Many Rhode Islanders had to prepare for the Blizzard of ‘26 by stocking up on food, rearranging yards and making sure homes were well insulated. At the Roger Williams Park Zoo, things were a bit more complicated.
Zoo officials had to scramble to ensure all its animals were secure and warm.
Stacey Johnson, executive director of the zoo, who worked in Florida for several years, told the staff that the blizzard was the equivalent of working through a Category 2 hurricane, and they prepared accordingly.
“We made sure that all the animals all had extra stocks of food,” Johnson said. “We made sure that all of our generators were powered up and we had spare gasoline. Everybody that’s sort of a tropical animal, they live indoors in the winter anyway, but we just made sure that everybody had access to the best possible habitats.”
The zoo bought cots and sleeping bags for the 40 or so staff who had to stay overnight Sunday and Monday during the worst of the weather. Operations staff kept the grounds safe and shoveled snow; seven zookeepers were on hand to care for the animals.
“We didn’t really do all the same kinds of cleaning every day for those first three days, but we definitely made sure all the animals were in good shape,” Johnson said. “Everybody was in warm, safe habitats, and everybody had breakfast and dinner.”
Ultimately, the zoo said the animals in its charge came through the storm ok, without any health scares.
The cold, snowy winter may have less of an effect on the zoo animals than on human Rhode Islanders. Some of the animals are from cold climates, like bald eagles and red pandas.
“For the ones who aren’t as cold-tolerant, the recent run of Arctic weather hasn’t had a big direct effect; their routines were not greatly affected,” Johnson said. “Whether it was giraffes who spend a fair amount of time in their heated barn during the winter, or if it was the South American tropical rainforest species whose habitat is kept at 80 degrees year-round.”
