Association of Zoos and Aquariums

ROGER WILLIAMS PARK ZOO HONORED WITH TOP NATIONAL AWARD

CONTACT: Kris Vehrs, AZA 301-562-0777 x 229

TAMPA, FL September 29, 2006 Today the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) honored the Roger Williams Park Zoo (Providence, R.I.) with Top Honors for the Edward H. Bean Award for their breeding program for the American Burying Beetle. Zoo officials accepted the award in front of thousands of their professional colleagues at the AZA's 82nd Annual Conference, meeting here this week. AZA honored the zoo with this award in honor of their contributions to help achieve AZA’s vision of building North America’s largest wildlife conservation movement.

Known as nature’s most efficient and fascinating recyclers, American Burying Beetles are the largest carrion beetles in North America. The insects are important scavengers responsible for recycling decaying animals back into the ecosystem. The interesting twist, though, is that the beetle not only feeds off the carcasses of many species; it also uses certain dead animals to serve as a brood chamber and food source for its offspring.

The beetle has been listed as an endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1989. While it was once found throughout the eastern and central United States, as well as parts of Canada, it is now native only to Block Island, R.I. and in seven other areas of the United States.

Since 1995, Roger Williams Park Zoo has successfully reared multiple generations of beetles, and, working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, has released more than 2,500 in Nantucket, Mass.

Each year, AZA presents the Bean Award in recognition of efforts by its member institutions in the long-term management and husbandry of various animal species in accredited zoos and aquariums. The Bean Award was established in 1956, honoring Edward H. Bean, the first director of the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.

About AZA

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. 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, the AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation, and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.

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