Our fundraising efforts are for specific capital projects implemented by Capron Park Zoo to improve and enhance the overall visitor experience. The Zoo itself is municipally owned and operated by the City of Attleboro and is responsible for commissioning and overseeing the projects we help support.
In the past five years, the Friends have donated close to $200,000 to assist with projects like the Lemur Island and Boardwalk exhibit area, the Splashpad Playspace, acquisition of the White Lion, and a wide variety of other smaller projects.
Our goal in the area of conservation is to generate awareness of world and wildlife ecology, promoting various causes amongst families that visit Capron Park Zoo. Each year we select and support a worthwhile global conservation effort. In 2009, we sent $1,200 to the Madagascar Fauna Group to support lemur protection programs in Madagascar. In 2010, we chose to support the Lion Tamarin Conservation Fund of Brazil.
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The Zoo first opened in 1937, when the initial funding was secured via a 'penny drive' amongst local school children. Through the years the Zoo has been renovated multiple times, with the last major renovation taking place in 1988. Capron Park Zoo is currently an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and participates in the Species Survival Plan (SSP). The Zoo houses a selection of endangered or threatened species, including Sloth Bears, several lemur species, Snow Leopards and Visayan Warty Pigs. Education is an important part of the conservation aspect of the zoos overall mission. It offers a variety of learning options, including summer experiences, onsite classes and outreach programs. These programs serve to further the zoo's goal of environmental awareness and species preservation around the world. |