2026 Spring Wild Magazine

The Blizzard of ‘26 at the Zoo

We have endless gratitude for our dedicated Animal Care, Veterinary, and Operations teams who stayed over for multiple nights and were on the front lines meeting the daily needs of our animals, clearing paths, securing habitats, and making sure the property was safe; their work supported every part of the Zoo during and after the storm.

Their unwavering dedication to both our animals and the Zoo itself was truly inspiring.

Get ready for a big adventure from a very small point of view in A Bug’s World, the new exhibit at Roger Williams Park Zoo. Opening April 11th, you’ll see the outdoors like an insect does, where ants are the size of dogs and butterflies are larger than life.

Wander through towering plants, steer clear of the hungry Venus flytrap and come face to face with larger-than-life caterpillars, beetles, ladybugs and more.

This immersive, hands-on exhibit brings the busy world of backyard bugs to life while showing how these tiny creatures play a big role in our environment and how we can help protect them.

Join us at Roger Williams Park Zoo this spring for A Bug’s World. It’s time we looked up to insects.

those with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and sensory processing differences and their families from 8-9 am.

Bug’s Family Nights – June 6, August 8

Families can enjoy an evening at the Zoo from 5-9 pm.

This is an add-on experience and requires separate admission to the Zoo and can

Roger Williams Park Zoo is Rhode Island’s number one outdoor family and tourist attraction, and a leader in conservation efforts undertaken by a zoo of its size. As leaders in conservation and animal care – we create engaging experiences that empower guests to join us in conserving wildlife and wild places. Roger Williams Park Zoo is supported and managed by the Rhode Island

The Catio: A Purr-fect Arrangement for Cats and Wildlife

Next time you wander through the Zoo, you might spot some unexpected new residents: Ferguson, Wimpy Kid, Oreo, and Jane. These four rescues from the RISPCA are the stars of our brand-new catio habitat, a space specifically designed to look like a patio for cats.

What’s a catio? It’s a secure, enclosed outdoor space that lets your feline companions enjoy the outdoors without preying on native animals like birds and chipmunks. By using a catio, or a harness for supervised walks, you provide your pet with fresh air and sunlight while also shielding them from risks such as traffic, disease, and larger predators.

The introduction of the catio is a major milestone in our Zoo’s commitment to the AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) North American Songbird program. While we love our feline companions, they are not a natural part of our local ecosystem. In fact, free-roaming domestic cats are one of the greatest threats to wild birds in the United States, accounting for as many as 4 billion bird deaths annually. This predation is a serious threat to our local ecosystems.

We believe that protecting wildlife starts right in our own backyards. By choosing a catio or a harness-trained walk for your pet, you are taking a direct stand for wildlife conservation; it’s a win-win for wildlife and your cat! This approach ensures that domestic cats live long, healthy lives while allowing our native songbirds to thrive undisturbed.

Our new exhibit serves as a living example of how small changes at home align with our global conservation goals. We invite you to visit our new residents and learn how we can all work together to keep both our pets and our feathered friends safe.

This summer, Roger Williams Park Zoo is Positively Paw-some!

Canines for Conservation

May 25th - Sept 7th, 2026*

Guests can catch high-energy stunt dog performances featuring incredible canine athletes showing off jaw-dropping jumps, fast-paced agility runs, frisbee tricks, and crowd-favorite challenges. From soaring leaps to lightning-quick obstacle courses, each show is packed with action, personality, and plenty of laughs.

The performances highlight the power of positive training and showcase the amazing abilities of rescue and shelter dogs. It is a fun, family-friendly experience that celebrates the bond between dogs and their trainers while keeping audiences cheering from start to finish.

Included with Zoo admission, the dog show adds an extra dose of excitement to your summer visit. Shows run twice daily, Wednesday-Sunday. *(No shows Monday-Tuesday).

This past December, the Zoo’s director of conservation traveled to Peru to meet with our Project Selva partners and the on-theground team. Project Selva collaborates with Indigenous communities in Peru, helping strengthen local communities so they can thrive on their lands without the pressures that often lead to deforestation. They do this by supporting these communities through art sales that capture the Amazonian rainforest's amazing biodiversity.

During this most recent visit, the team welcomed a Gyotaku expert and artist to lead hands-on training sessions for the team in Peru. Gyotaku, the traditional Japanese term for the art of fish printing, is the group's primary medium, and they’ve already begun expanding their work beyond fish to include frogs and various plant species. With this new training, Project Selva artists gained fresh creative techniques, including practicing fish printing on shirts, and added new skills and unique pieces to their growing portfolio of artwork.

One component that helps to track the success of Project Selva includes ongoing forest monitoring. Regular flyover assessments enable the team to monitor landscape changes and ensure the rainforest remains protected. Partners are pleased to report that, once again, no loss of rainforest has been detected.

These artistic collaborations not only celebrate the Peruvian culture but also help generate sustainable income for the local artists and indigenous communities. “Our ultimate goal is protecting the wildlife, wild places and the culture of the region through a partnership with the people living in the forests.” Project Selva was designed by indigenous leaders in the Amazon Basin, not by foreigners; however, the goal of the process is to work together to conserve rainforest, a perfect example of Partners in Action for Conservation.

a dental visit for kitty the pronghorn

When keepers noticed that Kitty the pronghorn wasn’t eating her grain with her normal gusto and was drooling a bit while she ate, they alerted Drs. Jessica Lovstad and Kim Wojick, Roger Williams Park Zoo’s veterinarians. While nothing appeared wrong with Kitty from the outside, pronghorns are prone to dental disease, especially as they age. With training and Kitty’s favorite snacks, the vet staff was able to take awake X-rays of Kitty’s skull and confirm she had an abscess in one of her back molars.

Dr. Jessica reached out to an equine dental specialist, Dr. Leah Limone, at Northeast Equine Veterinary Dental Services. Dr. Leah examined the skull of a pronghorn that passed away several years ago at the Zoo to plan which tools to use that would best fit into the long and narrow oral cavity of a pronghorn.

On the day of her exam, Kitty was manually restrained and administered injectable anesthetic drugs. Once asleep, she was carried on a stretcher to the veterinary hospital, where the veterinary and keeper teams worked together to intubate, place an IV catheter, collect blood, do a physical

exam and perform physical therapy to ensure good blood flow through her limbs during the procedure.

Simultaneously, the dental team worked in Kitty’s mouth to remove the infected tooth. Pronghorn teeth are continuously growing, as well, so Dr. Leah also performed a “dental float,” like what is performed in horses, to smooth sharp and uneven edges on Kitty’s teeth and prevent any future irritation to her tongue and cheeks.

After the procedure, Kitty recovered from anesthesia in the safety of her off-exhibit holding and was given a clean bill of health! Keepers continue to monitor her closely for any return of discomfort while eating, but so far, she has been doing well.

The Teamwork Behind Stress-Free Hoof Care

Thanks to the incredible collaboration between our zookeepers and the vet care team, hoof care has become a cooperative experience! Through proactive husbandry training, our animals learn to voluntarily participate in their own medical care using positive reinforcement, making hoof care less stressful and more effective. Most importantly, the animals always have the choice to walk away at any time if they choose not to participate, ensuring that they feel comfortable and in control of their environment.

This training requires incredible trust between the keepers, vet staff and our animals. Cora, our female giraffe, now chooses to participate in her own hoof care, positioning her

hooves exactly where the team needs them for a precise trim, thanks to her trainers' guidance. Building this level of trust takes countless hours of positive reinforcement training (and lots of snacks!).

Ebenezer, our male babirusa, also voluntarily participates in his hoof care. While receiving snacks and belly rubs from his trainer, he lies down in position and presents his hooves for a “pedicure”. This type of training allows our animals to participate in their own health care without sedation and eliminates any additional risks.

This masterclass in teamwork and regular hoof trims is crucial for preventative care, keeping our animals happy, comfortable, and healthy!

Event Ambassadors

Upcoming Events at the Zoo & Carousel

Cheryl Cohen Co-Chair

Pamela W. He ernan Co-Chair

Claire Carrabba, Esq.

Claire Catanzaro

Jamie DeCosta

Katrina Delicato

APRIL

• ZOO HOURS: Daily from 9am to 4pm (Spring hours start April 1st)

• CAROUSEL HOURS: Weekdays 12pm to 6pm /Weekends 11am to 6pm

• Connection Corner: 10am to 3:30pm

• 9th - 11th: Young Explorers in the Big Backyard

• 11th: A Bug’s World opens

• 11th: Breakfast with the Elephants

• 20th-24th: Providence School Vacation Week and Zoo Camp

• 21st & 22nd: Party for the Planet

• 17th: Food Truck Friday at Carousel Village Season Kick Off

• 26th - Early open SensoryFriendly Experience for A Bug’s World (8-9 AM)

• Friday and Saturday Nights:  Education Snore & Roar Overnights

Judy Lockard

Beth Mattera

Damaris Messina

John H. Mullen

Jack Murray

Ron Patalano

Roger Williams Park Zoo strives to provide an extraordinary and unique educational experience where guests can improve their understanding of and appreciation for the natural world. We contribute significantly to the conservation of our earth’s animals, plants and other natural resources by challenging ourselves and our audience to act as responsible environmental stewards.

MAY

• 1st to 31st: A Bug’s World

• 1, 8, 15, 22, 29: Fridays at Carousel Village

Rhode Island Zoological Society/Roger Williams Park Zoo 1000 Elmwood Avenue • Providence, RI 02907 Tel: 401-941-3910 • rwpzoo.org

• 2nd: Free Saturday for Providence Residents and Community Tabling

• 9th: Bronx Zoo Trip

• 10th: Mother’s Day (free admissions for moms)

• 16th: Endangered Species Day and Tree Kangaroo Day (rain date 17th)

• 21st: Whisky for Wildlife

• 23rd: Breakfast with the Elephants

• 23rd: Vet Hospital Open House

• Friday and Saturday Nights:  Education Snore & Roar Overnights

• 21st: World Giraffe Day

• 21st: Breakfast with the Elephants

• 21st: Father’s Day (free admission for dads)

• 27th: Zoobilee! Party with a Purpose

• Friday and Saturday Nights through June 13th:  Education Snore & Roar Overnights

Kids’ Corner Kids’ Corner

Recycled Egg Carton Bird Feeder Craft

Instructions

1. Cut the lid off of the egg carton.

2. Decorate your egg carton using markers.

3. Now it's time to add the string or wool to your egg box so that it can be hung outside. Take a piece of wool and feed it through the two holes in the raised part of the egg carton (You may need to poke holes if there aren’t any). Create a loop between these on the upper part. On the underneath of your egg carton, make knots in your string or wool so that it won't be pulled back through the holes.

4. Turning your bird feeder back up the correct way you can now fill it with seed and hang it outside.

Whisky & More! For Wildlife

Returns this May...with more spirit than ever before!

Thursday, May 21 from 5:30 - 7:30 pm

Enjoy a curated tasting of exceptional whiskies with Irene Tan, whiskey sommelier and bespoke blend curator of Whisky Mentors.

New this year, enjoy tastes of exclusive & rare spirits including tequila, bourbon, gin, and more!

YOU can make a difference for Nutmeg with your ticket!

Your Whisky & More for Wildlife ticket purchase contributes to the care of our resident bison, Nutmeg, and her growing herd! With three new bison arriving this year, we’re enhancing barn facilities, creating new yard space, and building a share structure - all essential to Nutmeg and her herd's wellbeing.

Purchase Tickets

Roger Williams Park Zoo is supported and managed by the Rhode Island Zoological Society and is owned by the City of Providence

Editorial

Roger Williams Park Zoo Department of Marketing and Public Relations

Corrie Ignagni

Vicki Scharfberg

Maxine Colvin

WILD is an online publication of the Rhode Island Zoological Society, Roger Williams Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02907-3659

For membership information call (401) 785-3510 x375 or visit rwpzoo.org.

2026 RHODE ISLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Officers

Patrick T. LeBeau, CFP,® Chair

Sandra L. Coletta, Vice Chair

Margaret Ferguson, Secretary

Maribeth Q. Williamson, Treasurer

Board of Trustees

Nancy Allen

Priya Banerjee, MD

Martha Bower

Douglas Caniglia

Claire Carrabba, Esq

Cheryl Cohen

Sarah Denby

Samir Dhamija

Cindy Erickson

Pamela W. Heffernan

John Igliozzi, Esq

Howard Merten, Esq

Damaris Messina

John H. Mullen

Jack Murray

Steven M. Parente

Karen Silva EdD, CHE

Dameian Slocum, Ed.D.

Ex-Officio

Stacey Johnson

Executive Director

Rhode Island Zoological Society/

Roger Williams Park Zoo

Wendy Nilsson

Superintendent of Parks

Providence Parks Department

Chair Emerita

Sophie F. Danforth*

Trustees Emeriti

Margaret E. Curran, Esq.

Thomas P. Dimeo*

Jocelin Hamblett

James S. Harper III, VMD*

Bradford B. Kopp

Arthur D. Little

Liz Rollins Mauran

Nancy G.R. Moger

Richard Nadeau

Jane S. Nelson

John J. Palumbo

Cate M. Roberts

Philip A. Segal, Jr.

Robert F. Stoico*

*deceased

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