Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Community support has been strong for Capron Park Zoo since Attleboro's mayor announced she would keep it open after initially saying it would close.
Zoo vet Dr. Bekah Weatherington says the first thing she felt when the mayor announced the city would close the zoo is fear.
"There was a lot of fear for, of course, ourselves and our own positions, but also the animals here in the zoo and what would happen to them."
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Mayor Cathleen DeSimone reversed course after announcing the plans to transform the zoo into a nature reserve and wildlife rehab center. The proposal, entitled "Reimagining Capron Zoo Park," was created to help the city address a $2.5 million budget deficit. While the mayor noted that the city is using cash allocated for other expenses in order to keep the zoo open, Weatherington says the community has been doing its part to keep the zoo open.
"They just started flooding in the doors. We saw a lot of support on social media in every which way you could imagine."
In the past few weeks alone, the zoo has brought in more than $70,000 in entrance fees, memberships, education programs, and gift shop sales. The zoo will be funded through the 2027 fiscal year while the city researches ways to make the zoo financially stable.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.