Conservation and environmental stewardship are at the core of our mission here at Roger Williams Park Zoo. Within the Zoo, we strive to impart awareness of the environment and an appreciation for wildlife to our visitors. As a partner in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Zoo also cares for and breeds species that, without human intervention, would face certain extinction. Outside of the Zoo, we work to promote wildlife and habitat conservation through our own projects and initiatives, as well as through partnerships and collaborations with other environmental organizations.
The Zoo has been the recipient of numerous awards for conservation work done both locally and around the globe, and we maintain a reputation as a leader in conservation efforts undertaken by a zoo of our size.
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American Burying Beetle
The Zoo’s American Burying Beetle recovery program has been recognized by AZA as one of the top ten conservation success stories of 2006. The program has also been the recipient of AZA’s North American Conservation Award (2000) and an Edward H. Bean Award (2006). Known as nature’s most efficient and fascinating recyclers, burying beetles are an endangered species that are responsible for recycling decaying animals back into the ecosystem. Working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Roger Williams Park Zoo has reared and released over 2,500 beetles in Nantucket, MA since 1994.
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The Karner Blue Butterfly Conservation Program
In an effort to bring these "flying flowers" back from the brink of extinction, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) formed the Butterfly Conservation Initiative (BFCI) in June of 2002. As one of the BFCI's founding members and continual supporters, Roger Williams Park Zoo is working with zoos and environmental organizations across the country, and right here in New England, to give butterflies a fighting chance .
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Red Wolf Recovery Program
Declared extinct in the wild in 1980, the red wolf is one of the most endangered animals in the world. Due to the conservation efforts of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife and North American zoos, the population is growing in captivity and being reintroduced to the wild. In 2005, three red wolf pups were born at the Roger Williams Park Zoo, increasing the worldwide population by 1%.
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El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, Panama
Never in documented history has an entire species faced such rapid extinction. This global extinction crisis is one of the most important conservation challenges ever faced by the Zoo and Aquarium community. Roger Williams Park Zoo is taking part in important efforts to save these species at the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center in Panama.
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FrogWatch USA
As a participant in the national FrogWatch USA program, the Zoo trains volunteer “citizen scientists” to participate in annual frog monitoring across Rhode Island.
Program volunteers learn how to tell frog species apart by their calls, and commit to monitoring a local amphibian habitat (such as a pond or lake) to collect data on what they hear, approximately once a week for about 15 minutes.
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Tarangire Elephant Project
The Tarangire Elephant Project (TEP) was initiated in 1993 and has been collecting demographic data on the northern sub-population of elephants almost continuously for the past 14 years. Over 800 elephants are now known individually, which is probably the second largest elephant database in Africa - second only to that of Amboseli National Park. Important research has been carried out on the impact of poaching on elephant social systems, and TEP was the first project to carry out hormonal studies of female elephants in the wild. Roger Williams Park Zoo is funding a permanent in-country employment position to foster the human to elephant relationship and teach villages how to properly coexist with elephants.
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Polar Bears International Arctic Ambassador Center
RWPZ has partnered with Polar Bears International (PBI), a nonprofit organization dedicated to the worldwide conservation of the polar bear and its habitat though research and education. PBI provides scientific resources and information on polar bears and their habitat to all interested parties. As part of PBI’s efforts, they are establishing a network of Arctic Ambassador Centers in more than 30 zoos and aquariums throughout North America and the world. Roger Williams Park Zoo is one of these Arctic Ambassador Centers.
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Species Survival Program
One of our most powerful tools in combating extinction is the Species Survival Plan. The Species Survival Plan, or SSP, was begun by the AZA in 1981 as a cooperative population management and conservation program for selected species at North American zoos and aquariums.
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Sophie Danforth Conservation Biology Fund
Since 1989, Roger Williams Park Zoo and the Rhode Island Zoological Society have awarded a total of over 40 annual grants of $1000 each to conservation projects worldwide through the Sophie Danforth Conservation Biology Fund. Many of the supported projects continue to grow and succeed. This is a vital but often unseen part of the zoo’s conservation efforts. Find out about the SDCBF Application Process.
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Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program
Roger Williams Park Zoo is proud to support the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program (TKCP) based at Woodland Park Zoo. The TKCP is working to protect the threatened Matschie’s tree kangaroo in ways that also meet the needs of the local communities who share the forests of Papua New Guinea (PNG) with these elusive marsupials. The mission of the TKCP is to establish a 150,000-acre Conservation Area on the Huon Peninsula of Papua New Guinea through community-based action that includes scientific research, education and conservation outreach.
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