Cohanzick Zoo

      Thursday, March 9, 2023: From “America’s First Defense Airport” to New Jersey’s oldest zoo, I finished my day by visiting the Cohanzick Zoo in Bridgeton City Park, Mayor Aitken Drive, Bridgeton (Cumberland County) (856-453-1658). Opened in 1934, this zoo contained around 200 animals that included many mammals and birds. While some of the animals had been kept inside because the day I was there was a bit chilly, I did see a pretty good number of them while I walked along some wooden walkways and other areas of bamboo that tried to give an Asian effect. The creatures that stayed in my mind were a pot-belly pig, a porcupine, and a marmoset, we well as a fishing cat, cougars, gibbons, tigers, a black bear, leopards—including a black leopard, river hogs, and wallabies-including an albino wallaby. I also looked at some birds such as owls, vultures, hawks, and so forth. Meanwhile, the zoo exhibited some statues of animals as well, and I saw peacocks that had the run of the place, ducks in the nearby lake, Canadian geese, and in the trees, I noticed turkey vultures. (They gave me the creeps, but nothing bad happened!) In addition to the zoo, Bridgeton City Park in its 1,100 acres offered other things to do: walking on nature trails, fishing, and a splash park (summer), as well as a playground, basketball courts, miniature golf, picnicking, and so on. During warmer weather, this city park has movie nights, concerts, and other events.