The Buttonwood Park Zoo, located in New Bedford, Massachusetts is a zoo located in the center of Buttonwood Park. Opened in 1894, it is the third-oldest zoo in New England and the 12th-oldest zoo in the United States. Located on a campus, the zoo is owned and operated by the City of New Bedford, with the support of the Buttonwood Park Zoological Society. It is located on part of the Buttonwood Park Historic District, and federally-designated on the National Register of Historic Places. The zoo is home to more 250 different animals made up of more than 80 different species of animals, including many that are rare and endangered. The zoo has played a vital role in the conservation of endangered animals and is a participant in the Cape Cod Stranding Network and Species Survival Plan. History Early years The land that would be used as the site of the Buttonwood Park Zoo was purchased by the city of New Bedford in 1892. In 1894, the Buttonwood Park Zoo was opened as a way to present New Bedford as a powerful and wealthy city. At the time of the zoo's founding, cities were not seen as world-class unless they had a zoo. During the summer of its opening, the zoo consisted primarily of native animals including black bears, foxes and deer. By 1912, the zoo expanded to include monkeys, elk and bison. From 1935-1936, the Public Works Administration, as part of President Frank D. Roosevelt's New Deal, renovated the black bear den at the zoo. The back part of the stonewall, built by the PWA, in the bear den remains to this day. In the early 1960s, the zoo began to acquire exotic animals such as asian elephants, leopards, lions and wallabies. The Greater New Bedford Zoological Society was founded in 1968. The organization's first project was to raise money to build a heated building. The zoo haphazardly expanded and grew following the 1960s, but did not have comprehensive plans. New Bedford hired a number of architectural firms to develop the zoo, but the city failed to implement the plans. These challenges were accelerated by an economic recession in the 1990s. As a result, the condition of the zoo deteriorated and the zoo was facing large fines from the federal government. As part of a settlement with the federal government, the zoo agreed to close for renovations in 1995. The