What wild mammals have you seen in zoos?
- Thread starter animalszoos
- Start date
At the Dallas Zoo, there was a wild bobcat preying on their dik-dik, but they caught him and put him on display...but since they demolished the Texas Cats section of Zoo North, they transferred him to a wildlife preserve or some such for retirement.
At the San Antonio Zoo, I saw several squirrels running up and down the quarry face, touching base in the Komodo dragon exhibit (who seemed disinterested in said rodents).
There are always squirrels at the Fort Worth Zoo, running around like they own the place, snatching other animal's food. Pretty sure the staff have mentioned the birds of prey (like the crowned eagles) snagging a few. Once, in the old African Savanna exhibit, I saw a muskrat minding its own business.
At the San Antonio Zoo, I saw several squirrels running up and down the quarry face, touching base in the Komodo dragon exhibit (who seemed disinterested in said rodents).
There are always squirrels at the Fort Worth Zoo, running around like they own the place, snatching other animal's food. Pretty sure the staff have mentioned the birds of prey (like the crowned eagles) snagging a few. Once, in the old African Savanna exhibit, I saw a muskrat minding its own business.
Brown rats at Louisville - dozens of them, many in the Hyacinth macaw cage and blocking the parrots from eating. I reported this, and it was blown off as inconsequential. Until the rats kill the $12,000 bird, either through cross contamination of its food or by biting it outright. The apathy really put the zoo in a poor light for me.
Not a mammal, but in Parque das Aves a burrowing owl was really curious about an wild tegu standing right in front of its cage.
That is probably the only Bobcat in history to have eaten a dik-dik. I would love to have seen that.
Mule Deer, Eastern Grey Squirrel (including melanistic animals), Fox Squirrel, Eurasian Red Squirrel, California Ground Squirrel, Rock Squirrel, Harris's Antelope Squirrel, Eastern Chipmunk, Botta's Pocket Gopher, Brown Rat, Black Rat, House Mouse, Desert Cottontail, Eastern Cottontail, New England Cottontail, Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, European Rabbit.
~Thylo
~Thylo
I attempted to make a list of the wild mammals I've seen at Zoos and came up with the following, may have missed a few:
1. (Didelphis albiventris) white-eared opossum- Buenos Aires Zoo
2. (Macropus agilis) Agile Wallaby- Territory Wildlife Park
3. (Artibeus jamaicensis) Jamaican fruit bat- Xcaret
4. (Cynopterus brachyotis) Lesser dog-faced fruit bat- Singapore Zoo
5. (Myotis albescens) Silver-tipped myotis- Bioparque M'Bopicuá
6. (Tupaia belangeri) Northern Tree Shrew- Dusit Zoo
7. (Tupaia glis) Common Tree shrew- Singapore Zoo
8. (Galeopterus variegatus) Malayan colugo- Singapore Zoo, Singapore Night Safari
9. (Callithrix jacchus) common marmoset- Sorocaba Zoo
10. (Callithrix penicillata) Black-tufted marmoset- Belo Horizonte Zoo
11. (Macaca fascicularis) Crab-eating macaque- Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Singapore Zoo
12. (Macaca mulatta) Rhesus macaque- New Delhi Zoo
13. (Hylobates lar) Lar gibbon- Khao Kheow Open Zoo
14. (Homo sapiens) Human Beings- Various
15. (Lepus califonicus) Black-tailed jack rabbit- San Diego Wild Animal Park
16. (Lepus europaeus) European hare- Madrid Zoo
17. (Sylvilagus audubonii) Desert Cottontail- San Diego Wild Animal Park
18. (Sylvilagus floridanus) eastern cottontail- Various
19. (Apodemus agrarius) striped field mouse- Berlin Zoo
20. (Callosciurus erythraeus) Red-bellied squirrel- Dusit Zoo, Taipei Zoo
21. (Callosciurus finlaysonii) variable squirrel- Avilon Zoo, Dusit Zoo
22. (Callosciurus notatus) plantain squirrel- Singapore Zoo
23. (Cynomys ludovicianus) Black-tailed prairie dog- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
24. (Dasyprocta punctata) Central American Agouti- Xcaret
25. (Dolichotis patagonum) Patagonian cavy- Buenos Aires Zoo
26. (Funambulus palmarum) Indian Palm Squirrel- New Delhi Zoo
27. (Mus musculus domesticus) Western house mouse- Various
28. (Myocastor coypus) Nutria- Buenos Aires Zoo
29. (Poliocitellus franklinii) Franklin’s ground squirrel- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
30. (Rattus norvegicus) Norway rat- Various
31. (Rattus tanezumi) Tanezumi rat- Avilon Zoo
32. (Sciurus aureogaster) Mexican red-bellied squirrel- Chapultepec Zoo
33. (Sciurus carolinensis) eastern gray squirrel- Various
34. (Sciurus niger) fox squirrel- Fort Worth Zoo
35. (Sciurus stramineus) white-naped squirrel- Parque de las Leyendas
36. (Sciurus vulgaris exalbidus) Eurasian/Siberian red squirrel- Novosibirsk Zoo
37. (Spermophilus variegates) Variegated rock squirrel- San Antonio Zoo
38. (Tamias striatus) Eastern chipmunk- Various
39. (Dasypus novemcinctus) nine-banded armadillo- Bioparque M'Bopicuá
40. (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) gray fox- Shadow Nursery
41. (Canis lupis familiaris) domestic dog- Various
42. (Mephitis mephitis) striped skunk- Los Angeles Zoo
43. (Conepatus chinga) Molina’s hog-nosed skunk- Bioparque M'Bopicuá
44. (Felis catus) domestic cat- Various
45. (Sus scrofa) wild boar- Khao Kheow Open Zoo
46. (Hyelaphus porcinus) Hog Deer- Khao Kheow Open Zoo
47. (Odocoileus hemionus) mule deer- San Diego Wild Animal Park
1. (Didelphis albiventris) white-eared opossum- Buenos Aires Zoo
2. (Macropus agilis) Agile Wallaby- Territory Wildlife Park
3. (Artibeus jamaicensis) Jamaican fruit bat- Xcaret
4. (Cynopterus brachyotis) Lesser dog-faced fruit bat- Singapore Zoo
5. (Myotis albescens) Silver-tipped myotis- Bioparque M'Bopicuá
6. (Tupaia belangeri) Northern Tree Shrew- Dusit Zoo
7. (Tupaia glis) Common Tree shrew- Singapore Zoo
8. (Galeopterus variegatus) Malayan colugo- Singapore Zoo, Singapore Night Safari
9. (Callithrix jacchus) common marmoset- Sorocaba Zoo
10. (Callithrix penicillata) Black-tufted marmoset- Belo Horizonte Zoo
11. (Macaca fascicularis) Crab-eating macaque- Khao Kheow Open Zoo, Singapore Zoo
12. (Macaca mulatta) Rhesus macaque- New Delhi Zoo
13. (Hylobates lar) Lar gibbon- Khao Kheow Open Zoo
14. (Homo sapiens) Human Beings- Various
15. (Lepus califonicus) Black-tailed jack rabbit- San Diego Wild Animal Park
16. (Lepus europaeus) European hare- Madrid Zoo
17. (Sylvilagus audubonii) Desert Cottontail- San Diego Wild Animal Park
18. (Sylvilagus floridanus) eastern cottontail- Various
19. (Apodemus agrarius) striped field mouse- Berlin Zoo
20. (Callosciurus erythraeus) Red-bellied squirrel- Dusit Zoo, Taipei Zoo
21. (Callosciurus finlaysonii) variable squirrel- Avilon Zoo, Dusit Zoo
22. (Callosciurus notatus) plantain squirrel- Singapore Zoo
23. (Cynomys ludovicianus) Black-tailed prairie dog- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
24. (Dasyprocta punctata) Central American Agouti- Xcaret
25. (Dolichotis patagonum) Patagonian cavy- Buenos Aires Zoo
26. (Funambulus palmarum) Indian Palm Squirrel- New Delhi Zoo
27. (Mus musculus domesticus) Western house mouse- Various
28. (Myocastor coypus) Nutria- Buenos Aires Zoo
29. (Poliocitellus franklinii) Franklin’s ground squirrel- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo
30. (Rattus norvegicus) Norway rat- Various
31. (Rattus tanezumi) Tanezumi rat- Avilon Zoo
32. (Sciurus aureogaster) Mexican red-bellied squirrel- Chapultepec Zoo
33. (Sciurus carolinensis) eastern gray squirrel- Various
34. (Sciurus niger) fox squirrel- Fort Worth Zoo
35. (Sciurus stramineus) white-naped squirrel- Parque de las Leyendas
36. (Sciurus vulgaris exalbidus) Eurasian/Siberian red squirrel- Novosibirsk Zoo
37. (Spermophilus variegates) Variegated rock squirrel- San Antonio Zoo
38. (Tamias striatus) Eastern chipmunk- Various
39. (Dasypus novemcinctus) nine-banded armadillo- Bioparque M'Bopicuá
40. (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) gray fox- Shadow Nursery
41. (Canis lupis familiaris) domestic dog- Various
42. (Mephitis mephitis) striped skunk- Los Angeles Zoo
43. (Conepatus chinga) Molina’s hog-nosed skunk- Bioparque M'Bopicuá
44. (Felis catus) domestic cat- Various
45. (Sus scrofa) wild boar- Khao Kheow Open Zoo
46. (Hyelaphus porcinus) Hog Deer- Khao Kheow Open Zoo
47. (Odocoileus hemionus) mule deer- San Diego Wild Animal Park
Last edited:
I didn't realize their ranges overlapped. How difficult are they to tell apart? Do they hybridize?
~Thylo
Not too difficult. The Eastern Greys are true grey, and the Westerns are darker brown/grey. Yes, they can hybridize. The Westerns have a much narrower foot pad than the Easterns, and a joey with narrow foot pads was found in the pouch of an Eastern doe, so presumably it's father was a Western.
I don't know if you'd classify them as truly wild. I don't know if they can escape the perimeter fence, but they free range the entire zoo property and take care of themselves.
The ranges do overlap, in the wild I have seen both species together at Round Hill Nature Reserve.
Is 14 even consider as wild animal?
Small Asian mongoose Herpestes javanicus -- small population residing in and around the Lion House at Lahore Zoo;
Red giant flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista and House shrew Suncus murinus -- Lalazar WP;
Red fox Vulpes vulpes montana -- Lalazar WP (after park was closed);
Rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta -- Marghozar zoo, which incidentally has a captive population too;
Brown rat Rattus norvegicus -- various;
Northern palm squirrel Funambulus pennantii -- various.
Red giant flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista and House shrew Suncus murinus -- Lalazar WP;
Red fox Vulpes vulpes montana -- Lalazar WP (after park was closed);
Rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta -- Marghozar zoo, which incidentally has a captive population too;
Brown rat Rattus norvegicus -- various;
Northern palm squirrel Funambulus pennantii -- various.