Zoo News

Women of Impact: Sarah Tsitso G'09 G'24: Executive Director, Forest Park Zoo

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:55:15 GMT

Sarah Tsitso, The Zoo's Executive Director, featured in bay path university's women of impact series

For Sarah Tsitso, impact is measured not just in numbers, but in lives both human and animal. Over the past decade, she has helped transform the Zoo in Forest Park in Springfield, MA, into a financially stable, mission-driven organization rooted in conservation, education, and rehabilitation. Today, the zoo at 125+ years is not only thriving but also redefining what modern zoos can be—places where injured, abandoned, and non-releasable animals find lifelong care and where visitors leave with a deeper understanding of their role in protecting wildlife.

Read the full article from Bay Path University here .

The Scibelli Charitable Foundation awards Zoo $75,000

Gabry@forestparkzoo.com (Gabry Tyson) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:14:16 GMT

Scibelli Foundation awards zoo $75,000 grant

The Zoo in Forest Park recently received a $75,000 grant from The Anthony M. and Lea Scibelli Charitable Foundation Trust.

The funds awarded by the foundation will help with ongoing care of the more than 200 animals that reside at The Zoo year-round.

In 2023, the foundation granted The Zoo $75,000 for the renovation of its new Education Center, which houses many of its reptiles, invertebrates, and amphibians, as well as funded the expansion of the award-winning Kids Go Wild curriculum into more after-school programs in the community.

The Zoo is grateful and honored to partner with The Anthony M. and Lea Scibelli Charitable Foundation on these important projects.

Keeping Cool in the Heat

Gabry@forestparkzoo.com (Gabry Tyson) — Mon, 15 Jul 2024 14:23:36 GMT

How do the animals stay cool in the summertime?

What do our keepers do for the animals during a heat wave? Most of the animals at The Zoo are native animals that have natural means to stay cool during the summer, but for those that need a little extra help our keepers are happy to supply popsicles (or "bloodsicles" as our Director of Animal Care refers to them), extra areas of shade, sprinklers and small pools. Some animals, like our arctic fox, are moved into an air-conditioned space when temperatures are too high.

Check out the clip from WWLP here .

Brew at The Zoo 2023

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 16:38:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD – The Zoo in Forest Park will host its fifth annual Brew at The Zoo on Saturday, Aug. 5 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The event is perfect for both beer fanatics and animal lovers, combining craft beer samples from local breweries with animal interactions. Attendees can also vote for their favorite home brews in a home brew competition, listen to live music, play games and enjoy delicious foods from various food trucks.

VIP tickets are available for guests wanting an extra hour of sampling and more interactive encounters with animal ambassadors. The VIP hour runs from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.

“Brew at the Zoo has become our signature fundraising event, selling out year after year,” said Sarah Tsitso, executive director at The Zoo in Forest Park. “We have so many amazing, creative craft brewers in this region who generously donate their time – and their beer – to support our animals and our mission.”

The Zoo is focused on education, conservation and rehabilitation and provides homes to animals that may not otherwise survive in the wild. All money raised goes toward the daily care of the 225-plus animals that call The Zoo their home.

The Zoo will be closed to the public on Aug. 5. Advanced tickets are required and IDs will be checked at the door. For a list of participating breweries and to purchase tickets, visit www.forestparkzoo.org/brew . Limited tickets are available.

Clint Screechwood "Superb Owl' Fin-owl-ist

Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:17:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD –Clint Screechwood, a one-eyed screech owl from The Zoo in Forest Park, is on his way to being named Superb Owl of the Year in BonusFinder’s Superb Owl Awards.

The Superb Owl Awards is a contest run by BonusFinder.com and is inspired by the spike in accidental internet searches for “superb owl” that occur every year in the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, according to the website.

Mr. Screechwood was selected as one of the top 16 owls to compete in the Superb Owl Awards in a tournament-style voting system. In the first round, he was up against Grace, a rehabbed owl from Utica Zoo, before moving on to face Chili, another one-eyed screech owl from Birmingham Zoo. In the semi-finals, he battled a southern white-faced owl from the San Diego Zoo.

Clint Screechwood is one of three non-releasable eastern screech owls that joined The Zoo in Forest Park during the winter of 2020. He and his two companions, Hooma Thurman and Jean-Clawed Van Damme, all live with vision impairments that prevented their return to the wild.

In addition to taking home the coveted title of Superb Owl of the Year, the zoo that is home to the winning owl will receive $5,000 in support of their mission and one lucky voter will be randomly selected to win $1,000.

The Zoo in Forest Park is focused on education, conservation and rehabilitation and works with wildlife rehabilitators across the country to provide permanent homes to animals that have been deemed non-releasable due to injury, illness, permanent disability and other factors, much like these three eastern screech owls.

“We love showcasing the very special animals that call our Zoo their home,” said Sarah Tsitso, executive director, The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center. “Clint Screechwood epitomizes the important work we do here - caring for animals that would not survive on their own in the wild. Of course, we believe Clint is absolutely a ‘Superb Owl.’ Now all we need is for the public to get out and vote for him.”

To vote for Clint Screechwood, click here . Voters must be 21+ to participate and need to input a name and email address to cast their vote. Participants can vote daily for their favorite owl.

The final round runs Jan. 26 through Jan. 31. The winning owl will be crowned on Feb. 1.

Joan Kagan joins Zoo in Forest Park’s Board of Directors

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 20:03:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD – At its October meeting, The Zoo in Forest Park’s Board of Directors voted unanimously to add long-time nonprofit leader Joan Kagan to the board.

In 2021, Kagan retired as president and CEO of Springfield’s Square One, a role she held since 2003. Prior to assuming her position at Square One, Kagan served as the western Massachusetts director for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and for 17 years was with Brightside for Families and Children, leaving as vice president of community programs.

Kagan received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in St. Louis and her master’s degree in social work from Columbia University in New York. She is a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut. She is a past trustee of the Elms College, past chair of the Springfield College Social Work Advisory Board and the Human Service Forum and previously served on the Western New England University Social Work Training committee and the Springfield Chamber of Commerce.

She had served on the Board of Directors for many organizations, including the Human Services Provider’s Council, Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Association for Day Care Agencies. Kagan was also a member of the Early Education for All Advisory Committee, the Cherish Every Child Advisory Board and the Early Literacy Panel for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition to her new role on The Zoo in Forest Park’s Board of Directors, she currently serves on the Children’s Investment Fund Board of Directors and is a member and past president of the Holyoke Rotary Club.

“We are so honored to welcome Joan Kagan to the Forest Park Zoological Society Board of Directors,” said Nathan Bazinet, president, The Zoo in Forest Park’s Board of Directors. “Joan brings an infinite amount of skill and knowledge that will be instrumental in defining our future, bolstering our programming and, as a well-respected leader, expanding our reach and impact throughout the region.

“As a fellow steward of The Zoo in Forest Park, Joan’s passionate advocacy of our work will help to ensure that we serve our animals, our mission, and our community for years to come,” Bazinet added.

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Spooky Safari returned to Forest Park Zoo

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 15:07:00 GMT

The Zoo in Forest Park hosted its annual Spooky Safari, presented by Teddy Bear Pools and Spas, on Sat., Oct. 29. The family-friendly Halloween event welcomed close to 1,000 guests and featured a trick-or-treat trail with take-and-make crafts, candy, stickers, Halloween toys, books and pumpkins. Families were also invited to decorate a pumpkin, make a craft and get their face painted while at the event.

Western Mass News and WWLP's 22 News covered the event. See their coverage below:

Western Mass News Coverage

Forest Park Zoo receives second national award for education programming

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 19:47:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD – For the second time in six months, The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center is being recognized for its innovative education programming.

Most recently, The Zoo received the 2021 Educational Award of Excellence, presented by the Zoological Association of America (ZAA) for its Kids Go Wild programming.

Kids Go Wild provides a fun, interactive way for school-aged children to learn about various animal species while exploring diets, habitats, adaptations, daily zoo life and more through crosshatched science, literacy and art lessons. Each lesson also meets state education standards set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in at least one or more of the aforementioned disciplines. These lessons were created, developed, and ultimately implemented by The Zoo’s Director of Education, Caroline Cay Adams.

The one-on-one, hands-on interactions offered as part of Kids Go Wild bring the typical textbook science lessons right off the page. Kids Go Wild goes beyond single-program learning objectives by encouraging groups to book multiple programs that are implemented over a longer period of time. This ensures that the educator can scaffold lessons to incorporate themes, vocabulary and topics from previous lesson plans, as well as offer plenty of opportunities for participants to engage with ambassador animals. Examples of lessons include Animal Adaptations; the Food Web; Living Dinosaurs; and Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores.

In August 2021, Adams also received the Janet McCoy Excellence in Public Education Award from the American Association of Zookeepers for her work on Kids Go Wild.

“The creative, cutting-edge work Caroline is doing as The Zoo’s education director is truly remarkable,” said Sarah Tsitso, executive director, The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center. “Gone are the days when zoo programming was strictly show-and-tell. These are valuable lessons, steeped in science and literacy, that would not otherwise be available to these young students. Caroline is leading the charge when it comes to implementing a whole new species of zoo-based learning. She deserves every award and accolade that comes her way.”

Forest Park Zoo’s education director receives national award

Fri, 24 Sep 2021 14:11:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD – Caroline Cay Adams, education director for The Zoo in Forest Park & Education Center, received the Janet McCoy Excellence in Public Education Award from the American Association of Zookeepers during a virtual presentation held Aug. 31.

Adams was honored for her work creating Kids Go Wild, a multi-week, hands-on education program that is delivered to children in schools and after school programs throughout western Massachusetts, specifically targeting at-risk youth.

^{Caroline Cay Adams, education director at The Zoo in Forest Park, with Virginia opossum, Cherry.}

Kids Go Wild provides a fun, interactive way for children to learn about different animal species through cross-hatched science, literacy and art lessons, with each lesson meeting educational standards set by the Massachusetts Board of Education. During the pandemic, Adams adapted Kids Go Wild into a virtual program, showcasing the flexibility and versatility of the program.

“It has been such a rewarding experience to visit classrooms with the Kids Go Wild program,” said Adams. “I have seen the children engage with the lessons while showing compassion and care for the animal ambassadors that accompany me.”

“I am honored to be the recipient of this year’s Janet McCoy Excellence in Public Education Award,” Adams added. “Janet McCoy served the zookeeper community as a leader for over 30 years in various roles, focusing much of her time on public education. I have known for most of my life that I wanted to work closely with animals and children, and I am so lucky that I am able to do that in my current role.”