Zoo Redux: Animals Now Off Death Row

Okay, The Zoo New England saga has become a full-fledged circus and it, fortunately, appears to have a happy ending as Zoo director John Linehan finally confimed that no animals will be killed due to possible budget cuts. Linehan started all of this crap by turning animal goodness into a dirty political prop by suggesting budget cuts could force the Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo to close and some animals to be euthanized. It turned out he was not telling the truth. Last week, Linehan confirmed his initial assertion that animals would die from budget cuts before finally admitting he was incorrect yesterday.

The future of the zoos probably hinges on restoring the state funding. Hopefully, lawmakers and civic leaders can find a way to keep the zoos running after Zoogate. Maybe they should visit the the Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro, which set an attendance record in the fiscal year that ended in June. Over 111,000 people visited Capron Park Zoo in 2008-09. Or, lawmakers and zoo people could sell naming rights, an idea floated by Rep. Alice Wolf (D-Cambridge) recently. She offered up "Bank of America Zoo" as an option. Hey, she's trying to help. A local company, or a wealthy Bay Stater, could work better.

Bostonist wants the zoos to stay open. So while we may - MAY - ultimately have to thank you, Linehan, we don't like it. It's like thanking a doctor for fixing your broken leg by amputating it.