Exotic animals you have touched/handled
- Thread starter natel12
- Start date
I got to touch a lion cub at my work the other day.
Also two animals I forgot to add:
- Capuchin monkey (tufted?)
- Common bottlenose dolphin
Coati
Californian Sealion
Bennet's Wallaby
Meerkat
Hyacinth Macaw
Various Turacos
Emperor Tamarin
Bactrian Camel
Hand fed - Spectacled Bear, Cheetah, Giraffe.
(Many more, but I can't think right now!
Hmm I think I have a lot as well
Mammals:
-White Rhinoceros (Hand-fed one at Singapore Zoo)
-Sambar Deer
-Raccoon
-Skunk
-Sugar Glider
-Chinchilla
-Agile Wallaby
-Common Marmoset
Birds:
-Brahminy Kite
-Green Winged Macaw
-Blue and Gold Macaw
-Sulphuric Crested Cockatoo
-Lorikeets
-Cockatiel
-Budgerigar
-Emu
Reptiles:
-Boa Constrictor
-Ball Python
-Corn Snake
-Honduran milk snake
-Sailfin Dragon
-Bearded Dragon
-Leopard Gecko
-Veiled Chameleon
-Argentine Black and White Tegu
-Aldabra Tortoise
-Sulcata Tortoise
-Leopard Tortoise
-Indian Star Tortoise
Aquatics
-Zebra Shark (Touchpool)
-Horseshoe crab (Touchpool)
I feel like there’s more but maybe I have forgotten them haha
Mammals:
-White Rhinoceros (Hand-fed one at Singapore Zoo)
-Sambar Deer
-Raccoon
-Skunk
-Sugar Glider
-Chinchilla
-Agile Wallaby
-Common Marmoset
Birds:
-Brahminy Kite
-Green Winged Macaw
-Blue and Gold Macaw
-Sulphuric Crested Cockatoo
-Lorikeets
-Cockatiel
-Budgerigar
-Emu
Reptiles:
-Boa Constrictor
-Ball Python
-Corn Snake
-Honduran milk snake
-Sailfin Dragon
-Bearded Dragon
-Leopard Gecko
-Veiled Chameleon
-Argentine Black and White Tegu
-Aldabra Tortoise
-Sulcata Tortoise
-Leopard Tortoise
-Indian Star Tortoise
Aquatics
-Zebra Shark (Touchpool)
-Horseshoe crab (Touchpool)
I feel like there’s more but maybe I have forgotten them haha
AmbikaFan
Well-Known Member
My list includes only 20 or so, but one was very special. My daughter and I were signed up for a small-group private tour at SD WAP, but ended up the only two. When the educator heard how much my daughter knew about zoology and then saw how keepers at several locations were amazed at how animals responded to her, the educator said she had a special surprise that we would never forget. She took us to see the late Nola, the Northern White rhino. I will indeed never forget.
I have handled:
- Lorikeet
- Crested Gecko
- Anaconda (baby)
- Burmese Python
- Reticulated Python
- Ball Python
- Lion (baby)
- Kangaroo
- Aldabra Tortoise
- Red-Footed Tortoise
- Starfish
- Stingrays
- Cavies
- Barking Deer
- African Crested Porcupine
- Binturong
- Many species of Monkeys and Primates
- Deer
- Llamas
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Owned/Farmed:
Bison
Whitetail Deer
Llama
Alpaca
Full Contact:
Bongo
Greater Kudu
Nyala
Fallow Deer
Elk
Mule Deer
Beisa Oryx
Scimitar Oryx
Arabian Oryx
Waterbuck
Lion (cub)
Black Bear (cub)
Ridden:
Dromedary Camel
Bactrian Camel
Asian Elephant
African Elephant
Protected Contact:
White Rhino
Bison
Whitetail Deer
Llama
Alpaca
Full Contact:
Bongo
Greater Kudu
Nyala
Fallow Deer
Elk
Mule Deer
Beisa Oryx
Scimitar Oryx
Arabian Oryx
Waterbuck
Lion (cub)
Black Bear (cub)
Ridden:
Dromedary Camel
Bactrian Camel
Asian Elephant
African Elephant
Protected Contact:
White Rhino
Onychorhynchus coronatus
Well-Known Member
Phew! This is going to be a long list...
Giant anteater : Stroked / played with / walked / have carried in arms a baby giant anteater a good few times. This particular individual even once put its tongue all over my face , up my nose, and down my ear which was a bizarre experience. The fur and tail feels like the bristles of a scrubbing brush , very coarse , the tongue is extraordinary, the claws are "blunt" but sharply formidable like ice picks.
Tamandua: Picked one up and it proceeded to "bite" me which consisted of sucking part of my hand which as they are toothless was not painful , the prehensile tail was wrapped around my wrist and was fascinating as I felt the strength of this evolutionary appendage. The fur is coarse but less so than the giant anteater and like its much larger cousin the claws are formidably sharp.
Pied tamarin : Stroked the long clawed hand of one particular individual many times , it was part of a game that this individual would initiate.
Howler monkey : Have stroked / held hands with / had them wrap their prehensile tail around my hand and played with several infants.
Agouti : Have stroked briefly.
Capybara : Have hand fed and stroked
Armadillo : Have held , stroked , been clawed by. Beautiful species , heavy and very curious to touch its carapace which feels bizarre , clawing was somewhat painful but wasn't delivered hard enough to draw blood just scratch marks.
Spider monkey : Have stroked / held hands with , played with , had them wrap their prehensile tail around my hands , head , neck and hair. One infant individual wrapped his tail around a tuft of my hair and yanked it out once.
Capuchin monkey: Have stroked / held hands with.
Boa constrictor : Have stroked , handled, held , been bitten by and had around my neck.
Royal python : Have stroked , handled, held , had around my neck.
Green Iguana: Have stroked , handled, held , been tail lashed/ whipped by.
Chameleon (I think a Parsons) : Have held and had perch on hand.
Axolotl : Have "stroked" , been "bitten" by and briefly picked up many of these.
Tarantulas of various species : Have held.
Emperor scorpions : Have held.
Praying mantids of various species : Have held and been bitten by one.
Banded king snake: (Had a pet one of these) Have stroked , handled, held and had around my neck.
Milk snake : (Had a pet one of these) Have caught, stroked , handled, held , been bitten by and had around my neck.
Ornate horned toad : Have stroked , handled, held , been bitten by.
Fire salamander : Have held briefly on many occasions.
Iberian frog : Have held briefly on many occasions.
Iberian midwife toad : Have held briefly on many occasions
Emerald tree boa : Have caught , stroked , handled , held, been bitten by.
Morelets crocodile : Have caught , stroked , handled and held.
American crocodile : Have stroked , handled and held.
Burmese python : Have stroked , handled, held and had around my neck.
African Sand boa : Have stroked , handled, held.
Leopard gecko : Have stroked , handled , held , been bitten by.
Bearded dragon: Have stroked , handled , held.
Tokay gecko : Have attempted to handle one and been bitten by.
Bosc monitor : Have handled and stroked.
Tegu : Have handled and stroked.
Mata mata turtle : Have picked up , handled and held.
Red footed tortoise : Have stroked , handled , held.
Yellow footed tortoise: Have stroked , handled , held.
Maned wolf: Was able to stroke , hold ears and listen to its heartbeat of one once while it was undergoing a health check under anesthesia. The texture of its fur reminded me of a wool duster.
Jaguar : Have stroked a captive one , an unforgettable experience. The fur is smooth and the most beautiful IMO of all the big cats.
Lowland tapir: Stroked and patted one several times , the fur is smooth but rather oily / greasy while the mane is much more coarse and bristly like a broom.
Asiatic elephant : Have fed one by hand. Kind of an intimidating experience if I'm honest but the trunk is incredible in its dexterity.
Giraffe : Have fed one by hand and had its tongue wrap around my hand. Incredible dexterity of their tongues.
Dromedary camel : Have stroked and picked one up (an infant / calf of course). Fur woolly and picking it up it was strangely light to carry.
Pampas deer : Have stroked one.
Green headed tanager : Have hand fed and had one perch on my hand.
Saffron toucanet : Have hand fed and hand one perch on my hand.
Barn owl : Have stroked and had perch on hand.
Caracara : Have stroked and had perch on hand.
Harris hawk: Have had perch on hand.
Amazon parrots of various species : Have hand fed and hand perch on my hand and been bitten by one.
Macaws of various species : Have stroked and had perch on my hand.
Parakeets of various species : Have stroked and had perch on my hand and been bitten by a few too.
Giant anteater : Stroked / played with / walked / have carried in arms a baby giant anteater a good few times. This particular individual even once put its tongue all over my face , up my nose, and down my ear which was a bizarre experience. The fur and tail feels like the bristles of a scrubbing brush , very coarse , the tongue is extraordinary, the claws are "blunt" but sharply formidable like ice picks.
Tamandua: Picked one up and it proceeded to "bite" me which consisted of sucking part of my hand which as they are toothless was not painful , the prehensile tail was wrapped around my wrist and was fascinating as I felt the strength of this evolutionary appendage. The fur is coarse but less so than the giant anteater and like its much larger cousin the claws are formidably sharp.
Pied tamarin : Stroked the long clawed hand of one particular individual many times , it was part of a game that this individual would initiate.
Howler monkey : Have stroked / held hands with / had them wrap their prehensile tail around my hand and played with several infants.
Agouti : Have stroked briefly.
Capybara : Have hand fed and stroked
Armadillo : Have held , stroked , been clawed by. Beautiful species , heavy and very curious to touch its carapace which feels bizarre , clawing was somewhat painful but wasn't delivered hard enough to draw blood just scratch marks.
Spider monkey : Have stroked / held hands with , played with , had them wrap their prehensile tail around my hands , head , neck and hair. One infant individual wrapped his tail around a tuft of my hair and yanked it out once.
Capuchin monkey: Have stroked / held hands with.
Boa constrictor : Have stroked , handled, held , been bitten by and had around my neck.
Royal python : Have stroked , handled, held , had around my neck.
Green Iguana: Have stroked , handled, held , been tail lashed/ whipped by.
Chameleon (I think a Parsons) : Have held and had perch on hand.
Axolotl : Have "stroked" , been "bitten" by and briefly picked up many of these.
Tarantulas of various species : Have held.
Emperor scorpions : Have held.
Praying mantids of various species : Have held and been bitten by one.
Banded king snake: (Had a pet one of these) Have stroked , handled, held and had around my neck.
Milk snake : (Had a pet one of these) Have caught, stroked , handled, held , been bitten by and had around my neck.
Ornate horned toad : Have stroked , handled, held , been bitten by.
Fire salamander : Have held briefly on many occasions.
Iberian frog : Have held briefly on many occasions.
Iberian midwife toad : Have held briefly on many occasions
Emerald tree boa : Have caught , stroked , handled , held, been bitten by.
Morelets crocodile : Have caught , stroked , handled and held.
American crocodile : Have stroked , handled and held.
Burmese python : Have stroked , handled, held and had around my neck.
African Sand boa : Have stroked , handled, held.
Leopard gecko : Have stroked , handled , held , been bitten by.
Bearded dragon: Have stroked , handled , held.
Tokay gecko : Have attempted to handle one and been bitten by.
Bosc monitor : Have handled and stroked.
Tegu : Have handled and stroked.
Mata mata turtle : Have picked up , handled and held.
Red footed tortoise : Have stroked , handled , held.
Yellow footed tortoise: Have stroked , handled , held.
Maned wolf: Was able to stroke , hold ears and listen to its heartbeat of one once while it was undergoing a health check under anesthesia. The texture of its fur reminded me of a wool duster.
Jaguar : Have stroked a captive one , an unforgettable experience. The fur is smooth and the most beautiful IMO of all the big cats.
Lowland tapir: Stroked and patted one several times , the fur is smooth but rather oily / greasy while the mane is much more coarse and bristly like a broom.
Asiatic elephant : Have fed one by hand. Kind of an intimidating experience if I'm honest but the trunk is incredible in its dexterity.
Giraffe : Have fed one by hand and had its tongue wrap around my hand. Incredible dexterity of their tongues.
Dromedary camel : Have stroked and picked one up (an infant / calf of course). Fur woolly and picking it up it was strangely light to carry.
Pampas deer : Have stroked one.
Green headed tanager : Have hand fed and had one perch on my hand.
Saffron toucanet : Have hand fed and hand one perch on my hand.
Barn owl : Have stroked and had perch on hand.
Caracara : Have stroked and had perch on hand.
Harris hawk: Have had perch on hand.
Amazon parrots of various species : Have hand fed and hand perch on my hand and been bitten by one.
Macaws of various species : Have stroked and had perch on my hand.
Parakeets of various species : Have stroked and had perch on my hand and been bitten by a few too.
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Do you mean that a tame possum was used to teach an audience that the common brushtail possum is an extremely destructive invasive species in NZ? That sounds almost counter-intuitive to me...
I got to pet a python at Out of Africa Wildlife Park, although I don't remember if it was a reticulated python or a Burmese python.
I've fed Capybara, North American Porcupine, Reticulated Giraffes, Black Bears, Striped Skunk, Prairie Dogs, American Bison, American Elk, White-Tailed Deer.
I've handled Ball Pythons, Bearded Dragons, Veiled Chameleons, Jackson's Chameleons, as well as lots of other reptiles. I own Madagascar hissers, an Axolotl, a Leopard Gecko, an African Fat-Tailed Gecko, a Gargoyle Gecko, a Blue Tongue Skink, a White's Tree Frog, an American Toad, Mourning Geckos, and a Correlophus Sarassinorum
I've handled Ball Pythons, Bearded Dragons, Veiled Chameleons, Jackson's Chameleons, as well as lots of other reptiles. I own Madagascar hissers, an Axolotl, a Leopard Gecko, an African Fat-Tailed Gecko, a Gargoyle Gecko, a Blue Tongue Skink, a White's Tree Frog, an American Toad, Mourning Geckos, and a Correlophus Sarassinorum
Jake
Well-Known Member
And all plus ones recently have bitten me except crocs.I’ve got quite a lot
Binturong (Wildlife Hq)
Meerkat (Wildlife Hq)
Crocodiles (everywhere, goes for all reptiles really)
Golden tabby tiger( Dreamworld)
Bengalese finch?(pet)
Budgie(pet)
Cockatiel (ex pet)
+ more than I can count.
This is an interesting topic and one I hadn’t put much thought into until now. The majority of my list comes from visits to zoos and wildlife parks when I was younger, however there are also a few recent ones (possums and gliders). Most of the birds come from Maleny Bird World, which has four large walk-through aviaries with mainly parrots (ex-pets and rescues).
Mammals
Short-beaked Echidna (Australia Zoo)
Koala (Australia Zoo’s koala walk-through which allows visitors to pat the koalas under keeper supervision)
Short-eared Brushtail Possum (Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary)
Common Brushtail Possum (Australia Zoo)
Sugar Glider (Wildlife HQ)
Squirrel Glider (mobile wildlife display- Geckoes Wildlife)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Red Kangaroo (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Red-necked Wallaby (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Swamp Wallaby (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Capybara (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Australia Zoo)
Grant’s Zebra (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Brazilian Tapir (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Fallow Deer (Alma Park Zoo)
Red Deer (Darling Downs Zoo)
Himalayan Tahr (Alma Park Zoo)
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Dolphin Marine Magic)
Birds
Ostrich (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Emu (various zoos and wildlife parks)
Greater Rhea (Alma Park Zoo)
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Maleny Bird World)
Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo (Maleny Bird World)
Little Corella (Maleny Bird World- latched onto my ear and drew blood)
Galah (Maleny Bird World)
Blue and Gold Macaw (Maleny Bird World)
Yellow-collared Macaw (Maleny Bird World)
Lilac-crowned Amazon Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Sun Conure (Maleny Bird World)
African Grey Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Eclectus Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Alexandrine Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Indian Ringneck Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Black-capped Lory (Maleny Bird World)
Reptiles
Freshwater Crocodile (Alma Park Zoo)
American Alligator (Alma Park Zoo)
Eastern Bluetongue (Australia Zoo)
Shingleback Lizard (Australia Zoo)
Central Bearded Dragon (several wildlife parks and zoos)
Perentie (mobile wildlife display- Geckoes Wildlife)
Woma Python (Alma Park Zoo)
Stimson’s Python (Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary)
Children’s Python (Darling Downs Zoo)
Mammals
Short-beaked Echidna (Australia Zoo)
Koala (Australia Zoo’s koala walk-through which allows visitors to pat the koalas under keeper supervision)
Short-eared Brushtail Possum (Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary)
Common Brushtail Possum (Australia Zoo)
Sugar Glider (Wildlife HQ)
Squirrel Glider (mobile wildlife display- Geckoes Wildlife)
Eastern Grey Kangaroo (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Red Kangaroo (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Red-necked Wallaby (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Swamp Wallaby (several zoos and wildlife parks)
Capybara (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Australia Zoo)
Grant’s Zebra (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Brazilian Tapir (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Fallow Deer (Alma Park Zoo)
Red Deer (Darling Downs Zoo)
Himalayan Tahr (Alma Park Zoo)
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin (Dolphin Marine Magic)
Birds
Ostrich (Darling Downs Zoo- hand feeding)
Emu (various zoos and wildlife parks)
Greater Rhea (Alma Park Zoo)
Red-tailed Black Cockatoo (Maleny Bird World)
Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo (Maleny Bird World)
Little Corella (Maleny Bird World- latched onto my ear and drew blood)
Galah (Maleny Bird World)
Blue and Gold Macaw (Maleny Bird World)
Yellow-collared Macaw (Maleny Bird World)
Lilac-crowned Amazon Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Sun Conure (Maleny Bird World)
African Grey Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Eclectus Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Alexandrine Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Indian Ringneck Parrot (Maleny Bird World)
Black-capped Lory (Maleny Bird World)
Reptiles
Freshwater Crocodile (Alma Park Zoo)
American Alligator (Alma Park Zoo)
Eastern Bluetongue (Australia Zoo)
Shingleback Lizard (Australia Zoo)
Central Bearded Dragon (several wildlife parks and zoos)
Perentie (mobile wildlife display- Geckoes Wildlife)
Woma Python (Alma Park Zoo)
Stimson’s Python (Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary)
Children’s Python (Darling Downs Zoo)
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There is probably lots more but most notably I have fed a Siberian tiger cub for ten minutes, which was amazing.
My current list is
Bottlenose Dolphin
African Porcupine
White-Tailed Deer
Multiple American Alligators
Lesser Madagascar Tenrec
Emu
Domestic Asian Water Buffalo
Dromedary Camel
Nilgai
Yak
Alpaca
Llama
American Bison
African Spurred Tortoise
And there are some animals I cannot remember if I have interacted with
Ostrich
Ball Python
Tiger
Bottlenose Dolphin
African Porcupine
White-Tailed Deer
Multiple American Alligators
Lesser Madagascar Tenrec
Emu
Domestic Asian Water Buffalo
Dromedary Camel
Nilgai
Yak
Alpaca
Llama
American Bison
African Spurred Tortoise
And there are some animals I cannot remember if I have interacted with
Ostrich
Ball Python
Tiger
Got to touch a sea turtle recently. Went along on a rescue and the little guy was PISSED about being entangled in a net and brought into a truck. He got out of the box we had him in and I had to briefly grab him so he wouldn't jump out of the truck when the door opened. (he was trying to get out through the window)
American Kestrel in Ecuador
Von der Decken's Hornbill and African Penguin at the Maryland Zoo
Does feeding giraffes count?
Snakes like cornsnakes and ball pythons
I used to have two oriental fire-bellied toads and I would have to handle them to clean their home.
Insects
Turtles and tortoises
Von der Decken's Hornbill and African Penguin at the Maryland Zoo
Does feeding giraffes count?
Snakes like cornsnakes and ball pythons
I used to have two oriental fire-bellied toads and I would have to handle them to clean their home.
Insects
Turtles and tortoises
