Finally got to see that species you've wanted to see for years.

For me it is mostly wild animals that I particularly looked forward to see, and it's a thrill when you finally see them through your binoculars (or in the case of Beech Marten for me, through your car window!).

For zoo animals the list of much, much shorter, though I had very memorable and long-awaited encounters with, for example, Aardwolves, Shoebills, Bird-of-Paradise, Spix' Macaws, Tarsiers, Egyptian Plover, Spider Tortoise, Beluga and Sunda Gharial. Of course, there were a few "zoochatter favourites" that I was rather anxious to meet in time. Think of Baby the River Dolphin in Duisburg, the last Red-shanked Douc in Köln, the Trompet Manucode in Berlin, Walsrode's last Sickle-billed Vanga and the last Eastern Lowland Gorilla in Antwerp, all of which I saw. There were, naturally, also a few painful missers.

I was incredibly lucky to have grown up visiting the fine Dutch zoos, and despite my parents not being overly interested in animals we had one or a few zoo visits every year. I saw many species that could easily feature on these lists long before I was a fully-fledged zoo enthusiast, like darters, klipspringers, manatees, okapis, capuchinbirds, ringtails and walrus, to name but a few that I have fond memories of. Frustratingly, there are several species that I know were in zoos I visited at the time, but I have no memory of seeing - including Rotterdam's Sea Otters and a myriad of birds in Veldhoven.
 
Columbus Zoo - Sloth Bear, Markhor, Colubus Monkey, African Leopard, Asian Small-Clawed Otter, Bonobo, Tasmanian Devil

Toledo Zoo - Rhinoceros Hornbill, Snow Leopard

Cincinnati Zoo - Sumatran Rhinoceros I don't know if this counts, but when I was about a year my parents and I took a trip here. So I don't remember seeing this animal unfortunately:(
 
Bisonblake said:
Cincinnati Zoo - Sumatran Rhinoceros I don't know if this counts, but when I was about a year my parents and I took a trip here. So I don't remember seeing this animal unfortunately:(
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Don't worry, Bisonblake. I remember seeing a white rhinoceros at London Zoo when I was young and thought nothing of it at the time. It was only later that I realised it was a northern white rhinoceros.
 
Aye ayes for me too, finally got to see some in Tokyo at the start of the year. As impressive and creepy as I expected them to be. Of all things I still want to meet a warthog, I've been to multiple zoos that had them but could never find them
 
In terms of seeing wild species it would have to be the black lion tamarin. I had been familiar with this species conservation status for many years and had seen them in captivity once or twice before (Sao Paulo zoo and a faint memory of seeing one in Bristol zoo many years ago) but in January of this year I got to see them in the wild a number of times while working on a conservation project.

It really was a special moment / a privilege to see the tamarin in what remains of its natural habitat. Feeling wise it is very hard to put into words and I'm so glad I got to do this. If it had been planned for a few months forward the fieldwork would have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

In terms of seeing a species in captivity a highlight would have to be seeing the pottos at ZSL last Autumn. I had previously only seen pictures of them in natural history books and online but had never actually seen one in the flesh so it was a real treat to see the pair in the nocturnal house in London. I'm still fascinated by these creature and have read up more about them and their ecology since.
 
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I saw Palawan peacock-pheasants for the first time at the St. Louis Zoo a couple of years ago. I had always wanted to see this species ever since I saw photos of them online, and I actually hadn’t realized that the St. Louis Zoo had them, so it was a really nice surprise. They were actually a bit smaller than I had expected; I thought they’d be about the size of your average chicken. They were pretty active, so I watched them for quite a while, though unfortunately the male didn’t display while I was there, though he was still very beautiful.

Ironically, the animal I had most wanted to see for the first time while I was there, the tuatara, was off display.
 
California Condors, Bontebok, Gerenuks, Laysan Teals, and Tasmanian Devils are a few species that I've always wanted to see and saw in California back in July.
 
Travelled from the UK to Germany to see Zoo Leipzig's Pangolins!
I have adored pangolins for years (and I have to be honest, another pull factor were their sloth bears as I'm also a bear nerd) so a trip to Zoo Leipzig was in order.
I had heard from a keeper that they are quite often missed as their enclosure is based in the underground Elephant viewing area. So, I made extra care to keep that in mind.
When I arrived at the elephants, they took a backseat as I was so excited to see Pangolins in flesh (in scales?) for the first time!
They did not disappoint, I sat and observed them for a period of time, not sure how long. My camera had unfortunately run out of battery already by the point I got to them (too many bear pictures), but I doubt it would have changed anything, as my camera is unable to deal with dimly lit scenarios.
Bad phone photographs are the only thing I have to look back on after seeing Pangolins. But 100% worth it.
 
In zoos; shoebill, platypus, bilby, pangolin, tarsier, proboscis monkey. All very exciting animals that I wanted to see for a long time. I've seen the shoebill many times now (in 6 different zoos), most of the others just once.

In the wild: 2008: Humpback whales (Australia, also Costa Rica in 2017).
2016: Manta Rays (Indonesia).
2019: Whale Sharks (Mexico).
Even got to swim with the last two. Amazing experiences!
 
There are several animals that I've always wanted to see, but never got to until recently:

Pygmy Hippopotamus: San Diego Zoo on 7/23/20
Great Blue Turaco: San Diego Zoo on 7/23/20
White-Headed Buffalo Weaver: San Diego Zoo on 7/23/20
Panamanian Golden Frog: San Diego Zoo on 7/23/20
Lappet-Faced Vulture: Kansas City Zoo on 9/19/20
Rhinoceros Hornbill: Kansas City Zoo on 9/19/20
Yellow-Billed & Saddle-Billed Stork: Kansas City Zoo on 9/19/20
Dingo: Kansas City Zoo on 9/19/20
Leopard Coral Grouper: Waikiki Aquarium on 7/2/20
Groundhog: In the wild on ??/??/20
Red-Shouldered Hawk: In the wild on ??/??/20
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
In terms of seeing a species in captivity a highlight would have to be seeing the pottos at ZSL last Autumn. I had previously only seen pictures of them in natural history books and online but had never actually seen one in the flesh so it was a real treat to see the pair in the nocturnal house in London. I'm still fascinated by these creature and have read up more about them and their ecology since.
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I can understand your excitement of seeing a Potto. When I was younger I used to go to our local public library and always check out the same book. I think it was an A-Z animal book, but a little more advanced and textbook-like than some other books. Anyway, I always used to flip to the page that surprisingly had a Potto as one of the animals in the P section, and I read that page over and over again, every day, perhaps. I was always fascinated by Pottos, and I was really lucky to see one a couple years later at Cincinnati. I thought they were the coolest things, and I always have loved the way they move. That's why I think prosimians are my favorite mammals. Lots of species have such big eyes, such as bushbabies and lorises. And when I learned what an Angwantibo was, I suddenly became obsessed with those too. Thanks for sharing, @Onychorhynchus coronatus.
 
CheeseChameleon2007 said:
I can understand your excitement of seeing a Potto. When I was younger I used to go to our local public library and always check out the same book. I think it was an A-Z animal book, but a little more advanced and textbook-like than some other books. Anyway, I always used to flip to the page that surprisingly had a Potto as one of the animals in the P section, and I read that page over and over again, every day, perhaps. I was always fascinated by Pottos, and I was really lucky to see one a couple years later at Cincinnati. I thought they were the coolest things, and I always have loved the way they move. That's why I think prosimians are my favorite mammals. Lots of species have such big eyes, such as bushbabies and lorises. And when I learned what an Angwantibo was, I suddenly became obsessed with those too. Thanks for sharing, @Onychorhynchus coronatus.
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No problem :) Glad to hear that you are a fellow prosimian / potto fan and that you liked what I wrote !
 
Here's some from earlier this year:

Drill - Tennoji Zoo, 01/2020
Indian Rock Python - Tennoji Zoo, 01/2020
African Forest Elephant - Asa Zoo, 01/2020
Spinner Shark - Suma Aqualife Park, 01/2020
Egyptian Vulture - Kobe Animal Kingdom, 01/2020
Emperor Penguin - Port of Nagoya Aquarium, 01/2020
Dugong - Toba Aquarium, 01/2020
Narrow-Ridged Finless Porpoise - Toba Aquarium, 01/2020
Commerson's Dolphin - Toba Aquarium, 01/2020
Cape Fur Seal - Toba Aquarium, 01/2020
Pileated Gibbon - Japan Monkey Centre, 01/2020
Gray Woolly Monkey - Japan Monkey Centre, 01/2020
Diana Monkey - Toyohashi Zoo, 01/2020
Philippine Eagle - Jurong Bird Park, 02/2020
King Bird-of-Paradise - Jurong Bird Park, 02/2020
Hooded Vulture - Jurong Bird Park, 02/2020
Red-Shanked Douc - Singapore Zoo, 02/2020
Guyanan Red Howler - Singapore River Safari, 02/2020
Cape Elephantfish - Sentosa SEA Aquarium, 02/2020
White-Bellied Tree Pangolin - Turtle Back Zoo, 02/2020
Lake Titicaca Frog - Turtle Back Zoo, 02/2020
Lemon Shark - Maritime Aquarium, 08/2020
Big Brown Bat - Earthplace, 08/2020
 
For me, it was few Australian animals which I'd always been interested in, but never had the chance to see in person: koala, platypus, wombat and Tasmanian devil mostly. On a trip to Australia back in 2014, I saw all of those, some in multiple locations.

Since then, I've seen koalas in other places - they're now here in Hong Kong and there are LOADS of them at Chimelong Safari Park - but the others have remained an "Australian" experience.
 
Bonobo and Eastern gorilla for me! Being a great ape enthusiast but living in Australia with a limited travel budget meant it took a while.

I did actually visit Twycross in 2014 with bonobos in mind, but of all the houses to be closed for renovations, it just had to be that one. I got back to Twycross in 2016, and the bonobos were worth the wait; I find them completely enchanting.
In 2018 I visited Antwerp and the only Eastern gorilla in a zoo, Amahoro. I have never been so breathtaken by the beauty of an animal before or since. Photographs don’t do Amahoro justice; she’s stunning.
 
This year I've finally seen black-backed jackal (three times, even!), zorilla, cusimanse, tayra, lowland paca, eurasian lynx, american badger, chital, and king cheetah :) Missed out on pallas's cat yet again.
 
I could probably make an entire list of the most notable "finally got to see animals". However, I think the one that stands out for me the most is probably the Common Wombat of all creatures.

Beyond not being common in European zoos as is, the first place I went to that had them was Duisburg. That alone had several animals that I finally got to see, including Giant Otters, Koalas, Kori Bustards and both Amazon River and Common Bottlenose Dolphins. But the wombats just didn't want to play ball, and despite passing the enclosure at least three times across two days, they never came out.

It wasn't until Hamerton got some as part of their new Australian walkthrough aviary that I finally got the chance to see them, and this was only a couple of years back. For those who haven't been, it starts with an indoor viewing area before having a section outside...the wombats were not in their indoor house, but when I went into the aviary, where the outdoor section was, the wombats were up and about. I was so excited I accidentally scared all the budgerigars in that section.

Like I said, I've seen a lot of notable finally got to see animals, from giraffes at London when I was just seven to giant pandas at Berlin just a couple of years ago, but the wombats stand out even amongst them because, unlike the others, I'd had a chance prior and missed them completely. Funny thing is, that remains the only time I've ever seen a wombat awake.
 
Whale sharks. I first learned that the Osaka Aquarium had whale sharks about 8 (not 100% sure) years ago, and I was completely blown away that the species was kept. I made it my dream to go and see them one day, and I was able to go in December last year. There were some other animals I really wanted to see while I was there, like the giant isopod, arapaima, giant spider crab, but the whale sharks were the animal I wanted to see the most. I've since found out that the Osaka Aquarium doesn't always have whale sharks (they keep dying and they keep getting new ones, not sure how I feel about that), so I got lucky that they had two while I was there. Would have been terrible to get there and realise they don't have the animal you went there to see!
 
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