ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLKTIN 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



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 11 Wall Street. New York City. 



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Copyright, ldU>, by the New York Zoological Society. 



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and the proof reading of his contribution. 



EnviN R. Sanborn. 



Eilitorand Official I'hotntrrapher 



XVI II. No. 1 



.LWUARY. 191.5 



WRECK OF THE BOSTON ZOOLOGICAL 

 PARK. 



In 1910. after tiioughtful and effective study, 

 the Board of Park Commissioners of Boston, 

 headed by Robert S. Peabody, a distinguished 

 architect, completed and published an excellent 

 plan for a zoological garden in Franklin Park. 

 The new institution was designed on broad and 

 dignified lines, it was reasonable in scope and 

 it laid tlie foundation of a zoological park in 

 every way worthy of tiie fifth city of the L'nited 

 States. The site chosen was admirable, and of 

 little use for other purposes. 



The funds necessary for construction were 

 obtainable without recourse to taxation, or even 

 to bond issues for the borrowing of money. The 

 income of the great fund bequeathed to the city 

 by Francis Parkman, for the development and 

 improvement of the city parks of Boston, made 

 available $200,000 per year for expenditure in 

 building an aquarium and zoological park; and 

 the Park Board and Mayor Fitzgerald agreed 

 that for its outfit of buildings and otlier im- 

 provements, "the zoo" siiould have $200,000 per 

 year for five years. 



The approved plans were handsomely pub- 

 lished in October, 1910, and immediately the 

 Park Board began to carry them into effect. A 

 fine aquarium was built at Marine Park, and 

 bear dens, a great flying cage and bird house 

 were built in their allotted places on tiie zoo- 

 logical park site. An expert was brought from 

 the Bermuda Aquarium as director of the Aqua- 

 rium, and Mr. Arthur B. Baker, assistant su- 

 perintendent of the Washington Zoological 

 Park, was secured as director of the zoo, and 

 duly installed. 



In their mild and digniticd w.iy, the people 

 of Boston were well i)leased. There was not a 



breath of criticism or oj)position. Tile new 

 benefits to accrue to the wage-earners of Boston 

 seemed fairly witliin tiieir grasp. 



In 1913 Mr. Curley was elected mayor. He 

 took office on January 1, and by July 1 the plan 

 for tile Boston Zoological Park was a complete 

 wreck. The director of the Aquarium was out, 

 and a political swimming-teaciier was rolling 

 around in the directorship, like a pebble in a 

 gourd. Mr. Baker resigned in disgust and went 

 back to Wasiiington. Just who is now director 

 of the zoo, we do not know, nor care. A gar- 

 dener named Dillon was appointed by Mayor 

 Curley to the presidency of the Board of Parks, 

 and for a dozen reasons Mr. Peabody and Mr. 

 Coakley resigned. 



In the sacred name of economy — economy of 

 money not furnished by the taxpayers of Bos- 

 ton, — the Peabody plan for a zoological park 

 worthy of Boston was thrown upon the scrap 

 iieap of politics, and there it lies today. 



But all was not lost. The administration ac- 

 cepted as a gift three Indian elephants, and 

 now is (supposed to be) erecting an elephant 

 shed — it cannot properly be called an elephant 

 house — at a cost of $25,000 for those three ele- 

 phants alone. If a real elephant house ever is 

 built in the Boston zoo, that shed will not even 

 be as useful as a lean-to ; but this is economy. 



At present, we repeat, that the plan for a great 

 and worthy Boston zoo is a wreck. Thus far 

 two men of Boston, Dr. J. C. Piiillips and 

 C. Emerson Brown, are the only men interested 

 who have had the courage to publish tiieir pro- 

 tests against the Mayor's course. The Mayor 

 accuses iiis critics of selfishness and a desire to 

 loot. 



The effort to create a Zoological Society of 

 size and power to safeguard the Boston zoo end- 

 ed in failure, several years ago, and there being 

 no one in the field to safeguard the interests of 

 the public. Mayor Curley has smashed things 

 witii joyous freedom and entire immunity from 

 active opposition. 



Fortunately for tlie American people, the ele- 

 vation of an ordinary man, or even an inferior 

 man. into file highest municipal office, usually 

 has a sobering effect. L'sually it brings out 

 the best that is in the man, and inspires him to 

 do his level best to rise to the occasion. City 

 institutions rarely are wrecked, or even crip- 

 pled by such men, especially after institutions 

 have become going concerns. 



But from such mayors as Mr. Curley, safe- 

 guarding bodies of strong men are necessary. 

 Since 189fi. New York Citv never has had a 



