County Park Zoo Wins Second ‘Best of New Jersey Award’

CREST HAVEN — For the second consecutive year, readers of NJ Monthly magazine voted the Cape May County Park Zoo the Best of New Jersey.
Parks Director Mike Laffey conveyed the honor to freeholders at the Tue. June 22 meeting. Laffey presented Freeholder Director Daniel Beyel with a plaque attesting to the prize.
“WE know the zoo is the greatest place,” said Laffey, “But it’s neat to know that readers of New Jersey Monthly magazine voted us tops two years in a row.”
He commended the zoo staff, Zoo Society, for its help rebuilding exhibits damaged by February’s blizzards, and freeholders for their continued support.
He also cited a rash of newborns among the animals, including ringtail lemurs, monkeys, and two male snow leopards.
Laffey also noted the addition, from Great Adventure, of a pair of bison that will be added to the herd at the zoo. Prior to release with the others, the male and female must be quarantined for 30 days, he said.
After the presentation to freeholders, Bill MacQueen, president of the Zoo Society addressed the board about plans to help expand the attractions at the zoo.
“Snow leopards are a big deal in the zoo world,” he said. They are rare in the wild and equally rare to breed in captivity. Only 11 of the creatures were born last year.
“This is a real proud moment for Cape May County zookeepers who supervised the pairing of the two leopards under the Species Survival Program,” said MacQueen.
That program matches genetically paired animals to produce the highly prized offspring to maintain the species.
The pair of snow leopards is not yet out in public view, he said. That will come when the young are on a more predictable schedule.
Until then, curious viewers can see them in a brief video clip on the zoo’s website.
In July, MacQueen said, the society plans to hold a naming contest for the leopards. It will be open to those ages 12 and under.
He said the snow leopards are from the Far East, and range from the Himalayas to Afghanistan.
That naming contest will be the start of a promotion that will begin a “major project” to build a new enclosure for the snow leopards.
“The (big) cat collection is the heart of the zoo,” said MacQueen. “We have a really impressive group of cats, like Rocky, the tiger, the lion and cheetahs. They area the heart and soul of the zoo.”
He noted the start of the exhibit upgrade began several years ago with the tiger exhibit. If all goes as planned, he said, the new exhibit should be open by next May. It will be designed by CLR Design, which also created the Bald Eagle habitat, recently unveiled and dedicated to veterans.
The 2,000-square-foot exhibit will be paid entirely through private sources, MacQueen stressed.