Beloved Zebra Zipper Passes Away at Roger Williams Park Zoo After Critical Injury

Your next trip to Roger Williams Park Zoo will look a little different.

The Providence attraction shared some sad news that its beloved zebra Zipper has passed away after being found with a critical wound.

"Our animal care team, veterinary staff, and operations staff, organized a herculean effort to secure a large-animal surgical and anesthesia team from Tufts to provide emergency surgery," Roger Williams Park Zoo shared.

A Favorite Memory for Providence Families and Visitors

If you've ever been to the zoo, you know Zipper and her habitat mates are some of the first ones you encounter upon entering. They've always been a favorite of my kids and me; I can't tell you how many photos I have in my phone of them at various ages looking, pointing and smiling at Zipper and her friends.

Supporting Tundra and Remembering Zipper’s Legacy

Not only will families miss Zipper's presence, but the zoo's remaining zebra, Tundra, will miss her, too. "We are actively working to bring new zebra companions to support her," the zoo said.

READ MORE: SouthWick's Zoo Announces The Sudden, Heartbreaking Loss of a Beloved Icon

The loss was felt by the entire staff  – especially Zipper's primary keeper, Jill. “Zipper had a sort of quiet confidence about her that made her an easy staff favorite," she said. "With our other hoofstock being mostly skittish, Zipper had learned that where there are people, there are carrots- and she really loved carrots."

Roger Williams Park Zoo & Carousel Village via Facebook

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"In her 27 years, she charmed countless guests and staff members, with the caveat that ‘she’s friendly, but she isn’t necessarily gentle.’ Her reasonable, albeit sometimes stubborn, presence will be enormously missed in the hoofstock yard (especially for all the ‘help’ she gave the keepers with leaf cleanup as the fall approaches) but, by none more than her ‘little sister,’ Tundra." Jill said. "Tundra was very loyal to Zipper, never shifting inside or starting a meal until Zipper was ready to do the same. The plains team and her fellow yard mates will not be the same without her."