12-23-16

Alexandra Kielty

A trip to the zoo can seem like a juvenile idea to anybody over the age of ten; however, my recent trip to Southwick’s Zoo opened my eyes to the enjoyment of a zoo. My boyfriend and I decided that we needed to go somewhere new and exciting. He knows I love animals so we made the hour long ride to Mendon; upon arrival a hundred cars were already parked in rows beside the entrance. The Southwick Zoo is the largest zoo in New England and it houses over three hundred species of animals. There are other zoos in Massachusetts that have larger animal species that Southwick does not have, it still had many animals I have not seen before. The exhibits were spacious and the animals seemed relaxed and happy despite the growing crowd around them. Kids surrounded the exhibits and their smiles on their faces made me laugh. The little kids favorite exhibit had to be the petting zoo that included pigmy goats, regular goats, pigs, and turkeys. The baby animals made all the young children excited and they loved that they got to pet and interact with animals. The highlight of our trip was the deer forest. Upon entering we put fifty cents into a gum-ball machine but instead of a gum-ball we now had a handful of corn to feed the deer. The deer were friendly and walked straight up to people without hesitation. Josh and I took pictures and videos with the deer and we loved being able to come so close to such beautiful animals. As our adventure came to a close we decided to go on the skyfari ride that takes visitors up into the air over all of the enclosures at the zoo. The ride was a great way to see the animals from a new point of view. The ride also allowed for us to cool off in the shade of the trees and give us a soft breeze. I am afraid of heights but I definitely enjoyed seeing the entire zoo from above. The zoo looked enormous from above and it was the perfect way to cap off the day. Many people think zoos are horrible creations and that animals are meant to live in the wild. I love animals and feel that their lives are better if they live them in nature where they were meant to be; however, if an animal is rescued and can not be released into the wild I think zoos are great places for them to end up. At Southwick the animals seemed happy and well taken care of. They did not seem cramped in their enclosures and the staff seemed to truly care about their well being. I would recommend visiting the Southwick zoo as a fun summer date for people of all ages. The cost is relatively cheap and I could spend hours looking at all of the animals. The zoo even has food and a gift shop for people to visit. If anyone is ever bored check out the Southwick zoo.