In late February, the Roger Williams Park Zoo (RWP Zoo) announced that it will relocate its three 40-year-old African elephants, Alice, Ginny and Kate, to a new home (not yet named) n 2027. The move will keep the three old friends together and able to receive the care they will need in older age. This difficult decision by the RWP Zoo administration, shows the compassion it has towards their 800+ animals.
The RWP Zoo the most-visited feature in Roger Williams Park in South Providence. It is the nation’s third-oldest zoo, opened in 1872. The Zoo cares for zebras, red pandas, Masai giraffes, snow leopards, bears, anteaters, flamingoes, sloths, a Komodo dragon, and more. Visitors can also enjoy specialized exhibits and annual events, such as the popular Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular in October.
The RWP Zoo supported and managed by the Rhode Island Zoological Society, a nonprofit organization, on behalf of the City of Providence, which owns the Zoo.
800,000 number of visitors to Roger Williams Park Zoon each year.
12 length of the path through the Zoo in miles.
40 acres occupied by the zoo.
$13.8 million The Zoological Society’s total expenses in 2023.
$4.8 million RWP Zoo’s income from admissions in 2023, the Zoo’s largest single source of revenue. The Zoo also receives substantial income from memberships, contributions, fundraising events and program services.
$100,000 Municipal revenue reported by the Zoological Society in 2023.
160 species of animals living at RWP Zoo.
310 total number of people employed by the Zoo during 2023, including part time and seasonal staff.
50 (or so) number of endangered New England cottontail rabbits born at the Zoo in 2024.
18th ranking among top zoos by U.S. News & World Report 2023 for its vast animal species and conservation efforts.
3 noted births at the Zoo in 2024: a golden lion tamarin female, a two-toed sloth, and a Matschie’s tree kangaroo.
3,000 weight of the male Masai giraffe in pounds; the female weighs 2,500 pounds.
$1.5 million allocated to the Zoo for the Penguin Exhibit in in 2022 . (The funds were part of the City’s total $124 million American Rescue Plan Act budget following the COVID-19 pandemic).
1962 Sophie Danforth established the Rhode Island Zoological Society, a nonprofit organization to support and manage the Zoo.
1986 1st zoo in New England to earn accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
2013 the first venomous snake exhibit “The Snake Den” opened.
Babirusa photo: RWP Zoo
Sources:
Roger Williams Park Zoo website
We Are Parks 2024 Year in Review
RWP Zoological Society federal 990 filing for 2023
Zoo Elephants Going to New Home in 2027
Nini Stoddard is a proud Providence resident. After living abroad as the child of a US diplomat, she returned to the United States to attend college. She lived in Connecticut and enjoyed working as a librarian, as a director of a regional non-profit, and as a prospect researcher. Nini moved to Providence in 2006 to work at Brown University as a senior prospect researcher. Now retired, she loves local history and volunteering.
Jonathan Howard is Co-founder of Cause & Effect, Inc., a consulting company that provides strategic planning facilitation, fund development planning and board strengthening to mission-driven organizations. He is a long- time resident of Providence.
