One of the great
treasures locally is the
Roger Williams Park Zoo located in Providence, Rhode Island. We took at quick family trip up to see the wonderment of the animals in their recreated natural habitat.
We actually opted to become zoo members which I think is worth it from several standpoints - if you come back a second time, it pays for itself, and you can also use the pass at other area zoos around the country like the Boston Museum of Science, and lastly, it supports the work that the zoo is doing to provide education to children and adults that visit.
The zoo seems to be in the process of expanding the habitats for the Elephants and Giraffes which is a sign of great things to come. Plenty of activities for young children, and enough to keep adults interested.
This bird was interested in getting up close to the glass and seemed to take about as much interest in the visitors as the visitors did in him.
The flamingos pretty much kept to themselves. It's understandable why people would adorn their lawns with plastic replicas of this amazing bird.
My daughter was taking note of the camels and enjoying each and every exhibit.
While not technically a "petting zoo", there is a barnyard area that houses a number of sheep and other mild animals that are found around domestic farms. It's a great touch for the zoo to include these friendly animals too.
Here my daughter is visiting with an Ox. He didn't really want to get to close, he was more than happy 10 feet out from the kids' little hands!
The monkeys are a blast. There are a two very large windows to view the monkeys from and they don't mind showing off their acrobatics on their swings, toys, and trees. They seem to almost pose for the camera like movie stars and move on to the next group of photographers to make sure that everyone gets a chance to take a pic.
We were fortunate to see the Elephants from up close. There are special feeding times for some animals including these mammoths and also for the giraffes as well. The three Elephants were seven years old and seemed more gentle than one would imagine for such a heavy creature.
The zoo also has kangaroos like this one. The
Kanga looked more annoyed with his or her surroundings. S/he
occasionally looked up to see who was disturbing her nap!
Aside from animal exhibits, there was also this nice lady playing the harp. My daughter took an interest in the instrument, and she was even allowed to try it out.
Here are the baby giraffes outside of the feeding barn. It's pretty amazing to see these animals from 10 feet away. It gives you a whole new perspective on some of these majestic creatures. And its also an added reminder that as custodians of the land, that we need to preserve areas for these creatures to grow and roam.
So if you haven't been to Roger Williams Zoo Park, then I'd strongly recommend a visit.
