Roger Williams Park Zoo Roger Williams Park Zoo news 2024

Birdlover said:
there were 2 Hamerkops present in addition to the previously mentioned species
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Birdlover said:
The small aviary by the giraffes is currently empty but will soon have starlings, weavers and rollers. (I do not know the exact species)
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The hamerkops and whatever weaver species the zoo has make nine species. I suspect one of these two wasn't initially planned, because I was told there would be at eight species (two Lady Ross's turacos, speckled mousebirds, around five superb starlings, blue-bellied rollers, one snowy-crowned robin-chat which apparently isn't on-exhibit yet, hadada ibises, unspecified pigeons which are apparently Columba guinea, and one other) multiple times by some higher-ups.

Birdlover said:
Lastly one of the Boat-billed Herons was on a nest but they don't know if it contains any eggs.
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The boat-billed herons are siblings, but they have been breeding and nesting. From my understanding, staff are hopeful there will be no fertile eggs.
 
Birdlover said:
The small aviary by the giraffes is currently empty but will soon have starlings, weavers and rollers. (I do not know the exact species)
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This new aviary is now officially opened. The windows are partially obscured by paper, however today I saw at least five Taveta golden weavers and a white-headed buffalo weaver. Not sure if there are any other species in here yet or if they'll be added soon. I don't think there will be rollers in the new aviary, as blue-bellied rollers are on exhibit in the aviary by the entrance.
 
Neil chace said:
This new aviary is now officially opened. The windows are partially obscured by paper, however today I saw at least five Taveta golden weavers and a white-headed buffalo weaver. Not sure if there are any other species in here yet or if they'll be added soon. I don't think there will be rollers in the new aviary, as blue-bellied rollers are on exhibit in the aviary by the entrance.
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Three superb starlings and a snowy-crowned robin chat have joined the weavers in this new small bird aviary. Interestingly, the mousebirds are still being housed alongside the mynahs- so not sure if that'll be their permanent exhibit or if they'll find their way down to Africa soon.
 
Neil chace said:
This new aviary is now officially opened. The windows are partially obscured by paper, however today I saw at least five Taveta golden weavers and a white-headed buffalo weaver. Not sure if there are any other species in here yet or if they'll be added soon. I don't think there will be rollers in the new aviary, as blue-bellied rollers are on exhibit in the aviary by the entrance.
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There appears to be two white-headed buffalo weavers.
 
wild boar said:
There appears to be two white-headed buffalo weavers.
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That is correct. I had only seen one on the day I first reported this news, however I have since seen a second individual, as well as a sixth Taveta golden weaver. Similarly, despite only seeing one robin chat and three starlings yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if this is also an under-count of the actual number of individuals.
 
Neil chace said:
That is correct. I had only seen one on the day I first reported this news, however I have since seen a second individual, as well as a sixth Taveta golden weaver. Similarly, despite only seeing one robin chat and three starlings yesterday, I wouldn't be surprised if this is also an under-count of the actual number of individuals.
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I thought there might have been a sixth Taveta golden weaver but I wasn't certain.

At one point there were five male superb starlings and a single snowy-crowned robin-chat, a male, all off-exhibit.
 
Neil chace said:
The Kirk's dik-dik has returned to exhibit, being mixed with the black-crowned cranes again! That said, the bat-eared foxes, which were mixed with the cranes, are no longer on exhibit. No word on if/when/where they will return to exhibit, or if they are even still at the zoo.
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Smaggledagle said:
Could the foxes and dik-dik be rotated with the black-crowned cranes on certain days?
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The bat-eared fox is now signed again, and exhibited on a rotating basis with the dik-dik. Today, it was the bat-eared fox on exhibit with the cranes. One of the bat-eared foxes underwent a front-leg amputation.
 
Here is a list from a visit on July 27th, 2024, with some additional comments on what I believe they have/had recently and hoping for some input/corrections. In the July issue of the zoo's online magazine "Wild" they state they have 145 species. My list is in the low 100's so there must be a large number of species behind the scenes. Species listed seen on the 27th unless otherwise noted.
1. Blue-bellied Roller
2. Hadada Ibis
3. Hamerkop
4. Lady Ross's Turaco
5. Speckled Pigeon
6. Trumpeter Hornbill (also present in current seasonal bird show)
7. Ankole-Watusi Cattle
8. Burchell's (Grant's) Zebra
9. Blue ( Eastern White-bearded) Wildebeest
10. Serval
11. Cheetah
12. Bat-eared Fox
13. Black (West African) Crowned Crane
14. Kirk's Dik-dik (not visible is supposed to be alternating with Bat-eared Fox)
15. Red River Hog
16. African Elephant
17. Masai Giraffe
18. Snowy-headed Robin Chat
19. Superb Starling
20. White-headed Buffalo Weaver
21. Taveta Golden Weaver
22. Chicken (not seen and no evidence of but still listed on website)
23. Giant Flemish Rabbit (not seen and no evidence of but still listed on website)
24. Guinea Hog
25. Huacaya Alpaca
26. Mini Nubian Goat
27. Miniature Donkey
28. Shetland Sheep
29. Barn Owl
30. Indian Peafowl
31. Black Howler Monkey
32. White-faced Saki
33. White-eared Titi
34. Golden Lion Tamarin
35. Linnaeus's Two-toed Sloth
36. Brazilian Rainbow Boa (not seen, sign said coming soon)
37. Collared Treerunner
38. Dyeing Poison Dart Frog (not seen, sign said under vet.care)
39. Yellow-banded Poison Frog
40. Bleeding-heart Tetra
41. Freshwater Angelfish
42. Rummy-nose Tetra
43. Black-spot Piranha
44. Giant Otter
45. Green Anaconda
46. Southern Tamandua (not seen)
47. Keel-billed Toucan
48. Giant Wood Rail
49. Hyacinth Macaw
50. Scarlet Ibis
51. Sunbittern
52. Yellow-rumped Cacique
53. Boat-billed Heron
54. Red-footed Tortoise
55. Giant Anteater
56. Chilean Flamingo
57. Mataschie's Tree Kangaroo
58. Komodo Dragon
59. Wrinkled Hornbill (not seen)
60. Northern Snake-necked Turtle (not seen and not signed) (still there?)
61. Common Snake-necked Turtle
62. Emerald Tree Boa
63. Eastern Rosella
64. Speckled Mousebird
65. Bali Myna
66. Bennett's Wallaby
67. Northern River Otter
68. King Vulture
69. Binturong
70. North Sulawesi Babirusa
71. Laughing Kookaburra
72. Radiated Tortoise
73. Northern White-cheeked Gibbon (not seen)
74. Bactrian Camel
75. Asian Black Bear
76. Red-crowned Crane
77. Snow Leopard
78. Red Panda
79. Takin
80. Black Rat Snake
81. Northern Copperhead (not seen) (still on website but not seen in a long time. Still there?)
82. Timber Rattlesnake
83. Black Vulture (not seen in exhibit but seen in current bird show)
84. Nine-banded Armadillo
85. Bald Eagle
86. Golden Eagle
87. Pronghorn
88. Wild Turkey
89. Red Wolf (not seen)
90. American Bison
91. Reeve's Muntjac
92. Common Raven
93. Aplomado Falcon (part of bird show seen recently but not Saturday)
94. Black-throated Magpie Jay (part of bird show seen recently but not Saturday)
95. Blue-throated Macaw (bird show)
96. Grey Crowned Crane (bird show)
97. Hooded Vulture (bird show)
98. Kea (part of bird show seen recently but not Saturday)
99. Livingston's Turaco (part of bird show seen recently but not Saturday)
100. Military Macaw (bird show)
101. Pied Crow (bird show)
102. Red-fronted Macaw (bird show)
103. Red-legged Seriema (bird show)
104. Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (bird show)
105. Scarlet Macaw (bird show)
106. Corn Snake (ambassador animal seen earlier this year)
107. Madagascar Hissing Cockroach (ambassador animal seen earlier this year)
108. Red-tailed Hawk (ambassador animal seen earlier this year)
African Spurred Tortoise (assuming just bts , no exhibit visible for it)
Aldabra Tortoise (assuming just bts , no exhibit visible for it)
Blue-throated Piping Guan (not seen, assuming bts)
Red-rumped Agouti (no longer on exhibit, I believe I heard it is now an ambassador animal (this needs confirmation))
The following are ambassador animals from the past few years and I assume are still present. (Confirmation desired)
Brazilian Porcupine
Domestic Rabbit ( same as the Giant Flemish Rabbit?
Von der Decken's Hornbill
Eastern Box Turtle
Blue-tongued Skink
Six-banded Armadillo
Ball Python
African Hedgehog
Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
Tegu
Milky Treefrog (overheard a zookeeper mention this at one point)
 
Birdlover said:
22. Chicken (not seen and no evidence of but still listed on website)
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Chickens are no longer present in the collection.
Birdlover said:
23. Giant Flemish Rabbit (not seen and no evidence of but still listed on website)
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The Flemish giant rabbits are still present, and are found in the Farmyard (exhibit to the left of the Farmyard Stage).
Birdlover said:
26. Mini Nubian Goat
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The zoo has two breeds of goat on exhibit: mini Nubian and Nigerian dwarf.
Birdlover said:
40. Bleeding-heart Tetra
41. Freshwater Angelfish
42. Rummy-nose Tetra
43. Black-spot Piranha
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There is also a stick catfish and cardinal tetra present.
Birdlover said:
60. Northern Snake-necked Turtle (not seen and not signed) (still there?)
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I'm not aware of the zoo having had two snake-necked turtle species. When was the last time you had seen this species?
Birdlover said:
81. Northern Copperhead (not seen) (still on website but not seen in a long time. Still there?)
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I haven't seen this snake since last year, but to be fair it was always a hit-or-miss individual to see.
Birdlover said:
Aldabra Tortoise (assuming just bts , no exhibit visible for it)
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The Aldabra giant tortoise exhibit is located in the Hasbro's Big Backyard (Beyond the Fence section).
Birdlover said:
African Spurred Tortoise (assuming just bts , no exhibit visible for it)
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I don't think this tortoise is present in the collection anymore.
Birdlover said:
Blue-throated Piping Guan (not seen, assuming bts)
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Correct- behind the scenes since the escape earlier this year.
Birdlover said:
Red-rumped Agouti (no longer on exhibit, I believe I heard it is now an ambassador animal (this needs confirmation))
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The agouti is no longer present in the collection.
Birdlover said:
The following are ambassador animals from the past few years and I assume are still present. (Confirmation desired)
Brazilian Porcupine
Domestic Rabbit ( same as the Giant Flemish Rabbit?
Von der Decken's Hornbill
Eastern Box Turtle
Blue-tongued Skink
Six-banded Armadillo
Ball Python
African Hedgehog
Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec
Tegu
Milky Treefrog (overheard a zookeeper mention this at one point)
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Some, if not all, of these animals should still be present- the zoo advertises the porcupine and armadillo as optional animals for encounters, and I've seen a few of these around grounds this summer too (EBT and ball python). Other species I've seen around this summer include prehensile-tailed skink, Brazilian rainbow boa, and emperor scorpion. Most recent USDA report lists both the hedgehog and tenrec, as well as domestic ferret, Virginia opossum, and kinkajou.
 
Thanks Neil, for the additional info.
The other snake-necked turtle species, I have not seen in quite awhile but it has previously been bts for years at a time. It has a massive head compared to the other snake-necks (if you see it you know it!). I made a careful check of the fish tank and while it is possible I missed the catfish there were no Cardinal Tetras present but I have seen them in the past.
 
On July 23rd, the zoo announced they bred and released 300 American burying beetles on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts.

Roger Williams Park Zoo & Carousel Village

Neil chace said:
The zoo's goat contact yard has officially closed, as the zoo is constructing a completely new climbing structure in it, replacing the existing climbing and shade structures.
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On July 28th, the zoo announced they reopened the domestic goat contact yard to the public with a new climbing structure.

Roger Williams Park Zoo & Carousel Village

On August 8th, the zoo announced that 2 eastern box turtles hatched in early August which will be released into the wild at a later date.

Roger Williams Park Zoo & Carousel Village
 
Nile Hippo Expert said:
Per the LA Zoo's animal transactions report, they sent a new young male Masai Giraffe to RWPZ on an SSP breeding recommendation.
https://lazoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Zoo-Commission-Animal-Report-6.18.24.pdf
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The recommendation for this anticipated transfer mentioned in this notice was retracted when it was determined that Enzi, the young male from Boston, needed placement and that the Roger Williams Park Zoo was a suitable location. Thus, the male from Los Angeles mentioned in this report did not and will not come to Providence.

Its certainly interesting to see how the mechanics of a transfer unfold, so thanks for posting the report here.
 
wild boar said:
Monster, the blue-throated piping guan dad, was transferred to another zoo. A new female, Donna, has arrived and is in the Faces of the Rainforest atrium. Soon she will be introduced to Chip, the most-recently hatched chick of Cookie, who passed away about half-a-year ago now, and Monster.
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The education staff member who told me this information was obviously wrong based on both the articles about Chip and Monster escaping a few months after I was told Monster left and more recent visits to the zoo. As far as I know, the Roger Williams Park Zoo hasn't had a female guan since Cookie, who Monster was paired with, passed away.
 
Roger Williams Park Zoo Report From Vist on 11/9/2024

General Updates:

Apparently the male hamerkop is very aggressive with the female.

Five more mousebirds recently cleared quarantine and are behind-the-scenes. That means there are eight at the zoo now.

There are a few new education animals. A male six-banded armadillo is currently being introduced to female Josephine, who herself came to the zoo in the last few years. His name is Beauregard. At least one skunk has also joined the ambassador program.

Transferring Paia the tree kangaroo who was born at the zoo a few years ago has been cancelled. Zoo Miami no longer had space for her.

The one Kirk's dik-dik passed away.

The American black vultures are in a non-public area right now because a new shelter and a wall in front of their holding were just installed.

One male and two female wild turkeys have joined the one male the zoo had already in the pronghorn yard.

A temporary shelter has been set up in front of the red panda building's public window preventing glare from the sun until a permanant solution can be implemented.

The two tortoises I noted previously as being off-exhibit were relocated to (an)other zoo(s).

Construction on the penguin exhibit has begun and bids are in for the education complex. One tentative project after these two things are completed is a jaguar exhibit located outside the Faces of the Rainforest atrium.

Gustavo, the tamandua pup born earlier this year, will transferred to another zoo shortly, if he hasn't yet already. I might be mistaken but I think I remember his intended destination being somewhere in Florida.

A sign has been placed on the unoccupied terrarium in Faces of the Rainforest indicating that an emerald swift will be going in there soon. This is an exciting addition because emerald swifts are rarely held in zoos, although I suspect they are fairly common in the pet trade.

The golden lion tamarin who was born early this year (months before Nora) was named Leopold (I might be spelling that incorrectly). Archie will be leaving for another facility soon, if he hasn't already.

The loan of the white-faced saki female, Suni, has ended so she has returned to the institution that owns her, leaving behind two males.

Faces of the Rainforest Bird Updates:

The male boat-billed heron died. He was suffering from cancer. There are plans to acquire some female companions for his sister. The giant wood rail male parent, has apparently been sent to another zoo. The female parent is deceased but staff want to continue breeding this species. As of now, the two offspring, Elijah and Natalie, will be staying. The tentative plan is to crush all of Natalie's eggs in case inbreeding occurs and use Elijah for breeding with females that would be coming from other zoos.

Chip, one of the blue-throated piping guans, was transferred to another institution a few weeks ago. Monster remains in a non-public area after he and Chip escaped earlier in the year. The management team wants to keep him in Providence but they have not yet determined where in the zoo he could live permanantly.

Explanation of the Changes to the Giraffe Plan:

The male giraffe from Los Angeles will not be coming to Providence. The original reccommendation by the Species Survival Plan after Jaffa died was for the zoo to relocate Cora and Providence and start holding three-bulls. I was told directly that upper management didn't want to transfer five total individuals because of the associated costs and stress that the move would cause for the animals.
 
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