn and Fern are part of a dozen new animals housed in the state-of-the-art facility, including poison dart frogs, a green aracari bird, and a skink. The center was designed to enhance the zoo’s Animal Ambassador Program, which sends rescued and rehabilitated animals to schools, libraries, and community events to give children and adults hands-on learning experiences.

“This new facility offers learning experiences that cannot be replicated in a classroom, much less on an iPhone,” Mayor Mitchell said.

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A Closer Look at the Animal Ambassador Program

Zoo Director Shara Rapoza added that the team has been “buzzing about this day all year” and is excited to bring visitors behind the scenes of one of the zoo’s most popular programs.

The $2.7 million project was funded by a mix of public and private contributions, including $250,000 from BayCoast Bank. Environmentally friendly upgrades, such as a new electric heating and cooling system and stormwater runoff infrastructure, were also part of the renovation.

The Animal Ambassador Center officially opens to the public Saturday, October 4, at 9:30 a.m.

For details, visit bpzoo.org.