Media Coverage
Collection of our coverage on established media institutions and outlets.
Media Coverage
2018
Next stop at Roger Williams Park Zoo — The Amazon
03.20.2018
Faces of the Rainforest exhibit opens this summer as big changes continue at the nation’s third oldest zoo.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — After voters approved bond money in 2014 for improvements to Roger Williams Park Zoo, officials started putting together a 20-year master plan outlining what the zoo could look like one day.
Rhode Islanders will get their first glimpse of the changes this summer,...
Ban-the-Bag Movement Taking Rhode Island by Storm
03.04.2018
At the Providence City Council's March 1 meeting, Lou Perrotti, director of conservation programs at Roger Williams Park Zoo, wore a suit of plastic bags in support of the ban.
It was a busy week for bag bans in Rhode Island, as town councils in Bristol and Portsmouth outlawed plastic checkout bags, while the City Council overwhelming approved an ordinance at the first of two public hearings.
All three council votes advanced with little resistance. At its Feb....
Slow Down: Frogs and Salamanders On the Move
03.01.2018
The first movement of frogs and salamanders from their woodland wintering grounds to their springtime breeding pools.
During last month’s warm spell, Emilie Holland saw and heard something she seldom detects this early in the year: the first movement of frogs and salamanders from their woodland wintering grounds to their springtime breeding pools. She observed wood frogs, spring peepers, spotted salamanders,...
Roger Williams Park Zoo home to oldest living tree kangaroo
01.25.2018
Roger Williams Park Zoo is celebrating the life of a Matschie’s tree kangaroo who is now the oldest of his species in the country.
The tree kangaroo, named Paul, will turn 23 on Jan. 26. According to the zoo, he is the only male tree kangaroo to reach this age in America.
“Paul is still active for his age, is truly loved by his keepers, and kept on a healthy diet,” Dr. Jeremy Goodman, executive director at the zoo,...
Lou Perrotti Protects Less-Than-Cuddly Species
01.01.2018
If he can show endangered rattlesnakes a little love, why can't the rest of us?
In a concrete block cellar of the building that houses the moon bears and snow leopards at Roger Williams Park Zoo is a brightly lit room. Unrecognized visitors are welcomed by the clatter produced by some of the sixteen...
2017
Oldest Masai giraffe in North America dies at Providence zoo
11.14.2017
Amber, who was the oldest Masai giraffe in North America, has died.
“It is with great sadness that Roger Williams Park Zoo announces the death of Amber, the cherished 26-year-old Masai giraffe,” the zoo noted in a press release Tuesday afternoon, adding that the median life expectancy for a giraffe in captivity is about 17 years.
The zoo said Amber lost...
Roger Williams Park Zoo mourns loss of beloved giraffe
11.14.2017
The oldest Masai giraffe in America has passed away.
The average life expectancy for a giraffe in captivity is 17 years, according to zoo officials, while Amber made it to 26 years old. Over the past year, zoo officials said Amber lost her eyesight due to cataracts. The zoo could not find another facility that has managed a blind giraffe to ask...
Association of Zoos and Aquariums Awards 30 Nature Play Grants - Including Roger Williams Park Zoo
10.30.2017
Roger Williams Park Zoo; “Urban Nature Explorers” Grant Recipient
The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) has announced the recipients of 30 “Nature Play Begins at Your Zoo & Aquarium” grants. Supported by the ...
7 Tips for the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
10.02.2017
How to navigate one of the state's most popular fall activities.
What can you do with 5,000 pumpkins? You could bake a heck-of-a-lotta pies, or, if you’re the Roger Williams Zoo, you could show off thousands jack-o-lanterns for an entire month. Every October, the zoo presents the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, which pulls in more than 100,000 visitors every year...
Camel that lived at RWP Zoo for more than 20 years has died
10.02.2017
Gina, one of two camels housed at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, has died.
A camel that has lived at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence for more than 20 years has died.
“It is with great sadness that #RWPZoo announces the passing of Gina, one of the dromedary camels, seen by visitors on Marco Polo’s Adventure trek,” the zoo posted on its Facebook page Monday...