Penguins Just Arrived at Providence Zoo, Official Welcome This Weekend

It’s been several years since seals were last seen swimming at Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence.

After the passing of his buddy Action in 2019, Bubba the harbor seal was the last to leave the enclosure in the fall of 2022. Since then, the large pool near the center of the zoo sat empty and waiting for new inhabitants.

Now that wait is over, because the zoo’s new Humboldt penguins have moved into the renovated space and are ready to celebrate the opening of Penguin Point with zoo guests this weekend.

Get our free mobile app

It was made official in early April that the wait for these endangered penguins was nearly over.

READ MORE: Penguins Waddling Back to Roger Williams Park Zoo

Now the zoo wants everyone to waddle over and greet its 12 sun-loving penguins in their brand new exhibit, while also expressing some penguin creativity in the zoo’s Big Back Yard.

Penguin Palooza is being celebrated this Saturday, May 24 (with a rain date of Sunday, May 25) from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. throughout the zoo.

It’s a chance to see the new Humboldt penguins for the first time, watch them be fed, learn about them at zookeeper talks and even create penguin-themed crafts.

All Penguin Palooza events are part of regular zoo admission, but it only happens for one day.

READ MORE: Remembering the Time a Seal Escaped From Providence Zoo

After that the Humboldt penguins will be on exhibit in their new habitat as Roger Williams Park Zoo commits to helping these endangered birds build a healthy and genetically diverse population once again.

No worries about a penguin debut at the start of summer, either; the Humboldt species of penguin actually hail from the hot, arid coastal regions of Chile and Peru and are sure to enjoy the warm summers of the Ocean State.

So help welcome back penguins to Roger Williams Park Zoo for the first time in over a decade this Saturday with Penguin Palooza.