Beloved NJ zoo closes after 73 years: Animals need new homes

While many New Jerseyans have been able to recover from Hurricane Ida last September, there are still several institutions that have been unable to.

After almost 73 years of business, the Middlesex County-owned Johnson Park Zoo is coming to a close. The 478-acre zoo is home to 80 animals, all of which are in the process of finding homes.

So far, many animals have been relocated to sanctuaries and some have been moved to an educational facility within the park's borders.

Luckily, not all the zoo animals need to move to actual zoos, as many of them can be adopted on farms and other residential lands.

Zoo volunteers have expressed concerns about the animals finding new homes, but it seems as though enough progress is being made at the moment. Thankfully no zoo animals were killed as a result of the hurricane back in September, but the consistent flooding at the zoo has made the living conditions dangerous for the animals.

The zoo administration and volunteers have made it their mission to relocate each and every animal and believe all of the animals will have new homes within the next few weeks. There is a small space of the zoo facility that isn’t closing and will serve as a historic animal center.

A few animals will also be moved here and will be sure to receive adequate care for the rest of their lives.

The zoo coming to a close was not an easy decision to make by any means, but luckily each and every animal will have a new happy home, and visitors can still learn about the great history that once took place at the Johnson Park Zoo.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco only.

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