New Animals Are Everywhere at Providence’s Roger Williams Park Zoo

It was our first official day of summer, so my girls and I just had to head to the zoo – and boy, did we luck out on seeing new animals at Roger Williams Park in Providence.

The weather was perfect for walking around and checking out all the amazing animals featured at RWP Zoo and we were psyched to see so many new additions as well.

Of course, last year was the baby boom at the zoo. New armadillos, a sloth, a couple of tamarins, some howler monkeys, flamingos, binturongs, and river otters all were born over the last 12-18 months.

But the zoo isn't stopping there. Now it is adding new animals in old habitats, giving zoo goers something new to see around nearly every corner.

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On our visit the first new animal we saw was Elsa, the albino alligator. She is a regular American alligator, but was born completely white and completely amazing. Her enclosure at the zoo is decorated so well it rivals a Disney display.

Although she is very rare to see, she isn't too terribly exciting. She basically finds a comfy spot to lie around in and stays there all day. The zookeepers told us she typically conserves energy by being still and only eats two to three times a week.

Much more exciting were the new Bactrian camels. In the enclosure that once housed the Dromedary camel Sacha were now two young Bactrian camels named Popcorn and Marshmallow. These newbies have been at the zoo less than a week and were clearly still getting the lay of the land. They were very energetically chasing each other around their new habitat, which my kids loved to see.

We also loved the ostriches added to the aoudad enclosure, though I was surprised to see the flightless birds in a rocky habitat. I always thought they were more into sand, but apparently the "burying their heads in sand" stuff is just a myth. Zookeepers said ostriches only lay low to the ground to hide from predators, not stick their heads in it.

The red wolves are also new at the zoo, but we didn't manage to see those guys on this trip. I imagine the wolves are much more active at night, so maybe I'll have to sneak back for the Asian Lanterns or one of the upcoming Sip and Stroll adult nights.