THE ONE-MINUTE ZOO

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

• Nationally acclaimed and award winning - Roger Williams Park Zoo has received accolades from all over the country for its conservation and education efforts as well as its entertainment value. In 2001, the zoo was ranked by Yankee Magazine as an "Editor's Pick" and was chosen as "Best Family Outing" by Citysearch.com users. Rhode Island Monthly also included the zoo as a 2001 Rhode Island All-Star, and in 1999 the zoo was named one of America's top ten zoos by Travel & Leisure Family Magazine (1999 spring/summer issue).

• Roger Williams Park Zoo is home to hundreds of rare and fascinating animals from around the world including polar bears, snow leopards, moon bears, giraffes and elephants all in naturalistic settings. The zoo's population numbers over 1000 animals, with some 139 different species on display at any given time.

• Today, awareness and appreciation of wildlife, in addition to recreation, serve as major goals of Roger Williams Park Zoo. Zoo staff currently perform conservation fieldwork around the world with many endangered species including the black howler monkeys of Belize, tree kangaroos of Papua, New Guinea and the American Burying Beetle.

• Roger Williams Park Zoo is one of over 200 zoos in the country that are accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). The Zoo is a partner in the Species Survival Plan (SSP) administered by AZA. The zoo cares for 18 SSP species, which means they are part of a national system of research, record-keeping and breeding. Without this human intervention, many of these species would face certain extinction.

• Close to 650,000 people visited the zoo over the past year, most of them families, making it Rhode Island's number one outdoor tourist attraction.

• Schools also love the zoo; more than 65,000 school children students participated in formal education programs including Zoo camps, activities at the Zoo Lab, and classroom visits from the Zoomobile.

• Hours: Roger Williams Park Zoo is open every day except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Thanksgiving (closed at 2 p.m. on the last Saturday in June for Zoobilee)
  Spring/Summer: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays (till 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays)
  Fall/Winter: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. It is conveniently located in Providence, RI, exit 16 off interstate I-95, about one hour from Boston and 90 minutes from Hartford.

• General Zoo admission is $10/adults, $6/children (3-12) and $8/seniors (62+). Group rates are available.