Roger Williams Park Zoo

The Roger Williams Park Zoo of Providence, Rhode Island, contains more than 800 animals in natural settings from a total of 160 species from around the world. In 1986, the zoo became the first zoo in New England to earn accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Founded in 1872, the zoo is the third oldest zoo in the nation.^[4] The zoo and the nearby Carousel Village are some of the main attractions of Roger Williams Park.

Roger Williams Park Zoo

1872,^[1] June 1, 1980 (renovated/expanded) ^[2]

Providence, Rhode Island, United States

40 acres^[4]

800^[5]

160^[5]

834,960^[6]

AZA^[3]

Alex and Ani Farmyard, Fabric of Africa, Jambo Junction, Faces of the Rainforest, Feinstein Junior Scholar Wetlands Trail, Marco Polo's Adventure Trek, North America, Our Big Backyard, World of Adaptations

www.rwpzoo.org

History[edit]

The Roger Williams Park Zoo first opened in 1872 as a limited collection of small animals, including raccoons, guinea pigs, mice, squirrels, rabbits, hawks, peacocks, and anteaters. Its first building was the Menagerie which opened in 1890. In the 1900s, the facility began to spread out over the entire park, featuring a variety of animals such as monkeys, hoofstock, bears, and big cats. In 1929, the Menagerie building was converted to a birdhouse; this was followed by the opening of an elephant barn in 1930 (which would later be converted to the Tropical America building). In the 1930s, a new sea lion pool was constructed. Bunny Village opened in 1949, one of the zoo's most popular exhibits.

In the mid-1960s, the zoo started to show signs of neglect. In 1962, Sophie Danforth founded the Rhode Island Zoological Society to increase public awareness of the neglect and to raise funds for improvement, and it remains the organization that supports and manages the zoo. The society opened a gift shop and food concessions in 1970, and all funds benefited the zoo.^[2] The zoo closed from 1978 to 1980 to undertake an upgrade project. A children's nature center was added, as well as a naturalistic polar bear exhibit, a boardwalk through a wetlands area, and a North American bison exhibit. In the 1980s, a South American Pampas exhibit and a lemur exhibit were built. In 1986, the zoo's old stable/barn - which for many years had been home to the park's workhorses - was converted into an animal hospital, education department, and administrative offices. As a result, the zoo became the first in New England to receive accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.^[2]

In 1987, a new master plan was formulated to dramatically expand the zoo. Over time, many new exhibits were built, including a new sea lion exhibit (1987), a Humboldt penguin exhibit (1988), Plains of Africa (1991–93), Madagascar (1995), and Marco Polo Trail (1996). In 1989, the old Menagerie building was once again renovated, this time into a new gift shop. A new veterinary hospital opened in the spring of 2011. Hasbro's Our Big Backyard opened in 2012 as an interactive play space, with a second phase completed in 2014 featuring native New England animals. In the summer of 2012, the zoo opened new exhibits for takins, red river hogs, and king vultures.^[7]

A new master plan was unveiled in 2015 for the next 20 years. It includes constructing a new rainforest building to be completed in 2018, a new exhibit for California sea lions and Humboldt penguins, a shorebird aviary, and a new tiger habitat. A complete reworking of the North America exhibit will feature grizzly bears, moose, and bighorn sheep.^[8]^[9]

Alex and Ani Farmyard: opened in 2014. It serves as a where visitors can feed the animals food provided by the zoo. It primarily features domesticated fauna such as Flemish Giant rabbits, Guinea hogs, Huacaya alpacas, mini Nubian goats, a miniature donkey, Shetland sheep, and various chicken breeds. It also features wildlife closely associated with farmland, such as barn owls.^[10] There are also interactive stations meant to mimic life on a farm, which are sponsored by the local businesses Munroe Dairy, Little Rhody Farms, and Bank RI.

petting zoo

Fabric of Africa

[10]

Faces of the Rainforest: A state-of-the-art building first opened in 2018 for neotropical life featuring a free-flight aviary, cascading waterfall, open concept primate habitat and more. Animals in and around the building include , Bolivian gray titis, Chilean flamingos, dyeing poison dart frogs, giant anteaters, giant otters, golden lion tamarins, green anacondas, hyacinth macaws, keel-billed toucans, Linnaeus's two-toed sloths, scarlet ibises, southern tamanduas, white-faced sakis, yellow-banded poison dart frogs, and yellow-rumped caciques.^[10]

black howler monkeys

Feinstein Junior Scholar Wetlands Trail: a walk through area that reflects the natural environments of Rhode Island, which are becoming increasingly rarer as the state continues to be urbanized. All wildlife is indigenous to Rhode Island, and while the animals are protected by the zoo they are not the property of them. It is known to feature Canada geese, great blue herons, several species of freshwater fish and turtles, and wood ducks. The trail is sponsored by the Feinstein Junior Scholar through the local Feinstein Foundation. There is also an exhibit for Reeves's muntjacs at the start of the trail.

wetland

Himalayan Trek: opened in 1996 under the name Marco Polo's Adventure Trek (the name was changed in 2024). It is one of two areas to focus on animals from Asia. It features fauna encountered (or likely to have been encountered) by the explorer Marco Polo, including Bactrian camels, moon bears, red-crowned cranes, red pandas, Sichuan takins, and snow leopards.^[10]

[13]

Wild Woodlands (formerly called North America until 2024): features American bison, bald eagles, black vultures, golden eagles, North American porcupines, northern copperhead snakes, pronghorns, red wolves, timber rattlesnakes, turkey vultures and wild turkeys.^[10] The harbor seals can be viewed through an underwater window.^[14]

[13]

Our Big Backyard: an interactive live play space for children and families. The exhibit promotes outdoor, free-ended play. The playspace is funded by the toy company and the pharmaceutical company CVS Health. There is also an aviary for common ravens.^[10]

Hasbro

World of Adaptations (formerly Australasia): it features animals primarily from and Oceania, including Australian snake-necked turtles, Bali mynas, Bennett's wallabies, eastern rosellas, Indian peafowl, king vultures, Komodo dragons, laughing kookaburras, Matschie's tree kangaroos, North American river otters, North Sulawesi babirusa, northern white-cheeked gibbons, Palawan binturongs, radiated tortoises and wrinkled hornbills.^[10] The Komodo dragon at the zoo is the first of its kind in New England.^[15]^[10]