LUDLOW — Amid a background of animal sounds, state Rep. Aaron Saunders (D-Belchertown) and state Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) presented Joan Lupa and the Lupa Zoo in Ludlow with a check for $25,000, an earmark from the fiscal year 2025 state budget.
Lupa, owner of Lupa Zoo, said the finding will be used for advertising and education. Through a program run by the zoo, animals are taken to schools and senior care facilities to enrich the lives of both the human and non-human participants.
“It’s all about educating,” said Lupa. “Every creature is important to the ecosystem, even the cockroaches.”
Lupa’s son, Stan Lupa, runs the community education program. In fact, the zoo is largely run by the Lupa family, from bookkeeping to operations. The zoo has four full-time staff members and hires an additional six people during the busy summer season.
Lupa Zoo was first licensed by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1996. There are more than 200 animals at the zoo, representing more than 100 species. The animals are acquired by trading with other zoos or through purchases. All the zoo’s animals receive regular care from Dr. Stephen Constant, a veterinarian from South Hadley, Lupa said. She explained that there was “a lot of opposition, at first” because people were concerned for the quality of care the animals would receive. Since then, however, Lupa Zoo has become a part of the economic fabric of the town.
“Lupa Zoo isn’t just about stopping at Lupa Zoo,” said Oliveira. “[Visitors] stop at Randall’s they stay in hotels in the area.”
Oliveira said many other zoos receive state funding to help with operations, but Lupa Zoo is a nonprofit that does not receive regular state funding. Oliveira also praised the zoo for operating remote programs during the COVID-19 shutdown and keeping the zoo affordable and accessible to children of all abilities.
“I want to thank Joan and the Lupa family for everything the Lupa Zoo does for the community,” said Saunders. He added that the earmark is something he and Oliveira have been championing annually, although he said the amount changes along with the budget.
Standing in the zoo’s tranquility garden, a calm space that was built for children with anxiety or disabilities, Lupa said the garden would not have been possible without the earmark funding.
Saunders said, “There’s always a lot of worthy causes, but few have the follow though that Lupa Zoo has.”
Saunders shared his “favorite Lupa Zoo story.” He explained that a group of students came from Lee to visit the zoo on a field trip, only to find that it was closed for the day. Despite this, the zoo opened for the students. “I think that speaks to who the Lupa family is and what the Lupa Zoo stands for,” Saunders said.
The Lupa Zoo is open from the first week of April until Thanksgiving. On Oct. 31, the zoo is open for trick-or-treating from 3-7 p.m. and children will receive a small bag of animal food with admission.
