Bassett's Wild Animal Farm
In
today’s technologically-driven world, the younger generation has
access to almost anything they could want to view at the tips of
their fingers. Video games, on-demand movies, and television, virtual
reality, stimulating one’s senses comes easy in the 21st
century. In the decades of the past entertainment was far different
for those growing up on Cape Cod. For nearly fifty years the Cape
Cod Mall has been a popular hangout spot, the Cape Cod Baseball
League has consistently provided family-friendly fun for a century, and miniature golf, bowling, and more have been go-to’s for kids and
families. However, once upon a time there was another outlet for
family entertainment located in a rural wooded area near Route 6A in
Brewster. It was where kids could see creatures both familiar and
new to them many in a hands-on way. This was not a zoo, it was an
animal farm. It was Bassett’s Wild Animal Farm.
The
idea of the wild animal farm, similar in theory to a petting zoo, on
Cape Cod was the brainchild of Harry ‘Bud’ Bassett. Bassett was
born and raised in Brewster, a part of the Brewster Bassett family
lineage. From an early age, he was a lover of animals and the
environment. After fighting in World War II and working in the
private sector as part of Cape & Vineyard Electric Co. until he
was in his early thirties Bassett decided to act on his love of
animals, as well as his large tract of land on Tubman Road in
Brewster. In 1959 Bud, along with his wife Olivia, began dreaming up
an animal farm after Olivia gave him a pair of deer as a birthday
present.
Bassett
would purchase more land to the south of his farm to accommodate more
animals. He would include creatures familiar to Cape Codders like
rabbits, raccoons, Canadian geese, skunks, and more. The true appeal
of the endeavor would be those animals not native to the peninsula.
Bassett would purchase those creatures from reputable dealers at game
farms in the south. He would prove his love of animals by selling
those that did not naturally hibernate during winter to southern
farms in the fall and purchasing the animals again in the spring.
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| A postcard for Bassett's(Sturgis Library) |
Initially
known as Bassett’s Game Farm it would have its grand opening on May 2,
1959. It cost 50 cents for adults and 30 cents for children to enjoy
the sights of the familiar and unfamiliar animals nestled in the
peaceful pine forest. It was a much more fulfilling experience for
people to see these animals in a natural environment rather than a
city zoo. The pony rides, hayrides, petting zoo, and more attracted
throngs of families to the twenty-acre farm. The venture was a
success and by 1962 there were more than fifty species of animals at
the-now Bassett’s Wild Animal Farm. As his farm grew in popularity
Bassett added llamas and a black bear among other creatures. It
would become a staple of summer family outings and school trips as
the 1960s wore on.
In
the 1970’s a leopard, mountain lion, several coatimundi, and a few
Patagonian cavies became part of the farm. In 1979 after nearly
twenty years of sharing his love of animals with Cape Codders,
visitors, and their families Bud Bassett decided it was time to sell
and retire. He found a buyer in Gail and Donald Smithson who were
looking for a place to begin an Appaloosa horse breeding farm.
Initially, the Smithsons were not going to continue on with Bassett’s
Wild Animal Farm, that was until the grounds were being toured and
Gail fell in love with the animals there. She kept the attraction
going, simply adding her Appaloosa horses to the mix. Bud Bassett
moved to Mariaville, Maine after selling his farm.
Gail
Smithson did not take the legacy of Bassett’s lightly. During her
first few years, she did extensive repairs and renovations trying to
make the farm as impressive to those perhaps seeing it for the first
time. She improved the cages some of the animals were kept in and
added Indian zebus, a mountain lion, and an African lion for visitors
to gaze upon. Smithson also integrated her horses into the farm as
part of the pony rides and hayrides. In 1994 a Bengal tiger cub
named Okemo was brought in to be a part of the popular attraction.
Although Bassett’s Wild Animal Farm continued to be widely
patronized by families and school field trips an incident involving
that Bengal tiger would spell the end of the line.
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| One of my own personal visits to Bassett's Wild Animal Farm. 1982 |
In
May 2000 a fourteen-year-old employee at the farm was bitten by the
tiger on her right calf after entering the cage to feed the 500-pound
animal not knowing the trap door was open. Concerns from the federal
licensing agency which oversaw all animal parks were two-fold, whether the
animal was rabid, and whether the girl had the appropriate paperwork
to even be employed there. In the years leading up to the incident, there had been minor protests about the captivity of the animals,
most notably by local artist Malcolm Wells in 1996, this incident
with a large cat was too much to ignore. Bassett’s Wild Animal
Farm closed in 2002.
Bud
Bassett, despite spending his remaining years in Maine and Florida,
continued contributing to the Cape in other ways. Before his passing
in 2010, he and his wife Olivia donated a one-and-a-quarter acre chunk
of land along Slough Road to the Brewster Conservation Trust. The
main parcel of Bassett’s Wild Animal Farm along Tubman Road is
seeing a second life as well. In 2014 an affordable housing project
through Habitat for Humanity was approved with 13.9 acres of land
being used for fourteen homes ranging from two to four bedrooms and
being ready for living in 2021. The remaining land would be sold
back to the town of Brewster.
Though
it has been closed for nearly twenty years many residents and
visitors to Cape Cod have fond memories of wandering the seemingly
endless maze of animals, some dangerous, some not, and feeling so far
away from the typical Cape surroundings. Because of those memories
Bud and Olivia Bassett’s showcase for their love of animals will
never be forgotten.
Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com
My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia Publishing
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