Trio of elephants to leave Providence zoo in 2027
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Since it is not feasible to bring additional elephants to the zoo, the move allows the three – who will turn 40 this year – to have the companionship of other elephants 'for the rest of their lives,' the zoo said in a press release.
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'As Alice, Ginny and Kate advance in years, we want to avoid one of them being left alone,' Johnson said. 'We are taking proactive steps while they are in good health to transition them into a supportive group setting that provides care for aging elephants and offers them opportunities to socialize with a larger group of elephants.'
African elephants Alice, Kate and Ginny, who turn 40 years old this year, will leave Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence in late 2027, zoo officials said Tuesday.
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Zoo officials said they are now working to find 'the best home' so the trio can remain together. The move will require extensive planning, so the elephants will not depart Providence until 2027.
'Making this decision was difficult, but our responsibility for the elephants' well-being guided us. It is our duty to make sure Alice, Ginny and Kate have the long-term companionship they deserve,' Amy Roberts, the zoo's chief zoological officer, said in a statement. 'Although our staff feels the emotional weight of this decision, we are confident it is the right one.
'The long lead time is a bonus because it gives our animal care team and guests who love our elephants plenty of time to spend with them over the next 2 [and a half] years,' Roberts added. 'There will be 40th birthdays to recognize this summer and we will invite the community to join in all celebrations of these amazing individuals.'
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Ginny, Kate, and Alice, arrived at the zoo in 1990. Zoo officials described Alice as 'smart, sassy and motivated by fun;' Ginny as being as 'smart as she is beautiful;' and Kate as the leader who 'maintains order and the social stability of the herd.'
The zoo's first elephant was Roger, who 'joined the Menagerie (with tigers, leopards and lions) in 1893,' officials said. The second elephant, Alice, moved to a new barn at the zoo in 1930, and other elephants since then, including the current Alice, have been named in her honor.
Christopher Gavin can be reached at
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