The highly anticipated return of our harbor seals, Action and Bubba, was an exciting time for Roger Williams Park Zoo this December. The “boys” had been off exhibit since May, when a cracked window revealed even more structural issues with their enclosure and resulted in the entire front viewing wall needing to be replaced. Fundraising efforts began almost immediately to secure enough money to make their home better than ever.

The response to our “Bring the Boys Home” campaign was overwhelming. Thanks to a community of more than 8,000 individuals, local foundations, including the Rhode Island Foundation, corporations, and a generous anonymous donor providing matching funds of $50,000, we were able to raise a much needed $125,000 for the project.

Visitors to the Zoo can now enter a beautiful cave-like structure to view the seals through a new lower window. Thanks to our fundraising success, a number of other changes were made including the addition of a new water filtration system, a refurbished holding building, a new surface to the inner walls and floor of the indoor facility, and a significantly improved view of the exhibit from the upper deck.

The Zoo couldn’t have done it without Action and Bubba’s biggest fans, who can see them all winter long in their brand new enclosure.