I read The Zoo of Depressed Animals on the Crotchety Old Man Yells at Cars blog.
A site about elephants also has some background about the zoo – “Louise Terry was the owner of Terry-Lou Zoo in Scotch Plains. The 7-acre zoo was established more than 49 years ago. Most of the animals housed at the zoo were castoffs from other zoos. Some of the animals were too old to breed, were deformed or had been injured or maimed by hunters.
Mrs. Terry and her husband, Franklyn T. Terry, owned the zoo until they sold it in 1993. In 1997, the zoo was closed and the animals were relocated.”
Jack English has a photo of Frazee Homestead on the zoo land. He wrote about the history of the place, before it became a zoo even.
So far I can’t find photos of the abandoned zoo itself. I did find an abandoned petting zoo, Benson’s Animal Farm, Hudson, NH.
What is the point of all this? Not much, mostly a personal interest in rural and urban exploration (abandoned places). But, think of those animals at the now abandoned zoo or petting zoo. What kind of life must they have had before winding up at the bottom of the barrel zoo?
Write a tribute to one of them, make up the name, the history and decide what kind of an end they came to. Will you write it in a sentimental, sad or practical point of view?