Roger Williams Park Zoo Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Roger Williams Park Zoo

Date opened	1872, June 1, 1980 (renovated/expanded)
Location	Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Land area	40 acres
Coordinates	41°47′24″N 71°24′59″W / 41.7899°N 71.4163°W / 41.7899; -71.4163
No. of animals	800
No. of species	160
Annual visitors	834,960
Memberships	AZA
Major exhibits	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

The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, is home to over 800 animals from 160 different species. These animals live in special areas designed to look like their natural homes. The zoo is very old, first opening in 1872, making it the third oldest zoo in the United States! In 1986, it became the first zoo in New England to get a special approval called accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This means it meets high standards for animal care and education. The zoo and the nearby Carousel Village are popular spots in Roger Williams Park.

A Look Back: The Zoo's History
Meet the Animals: Exhibits at the Zoo
Gallery
See also

A Look Back: The Zoo's History

The Roger Williams Park Zoo first opened its doors in 1872. Back then, it was a small collection of animals like raccoons, guinea pigs, mice, squirrels, rabbits, hawks, peacocks, and anteaters. The first building for animals, called the Menagerie, opened in 1890. As the years went by, the zoo grew, adding more animals such as monkeys, hoofed animals, bears, and big cats. In 1929, the Menagerie building became a birdhouse, and an elephant barn opened in 1930. A new sea lion pool was also built in the 1930s. One of the most loved exhibits, Bunny Village, opened in 1949.

In the mid-1960s, the zoo needed some help. So, in 1962, a person named Sophie Danforth started the Rhode Island Zoological Society. This group helped people learn about the zoo's needs and raised money to make it better. Today, this society still supports and manages the zoo. The zoo even closed from 1978 to 1980 for a big upgrade! During this time, they added a children's nature center, a cool polar bear exhibit, a walkway through a wet area called wetlands, and a North American bison exhibit. In the 1980s, new areas for South American Pampas animals and lemurs were built. In 1986, an old barn was turned into an animal hospital, education center, and offices. This helped the zoo get its special accreditation.

A big plan was made in 1987 to make the zoo even larger. Many new exhibits were built over time, including a new sea lion area (1987), a Humboldt penguin exhibit (1988), the Plains of Africa (1991–93), Madagascar (1995), and Marco Polo Trail (1996). A new hospital for animals opened in 2011. In 2012, Hasbro's Our Big Backyard opened, which is a fun play area. Later, it added animals from New England. Also in 2012, the zoo opened new exhibits for takins, red river hogs, and king vultures.

In 2015, the zoo made a new plan for the next 20 years. This plan includes building a new rainforest area, a new home for California sea lions and Humboldt penguins, a bird area for shorebirds, and a new tiger habitat. The North America exhibit will also get a big makeover, featuring animals like grizzly bears, moose, and bighorn sheep.

Meet the Animals: Exhibits at the Zoo

An African bush elephant at the Jambo Junction exhibit.

A Bald eagle at the Wild Woodlands exhibit.

The zoo is home to more than 150 amazing and sometimes rare animals from all over the world. Here are some of the main areas you can explore:

Alex and Ani Farmyard

Opened in 2014, this area is like a petting zoo! You can feed animals with special food provided by the zoo. It features farm animals such as Flemish Giant rabbits, Guinea hogs, Huacaya alpacas, mini Nubian goats, a tiny miniature donkey, Shetland sheep, and different kinds of chickens. You might also see barn owls, which are often found near farms. There are fun stations that show what life on a farm is like.

Fabric of Africa

This exhibit opened in 1991 and was updated in 2008. It's the first exhibit you see when you enter the zoo. It's home to animals from Africa, including Aldabra giant tortoises, Ankole-Watusi cattle, common ostriches, cheetahs, plains zebras, black crowned cranes, red river hogs, and blue wildebeest. This area also includes Jambo Junction.

Jambo Junction

This part of the Fabric of Africa is where you can see African bush elephants and Masai giraffes. Inside the Elephant & Giraffe Pavilion, you can learn how the zoo takes care of these huge animals. This is the only zoo in New England that has African elephants! The zoo hopes to get a male elephant soon so they can have baby elephants.

Faces of the Rainforest

This amazing building opened in 2018 and is designed to look like a rainforest. It has a special area where birds fly freely, a beautiful waterfall, and open spaces for monkeys. You can see animals like black howler monkeys, Bolivian gray titis, Chilean flamingos, colorful dyeing poison dart frogs, huge giant anteaters, playful giant otters, shiny golden lion tamarins, long green anacondas, bright hyacinth macaws, unique keel-billed toucans, slow Linnaeus's two-toed sloths, red scarlet ibises, southern tamanduas, white-faced sakis, yellow-banded poison dart frogs, and yellow-rumped caciques.

Feinstein Junior Scholar Wetlands Trail

This walking trail shows you what a natural wetland in Rhode Island looks like. Wetlands are becoming rare as cities grow. All the wildlife here are native to Rhode Island. While the zoo protects them, these animals are not owned by the zoo. You might spot Canada geese, great blue herons, different kinds of freshwater fish and turtles, and wood ducks. There's also an exhibit for Reeves's muntjacs at the start of the trail.

Himalayan Trek

Opened in 1996 as "Marco Polo's Adventure Trek," this area's name changed in 2024. It's one of two areas that focus on animals from Asia. It features animals that the famous explorer Marco Polo might have seen, like Bactrian camels, moon bears, red-crowned cranes, red pandas, Sichuan takins, and snow leopards.

Wild Woodlands

This exhibit used to be called "North America" until 2024. It features animals from North America, such as American bison, bald eagles, black vultures, golden eagles, North American porcupines, northern copperhead snakes, pronghorns, red wolves, timber rattlesnakes, turkey vultures, and wild turkeys. You can also see harbor seals through an underwater window!

Our Big Backyard

This is a fun, interactive play area for kids and families. It encourages outdoor, creative play. There's also an aviary where you can see common ravens.