An animal lover’s guide to
the Hub
by Josh B. Wardrop
When you see a squirrel run through your yard, can you rattle off its kingdom, subkingdom, phylum and subphylum? Do you know Jeff Corwin’s favorite food and Cesar Millan’s astrological sign? When you meet a new person, is your instinct not to shake their hand, but sniff it? If any of these (or, heaven help you, all of them) apply, then you’re officially an animal lover. And if you are, then you’ll feel right at home in Boston, a bustling metropolis that nonetheless offers plenty of opportunities to see live animals of all denominations. Whether you want to come face to face with a gorilla or giraffe, or just find the perfect place where your dog can mingle with other pooches, Boston is a veritable urban jungle.
It’s All Happening at the Zoo Lovers of all things furry and feathered will want to start their exploration of Wild Boston at the Franklin Park Zoo (refer to wildlife listing). Established in 1912, the zoo is located in the heart of picturesque Franklin Park—part of the Emerald Necklace park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. This 72-acre site in the heart of the city is home to all variety of exotic animals, including tigers, zebras, Masai giraffes and the king of the jungle himself, Christopher, an African lion. One of the zoo’s prime attractions is its Tropical Forest, home to its collection of western lowland gorillas and their recently renovated, state-of-the-art habitat. Add in the kangaroos and emus of Outback Trail, the ostriches and wildebeest of the Serengeti Crossing and the amazing Bird’s World aviary, and you’ve got a family-friendly spot that gets you up close to some of the most amazing animals this planet has to offer.
The Franklin Park Zoo’s sister institution, the Stone Zoo (refer to wildlife listing) in nearby suburban Stoneham, is a smaller 26-acre zoo that boasts an entirely different set of wondrous wildlife. Visitors can check out reindeer, meerkats, otters, Mexican gray wolves, flamingos and impressive big cats like cougars, snow leopards and jaguars—including the newest member of the family, a female jaguar cub born on May 31. Stone Zoo’s highest-profile arrivals of 2008, though, have to be Smoky and Bubba, a pair of adolescent black bears who arrived from Tennessee this spring.
Something Fishy
When it comes to animal kingdom
adoration, fish and aquatic mammals are
people, too (well, not really, but you get
the idea). That’s why a trip to the New
England Aquarium (refer to
wildlife
listing) is a must for anyone who
delights in discovering the denizens of the
deep blue sea. A premiere visitor attraction
since 1969, the Aquarium boasts a vast
collection of aquatic birds, mammals,
crustaceans and fish—many of which live in
the Aquarium’s central exhibit, the
four-story-tall, 200,000 gallon Giant Ocean
Tank, which is home to sharks, sea turtles,
moray eels, barracuda and more. The Aquarium
also boasts a collection of 75 African,
rockhopper and blue penguins; a collection
of adorable Atlantic harbor seals, who greet
visitors before they come through the gates;
and a new exhibit, a shark and ray touch
tank which opened this summer, giving people
the ability to actually reach out and make
contact with small sharks and a variety of
sleek and graceful rays.
Animals on Exhibit
Museums, for all their wondrous
artifacts and historical treasures, aren’t
always considered the most lively places.
But if you think the only examples of animal
life you can find in a museum are
million-year-old fossilized animal skeletons
or stuffed wooly mammoth replicas, you’re
wrong. Several Boston-area museums offer
opportunities to see an array of decidedly
un-stuffed, live and kicking animals in the
flesh (or feathers, or scales).
The Museum of Science (refer to museum listing) is home to close to 120 animals representing more than 50 species—ranging from amphibians like poison dart frogs and toads, to reptiles like boa constrictors and alligators, to small mammals like ferrets, meerkats, woodchucks and even tamarin monkeys—who reside in the Live Animal Center on the lower level of the museum’s Red Wing. The museum hosts live animal presentations several times a day, educating visitors about different animals and how they survive and thrive in different environments. In addition, the museum boasts a Butterfly Garden conservatory, overlooking the Charles River. Guests can admire the varied beauty of these winged wonders, and maybe even witness a new butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
There are certainly plenty of the aforementioned fossils at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (refer to museum listing), but this institution specifically geared toward exploring the mysteries of the animal, vegetable and mineral worlds also features some fascinating living animals as part of its special exhibits. The new Language of Color exhibit, for example, boasts a vibrant collection of live dart frogs to demonstrate nature’s vivid palette, and the permanent Arthropods: Creatures that Rule exhibit features live examples of this classification—which includes everything from tiny insects to mammoth crustaceans—that make up about 80% of all animal species.
Throngs of visitors head south of Boston to Plimoth Plantation (refer to excursion listing) every year to learn about the Pilgrims and their settlement in America. However, animal enthusiasts also have something there to pique their interests: the Plantation’s Nye Barn, which helps conserve and breed rare heritage livestock. Animals like Tamworth swine, Dorking fowl and Arapawa Island goats have critically low breeding populations worldwide, making Plimoth Plantation one of the few spots to see these breeds that date back, in some cases, thousands of years.
Walk
on the Wild Side
For some nature lovers, the
thrill of getting up close to animals and
birds is greatly enhanced by seeing them in
their natural habitats. Boston may be an
urban wonderland, but that doesn’t mean that
the city doesn’t have some picturesque
wildlife sanctuaries nearby.
The Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary (500 Walk Hill St., Matapan, 617-983-8500) is located on the grounds of the former Boston State Hospital, and offers two miles of wheelchair-accessible trails that cross meadows and wetlands teeming with wildlife such as coyotes, pheasants and various migratory birds. And in nearby Milton, the 7,000-acre Blue Hills Reservation is home to the Blue Hills Trailside Museum (1904 Canton Ave., Milton, 617-333-0690), which features indoor and outdoor exhibits detailing wildlife that can be seen from the reservation’s 150 miles of walking and biking trails—including wild turkeys, red-tailed hawks, foxes and snowy owls. For more information on either sanctuary, visit www.massaudubon.org.
Man’s Best Friend
For some people, however, the
most exotic animal they’re interested in is
their Portuguese water dog, English toy
terrier or Labradoodle. Those folks are in
luck, too, as Boston is one of the most
dog-friendly cities in the nation, chockfull
of businesses and stores that exist for no
other reason than to help you pamper your
pooch.
Over in the chi-chi neighborhood of Beacon Hill, entrepreneur Heidi Barraza’s Four Preppy Paws (103 Charles St., 617-723-0112) is a full-on dog boutique, selling upscale collars, leashes and outfits for dogs—many of which come with matching accessories for their human companions. Other one-stop shopping venues for stylish mutts include Cause to Paws (136A Beacon St., Coolidge Corner, Brookline, 617-738-7292), a specialty shop that offers everything from organic pet toys to Bowser Beer (a non-alcoholic, low-calorie “beer” for dogs), and Espeso (1180 Washington St., Suite 101, 617-670-1200), a luxury boutique that sells high-end dog spa products for the discerning muttrosexual. And if you’re of the mind that the best way to spoil your dog is with food, you’ll want to head straight to Polka Dog Bakery (256 Shawmut Ave., 617-338-5155), a purveyor of homemade, dog-friendly takes on human food (like Treatza Pizza and Tuna Yelper), as well as a creative assortment of dog biscuits and after-dinner mints (because who wants dog breath?).
Boston and Cambridge are great walking cities in general—just throw a leash on Fido and get out there. However, there are times when you want to let your canine companion off the leash and let him socialize with other dogs, and the area has a number of great dog parks for just those occasions. In Cambridge, try the Pacific Street Dog Park (Brookline and Tudor streets), a fully-fenced dog run with a vestibule gate for safety. Boston’s South End, meanwhile, is a poochy paradise, boasting Carlton Court Dog Park (Carlton and Holyoke streets), a small community park equipped with full fencing and doggie waste bags, and the Peters Park Dog Run (1227 Washington St., between East Berkeley and Waltham streets), a popular dog park open from 6 a.m.–10 p.m.
Most visitors to the South End grab a meal
while they’re there—unsurprisingly, as the
neighborhood is known for its large and
diverse array of quality eateries. Don’t
think that means you have to ditch your dog,
though—the South End is full of restaurants
where having four legs is not an impediment
to getting served. At Tremont 647
(647 Tremont St., 617-266-4600), “Doggie
Days on the Patio” take place each Saturday
from 2–5 p.m., where dogs are welcome to
dine alongside their owners and even order
from a special menu of doggie dishes. Other
area restaurants that allow dogs to dine on
the patios include Toro (1704
Washington St., 617-536-4400), Stella
(1525 Washington St., 617-247-7747), B &
G Oysters (550 Tremont St.,
617-423-0550), all in the South End, as well
as The Kinsale (refer to
restaurant listing) near Government
Center and Grendel’s Den (89 Winthrop
St., Harvard Square, 617-491-1160) in
Cambridge.
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