OCTOBER 2020 VOLUME 23, ISSUE 4

PUBLISHED FOR FRIENDS OF ZOO

October 1 – November 1 welcome! By Jeremy Goodman, DVM Executive Director, RWP Zoo and RI Zoological Society

Providence, RI has long been known as one of the top food generous grant from The Champlin Foundation, the Zoo has a cities in the US. Now some of that culinary magic has come new animal commissary located behind the education center to the Zoo! I am pleased to announce that our Zoo’s new where all the food that our animals eat will be stored and partner, SSA is now providing an all new food experience prepared for consumption. for our guests. The Zoo will has reinvented our eateries into Tuskers and Nourish 401. A third location, Slice will hopefully Providing a high-quality experience for our guests, ensuring be opening in 2021. People dining in the park will be treated that our animals have top-notch facilities, and producing to meals with fresh ingredients prepared just for them. In exceptional events like our Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular are feedback provided by guests like you, we heard that we had not inexpensive endeavors. As the Zoo continues to recover to step up our game when it came to our food offerings. I’m from the devastating financial effects of the Covid-19 virus sure you will be pleased with the changes. Make sure to try I once again urge you to give to the emergency fund and them out and let us know what you think! support us in any way possible. Your contribution will ensure that your Zoo will remain New England’s premier institution Our animals also require the best food possible to stay happy for education, conservation, and animal care. and healthy. They eat restaurant quality produce as well as the highest quality diets available. Up until now, all animal I look forward to seeing you at the Zoo! diets were prepared in a small room behind the Sophie Danforth administration building. Now, thanks to a very click to donate!

DISCOVER A WORLD OF

October 1 – November 1

Tickets are online sales ONLY 1 Click here to purchase  CELEBRATE OCTOBER AT ROGER WILLIAMS PARK ZOO

October in New England is a time to enjoy the autumn leaves, cooler temperatures and of course Halloween. Many are asking how we can enjoy a beautiful October and be safe and healthy as we enjoy some of our traditional Fall events.

read on to find out!

2 October 1 – November 1

YES, YES, YES – Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is BACK!!! A slightly different version IMPORTANT VEHICLE INFORMATION due to COVID 19 restrictions, Citizens presents a drive-through Jack-O-Lantern Driving through Roger Williams Park Zoo is Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo Thursday, October 1 – Sunday, November 1, much different than strolling on the Wetlands 2020. Celebrate Special Places while staying safe inside your car enjoying thousands Trail. We ask that all our guests adhere to the of intricately carved pumpkins as you immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the following: Halloween season. • Large commercial or oversized vehicles, motorcycles, open side vehicles, and The trail will wind from the Zoo’s parking lot, into the admissions plaza and even recreational devices (bicycles, scooters, through a portion of the Zoo itself! Patrons will view pumpkins from trees, on the side skateboards, etc.) are not permitted. of the trail, and just about everywhere the eye can see. • No busses or RVs.

This is the tenth season Citizens is sponsoring Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, one of New • Minivans and pickup trucks are permissible. England’s most signature events. Thanks to Citizens adults and children can participate • Roofs must be on Jeeps and convertibles. in this explosion of sights, sounds, colors, and music that make October such a special • NO HONKING. Maximum speed 3 mph. time in . • NO PASSING The Zoo is also grateful for the continuing support from Cardi’s Furniture and • Guests may not exit their vehicle during the Mattresses. Cardi’s supports the Zoo year-round and increases the Zoo’s Jack-O- duration of the tour. Lantern Spectacular visibility through their promotion. • Tailgates, doors, and hatchbacks must be The trail will be open every night 6:30 – 11:00 pm. Gates will close at 10:30 pm. Tickets closed. are online sales ONLY and sold for each half hour. Absolutely no tickets will be sold at • Smoking and alcohol are not permitted the gate. Tickets, on sale now at rwpzoo.org/jols, are $50 per vehicle; Zoo members within the zoo. $45 per vehicle. Reciprocal membership discounts, and AAA discounts are not offered • No pets in vehicles. in 2020. thank you to our sponsors

3 thank you citizens!

For more than two decades, Citizens has had the distinct the customized virtual backgrounds, snap and share. pleasure of supporting the Roger Williams Park Zoo, one of our We’re looking forward to seeing your photos! region’s foremost centers for conservation and environmental (citizensmemories.com/jols) education. Since our founding in 1828, our customers and the As you leisurely cruise through the trail in the comfort of your communities we serve have been the cornerstone of our work, own vehicle during this first-ever drive-through Jack-O-Lantern and the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, which welcomes more Spectacular, be sure to than a 100,000 visitors annually from across New England and take in the more than beyond, celebrates that mission. 5,000 artfully carved This year, we looked with eager anticipation to marking our 10th glowing pumpkins anniversary of sponsorship of the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular; that exemplify this a one-of-a-kind event inviting people of all ages to behold year’s theme, “Special the breathtaking creativity of local artists and community Places.” More than just organizations – and enjoy some good ‘ol spooky family fun! stunning pumpkins, As the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact our community, the Jack-O-Lantern we all experienced unprecedented challenges as workplaces, Spectacular is a feast for organizations and individuals were forced to rethink, reset and the senses; an explosion recalibrate in every way possible. At Citizens, we’ve learned of sights, sounds, colors that it is in times like these; times of hardship and adversity, that and music that shows we witness the true resilience of the human spirit, and watching why October such an the Jack-O-Lantern be reinvented in a new and exciting way has extraordinary time in been nothing short of inspirational. Rhode Island, nowhere more so than here at We applaud the tireless efforts of the staff of the Roger Williams the Zoo. Park Zoo and organizers of the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular who never gave up on bringing this event, one of the most highly As we continue our long- anticipated of the fall season throughout all of New England, to standing commitment the public in a safe, healthy, engaging and enchanting way. We to the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular and the communities we encourage Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular visitors to take part in the serve, we are confident you’ll enjoy every moment of this virtual photo booth – a fun, simple and exciting new way we can unparalleled event that raises funds for the zoo’s animal welfare digitally experience the event together while making memories and conservation initiatives. Have fun, make memories and with family and friends. We may not be gathering in real life right share your images from the virtual photo booth. See you on the now, but that’s no reason we can’t connect. Choose from one of pumpkin trail! SPOOKTACULAR October 31 and November 1 6:30 - 9:30 pm

Roger Williams Park Zoo is known for its annual Spooky Zoo held the last weekend in October. Due to COVID-19 restrictions Spooky Zoo is different in 2020. Instead of a daytime event – kids can enjoy SPOOKTACULAR on October 31 and November 1, 6:30 - 9:30 pm as they drive through Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. Every child will receive trick or treat bags provided by our friends at Tarbox, as they sit in the comfort of their vehicle. Along the trail, as kids witness the extraordinary pumpkins – they will spy RI Comic Con costumed characters safely giving out sealed candy thanks to Citizens. What would Halloween be without some sweet treats? SPOOKTACULAR is included in the price of the drive-through Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular ticket.

Children 12 and under who visit the Zoo in costume during the day on October 31 and/or November 1 will receive admission for half price. There will be no Spooky Zoo activities nor any candy available. Be assured that Roger Williams Park Zoo is committed to providing family fun everyone safely and in compliance with all State of Rhode Island COVID-19 regulations. See you on the pumpkin trail! 4 Meet the Zoo’s Wild Neighbors By David Gregg and Jo Yellis

More and more, people are seeing coyotes around their Roger Williams Park Zoo. Roger Williams Park Zoo is a partner neighborhood, and in their yard. The animals we see in rural on an important research project investigating these questions towns, suburbs, or even in the center of Providence, are by using GPS technology to track coyotes in urban, suburban, eastern coyotes, descendants of the western coyote with a and rural spaces around Rhode Island. small amount of wolf and dog DNA woven in during a period Dr. Mitchell uses reports from the public to help identify coyote of interbreeding many years ago. Eastern coyotes have been “hot spots,” places with especially heavy coyote traffic. She established residents of coastal New England since the 1970’s. then sets up specially designed soft-hold traps at these hot Before European settlers came to America and cleared the spots. When she catches a coyote, she and a veterinarian forests, wolves were a top predator in eastern North America. collect data on the coyote’s age, size, sex, and health and Over the last century, the forests have come back and along attach a collar with a GPS tracker and other radio beacons. with the trees have come deer, turkey, beaver, fisher, and the They then release the coyote back to the wild. The process eastern coyote. enables Dr. Mitchell to follow the coyote’s activities observing where he/she sleeps, hunts, and dens; and how he/she The questions often asked are: How has the eastern coyote interacts with humans and coyotes from neighboring packs. been able to spread so rapidly? How can they live successfully so close to humans? What is the effect of these new predators Two coyotes were collared in Roger Williams Park in the on the ecology of New England? spring. One was an “alpha” male—a pack leader—who was given the name “Nicker,” and the other was an alpha female Dr. Numi Mitchell, of The Conservation Agency, has studied who was named “Whinny.” Unfortunately, Nicker’s career in Rhode Island coyotes for over 15 years, mostly in Newport, research was cut short when he was hit and killed by a car, an Middletown, and Portsmouth. Now a grant from the U.S. all too common occurrence, but Whinny went on to give birth Fish & Wildlife Service and the Rhode Island Department of to a litter of pups at a most unusual location. Environmental Management is allowing her to expand her research statewide. Additionally, working on the project with Whinny’s tracking data shows that the athletic fields at Dr. Mitchell are the Rhode Island Natural History Survey and Johnson & Wales University are part of her pack’s territory. 5 While it normally would make no sense for a coyote to By learning more about coyote habits, this research will point excavate a den so close to human activity, that’s exactly what out ways that humans can co-exist with coyotes, ways that are this alpha female did. It may be related to COVID. In the early safe for both humans and coyotes. Safe co-existence is vital days of the pandemic, the fields were closed, and human because the coyotes are not going away; tricks of their biology activity subsided, creating the perfect conditions for coyotes to and territoriality make it virtually impossible to hunt them give birth and raise a family. out of Rhode Island. And besides, coyotes perform valuable ecological services: as they forage, coyotes help control the Since the pups arrived and made their presence known, their populations of deer that are overgrazing our forests and of safety became a concern. Left alone coyotes are naturally rodents and with them the ticks that carry Lyme disease. shy and stay away from people. However, when humans give food to coyotes, especially pups, it teaches them to connect Eastern coyotes are beautiful animals that have proven to food with humans. That is unsafe for both the humans and be highly adaptable. Their habitat includes a variety of the coyotes. If the coyote becomes too bold, people then call natural and human surroundings: forests and fields, to have them removed. In response, the Zoo, along with the scrublands and wetlands, parks and golf courses, suburban study partners and their public outreach arm, CoyoteSmarts, backyards and even built up urban areas like those around are putting up signs around the area to discourage contact and Roger Williams Park. feeding. It is expected that the animals will disperse before So, if you happen to see a coyote, enjoy the sight of this athletic activity resumes in the fall. beautiful, adaptable wild animal. But please don’t feed As coyotes are becoming more common in our area, conflicts them. Help us keep our wildlife wild and our pets and with human residents and domestic animals are increasing. communities safe.

For more information about the coyote study, please visit the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study website at www. theconservationagency.org/coyote or the coyote research page at www. coyotesmarts.org.

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David Gregg is executive director of the RI Natural History Survey. Jo Yellis is project coordinator for CoyoteSmarts, a public information initiative of the Potter League for Animals, Norman Bird Sanctuary, Aquidneck Land Trust, Aquidneck Island Planning Commission, Eastern RI Conservation District, RI Natural History Survey, and The Conservation Agency, home to the Narragansett Bay Coyote Study.

6 Saving the New England Cottontail

augment existing populations.” Alongside the reintroduction efforts, he added, is a habitat restoration component in which several other partner institutions participate.

According to Perrotti, the National Wildlife Refuge serves as a perfect location in which to introduce captive-bred New England cottontails into their natural habitat. The park’s 350- In July, Roger William Park Zoo’s director of conservation acre release site is the ideal spot to ease the rabbits into their programs Lou Perrotti was joined by agents from U.S. Fish & transition to life in the wild. Wildlife Service and University of Rhode Island biologists in “It’s a perfect early successional habitat, which they prefer,” releasing a pair of New England cottontails at Charlestown’s said Perrotti, referencing the park’s voraciously growing Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge. grasses, shrubs and thickets which provide excellent food The New England cottontail, a species of rabbit native to and shelter for native wildlife. “The Refuge is also the last site parts of New England and New York, is closely related to where we observed wild New England cottontails in Rhode the non-native Eastern cottontail, the most common rabbit Island, back in 2006.” species in North America. Both habitat loss and competition Since 2010, New England Cottontail captive breeding with its Eastern cousin have decimated New England cottontail institutions have made promising progress toward boosting populations over the last 50 years. cottontail numbers, releasing over 300 captive-bred Researchers from the International Union for Conservation specimens into the wild. Partners also work to protect and of Nature estimate there are less than 17,000 New England restore habitat throughout the range of this species. Roger cottontails left in the wild, spread throughout southern Williams Park Zoo continues to play an integral role in restoring Maine, southern New Hampshire, parts of Massachusetts, New England cottontail populations through breeding and Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York east of the Hudson reintroduction programs. River. The remaining cottontails in the wild occupy less than The Zoo’s New England cottontail program, like many others, one fifth of their historic range. was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in early “It’s our only native cottontail rabbit,” said Perrotti. “The goal 2020. After successful years in 2018 and 2019 - seeing over for the project is to breed rabbits in captivity and reintroduce 150 specimens released into locations around New England them throughout New England to create new populations and - the rapid spread of the virus brought the 2020 breeding 7 season to a grinding halt. According to Perrotti, there were too many uncertainties to continue the captive breeding programs.

“At the Zoo, we had to split the staff up, we didn’t know what interstate travel would look like or whether we could do releases across state lines,” Perrotti said, noting that many state and federal biologists were left in a similar state of flux.

“We were unable to go out in groups and do field work so that hampered what we could do, how we could do it, and when we could “It’s our do it. Unfortunately, we decided it only native would be best to just take the rest of 2020 off. Luckily the Zoo managed to cottontail sneak a couple of broods in before rabbit,” the pandemic struck, which is how we ended up with the pair of rabbits that were released in July.”

Perrotti is hopeful that the breeding program will resume stronger than ever in 2021, helping to create strong New England Cottontail populations across the region.

“I would like to see self-sustaining populations established across the range to the point where we don’t have to augment or create new populations,” he said. “That’s the ultimate goal, of any recovery program.”

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Roger Williams Park Zoo is supported and managed by the 2020 RHODE ISLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Rhode Island Zoological Society and is owned by the City of Providence Officers Liz Rollins Mauran Chairman Emeritus Maribeth Q. Williamson, Chair Jeffrey Mello Sophie F. Danforth* Editorial Designer Howard Merten, Vice Chair John J. Palumbo Roger Williams Park Zoo Department Sara Beatrice Sandra L. Coletta, Treasurer Steven M. Parente Trustees Emeritus of Marketing and Public Relations Tandem Designworks Margaret Ferguson, Secretary Dr. Karen E. Silva Margaret E. Curran, Esq. Corrie Ignagni Thomas P. Dimeo Photo Credits Board of Trustees Trustees Ex-Officio Jocelin Hamblett Andrea E. McHugh Jeremy Goodman, DVM Roger Williams Park Zoo Kristen Adamo James S. Harper III, VMD* Sam Vaccaro Nancy Allen Executive Director Bradford B. Kopp Douglas Caniglia Rhode Island Zoological Arthur D. Little Barbara Cottam Society/Roger Williams Nancy G. R. Moger Teresa A. Crean, AICP Park Zoo Richard Nadeau WILD is an online publication of the Rhode Island Zoological Society, Roger Williams Sarah Denby Jane S. Nelson Wendy Nillson Park Zoo, 1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island 02907-3659 Dana L. Goldberg Cate M. Roberts Superintendent of Parks Marta Gomez-Chiarri Philip A. Segal, Jr. Providence Parks Department For membership information call (401) 785-3510 x375 or visit rwpzoo.org. Patrick T. LeBeau, CFP® Robert F. Stoico Kimberley M. Little *deceased

Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader 8 in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information visit www.aza.org Pinecone Owls Kids’ (From WhiMsyLove)

Supplies you will need: • pinecones Corner • felt (or construction paper) • googly eyes • scissors ‘Tis the season for black cats, bats, and spiders! As the leaves begin to • hot glue gun change colors and the air is crisp and cool, Autumn and Halloween are right around the corner. Can you get into the spirit of Jack-O-Lantern • stapler (or tacky glue) season and answer these WILD trivia questions? Instructions: 1. Have a parent or guardian Black cats have DNA in their genes that causes their fur’s iconic dark help you to cut out felt 1 coloring. Some scientists believe that the same genes that cause their or construction paper for black fur may also: the owl’s eyes, beak, and a. Make their eyes glow in the dark wings. You can mix the b. Make them more resistant to diseases colors any way you want. c. Make their whiskers extra long d. Make them more likely to have a bushy tail 2. Once you have your pieces cut out, carefully use a Vampire bats are the only mammals that are hemophages (animals stapler or glue to arrange 2 that survive on a diet of blood). These bats mostly feed on the blood of the pieces into a face for animals like pigs and goats, and can be found in: your owl. a. South & Central America b. Asia 3. Have a parent or guardian c. Africa & the Middle East help you to hot glue the d. Australia felt or construction paper Owls are skillful hunters and masters of sneaking up on their pieces onto the pinecone 3 unsuspecting prey. Which of the following adaptations help owls to hunt body of your owl. effectively? 4. Decorate your owl any way a. They have extra bones in their spine, allowing them to turn their heads you want to. Every animal almost 360° around is one-of-a-kind, and yours b. Their specially adapted feathers allow them to fly almost silently c. They have specialized hearing and ear shapes allowing them to listen should be just as fun and carefully for prey unique as you are! d. All of the above While many people are afraid of spiders, they are a very important part Try this: 4 of the ecosystem, snacking on pesky insects and stopping the spread of Make some woodland disease. How many insects does the average spider eat in a year? friends to keep your new owl a. Less than 200 company! A hedgehog or two b. Over 2,000 could be a good start— c. Over 8,000 Get creative! d. 42 Answers located on bottom of page.

Can you identify these Zoo animals snacking on pumpkins? Guess Zoo? Answers located on bottom of page.

1 2 3 4 5 6

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Guess Zoo Answers: Zoo Guess Answers: Trivia Wild 1. 2. Goat 3. Harbor Seal 4. River Otter 5. White Cheeked Gibbon 6. Red Panda Red 6. Gibbon Cheeked White 5. Otter River 4. Seal Harbor 3. Goat 2. Cheetah 1. B; 4: • D 3: • A 2: • B 1: