Ringtail Cats in Captivity

What really confuses me is that ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) can be referred to as cacomistles, and cacomistles (Bassariscus sumichrasti) can be referred to as ringtails:p

consequently this makes me wonder which zoos have cacomistle/Central American ringtail (Bassariscus sumichrasti)
 
pangolin12 said:
What really confuses me is that ringtails (Bassariscus astutus) can be referred to as cacomistles, and cacomistles (Bassariscus sumichrasti) can be referred to as ringtails:p

consequently this makes me wonder which zoos have cacomistle/Central American ringtail (Bassariscus sumichrasti)
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Both species are also commonly referred to as "ring-tailed cats" despite being members of the raccoon family. This primarily stems from miners and trappers befriending them to keep mice out of their cabins.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
That said, as other zoochatters have already pointed out this is an animal that is nocturnal, very shy (given the option of a hide it will typically stay in there hidden whenever the public around and never come out), easily stressed and prone to several stereotypical behaviours.
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The ones in Burgers Zoo are quite showy and relaxed when public is around in their darkened enclosure in the Desert.
 
AWP said:
The ones in Burgers Zoo are quite showy and relaxed when public is around in their darkened enclosure in the Desert.
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I think this might be due to the conditions they are kept in being optimum for their wellbeing but unfortunately in many Mexican zoos that lack the resources to provide these kind of conditions these animals are very highly strung and spend a lot of time in hiding.
 
The enclosures in burgers' are indeed quite well made, with plenty of room and being very well structured. I also don't know wether factors like proper UV-light and how well sound-isolated an enclosure make a big impact. I think it's time to ask some questions about the behind-the scenes technicalities of the enclosure there when I visit next time.
 
Jarne said:
The enclosures in burgers' are indeed quite well made, with plenty of room and being very well structured. I also don't know wether factors like proper UV-light and how well sound-isolated an enclosure make a big impact. I think it's time to ask some questions about the behind-the scenes technicalities of the enclosure there when I visit next time.
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I think those enclosures must be sound proof in some ways because cacomixtles from what I've observed are very easily stressed animals and don't respond well to the daytime noises of zoos at all.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
That said, as other zoochatters have already pointed out this is an animal that is nocturnal, very shy (given the option of a hide it will typically stay in there hidden whenever the public around and never come out), easily stressed and prone to several stereotypical behaviours.

Needless to say, it doesn't make for the best animal in zoos and I really don't think that many zoos (at least in Mexico) house this species or obtain them intentionally. These are often simply rescued animals that cannot be rehabilitated to the wild and for whatever reason get placed in these institutions.
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Everything mentioned above is correct. I've had long discussions with other educators about keeping ringtails in captivity and they all agreed that they just don't seem to thrive. There are always exceptions, as there are with all animals, but the majority of individuals simply don't do well in captivity.

Housing animals for educational programs is different than having them out on exhibit, but the two have several overlapping areas. They're nocturnal, so that isn't always ideal when trying to show them off to the public, as nocturnal exhibits can be extremely difficult to see into. They're also skittish and excessively nip when startled - which isn't a good attribute when you're a species that is afraid of everything! The adults behave much worse than the young and only seem to act worse with age.
 
EsserWarrior said:
Everything mentioned above is correct. I've had long discussions with other educators about keeping ringtails in captivity and they all agreed that they just don't seem to thrive. There are always exceptions, as there are with all animals, but the majority of individuals simply don't do well in captivity.

Housing animals for educational programs is different than having them out on exhibit, but the two have several overlapping areas. They're nocturnal, so that isn't always ideal when trying to show them off to the public, as nocturnal exhibits can be extremely difficult to see into. They're also skittish and excessively nip when startled - which isn't a good attribute when you're a species that is afraid of everything! The adults behave much worse than the young and only seem to act worse with age.
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Yes, I agree, I think that they are one of those species which should only be kept in captivity if it is needed i.e. they are rescued as injured animals and can't be rehabilitated / released back into the wild for whatever reason.
 
carlos55 said:
Celebran a los ejemplares más longevos en el Día del Abuelo en Zoológicos CDMX - Prensa Animal
Zoologico Los Coyotes has a 15 year old cacomixtle named PikachU and a keeper helped me see him ásleep in March. He was curled up in his box. A frecuent visitor to Los Coyotes, i have never seen Pikachu awake and have no photos of him.
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I remember seeing him years ago but only as a fluffy curled up ball fast asleep in one of those hollow logs in that enclosure (the one near where they have the axolotl captive breeding display).
 
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USA:
Abilene Zoo, TX
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, AZ
Big Bear Alpine Zoo, CA
California Living Museum / CALM Zoo, CA
Cameron Park Zoo, TX
Cincinnati Zoo, OH
Crowe's Nest Farm, TX
Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, CA
Lehigh Valley Zoo, PA
Little Rock Zoo, AR
Micke Grove Zoo, CA
Oregon Zoo, OR
Phoenix Herpetological Society, AZ
Phoenix Zoo, AZ
Rainforest Adventures, TN
San Antonio Zoo, TX
Stone Zoo, MA
The Living Desert, CA
The Texas Zoo, TX
Virginia Zoo, VA
Wild Wonders, UT
Wildlife Learning Center, CA
Wildlife World Zoo, AZ
ZooAmerica, PA

Possibly:
1st Class Animals, CA
Audubon Zoo, LA
Fort Worth Zoo, TX
Henson Robinson Zoo, IL
Hutchinson Zoo, KS
Navajo Nation Zoo, AZ
Oklahoma City Zoo, OK
Pueblo Zoo, CO
 
TinoPup said:
USA:
Abilene Zoo, TX
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, AZ
Big Bear Alpine Zoo, CA
California Living Museum / CALM Zoo, CA
Cameron Park Zoo, TX
Cincinnati Zoo, OH
Crowe's Nest Farm, TX
Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary, CA
Lehigh Valley Zoo, PA
Little Rock Zoo, AR
Micke Grove Zoo, CA
Oregon Zoo, OR
Phoenix Herpetological Society, AZ
Phoenix Zoo, AZ
Rainforest Adventures, TN
San Antonio Zoo, TX
Stone Zoo, MA
The Living Desert, CA
The Texas Zoo, TX
Virginia Zoo, VA
Wild Wonders, UT
Wildlife Learning Center, CA
Wildlife World Zoo, AZ
ZooAmerica, PA

Possibly:
1st Class Animals, CA
Audubon Zoo, LA
Fort Worth Zoo, TX
Henson Robinson Zoo, IL
Hutchinson Zoo, KS
Navajo Nation Zoo, AZ
Oklahoma City Zoo, OK
Pueblo Zoo, CO
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Folsom hasn't had them for a couple years now.
 
The Audubon Zoo does, indeed, house this species— 1.1 in their new nocturnal building.
 
pangolin12 said:
consequently this makes me wonder which zoos have cacomistle/Central American ringtail (Bassariscus sumichrasti)
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There were two or three genuine Central American Cacomistle in North American collections in the last decade, but all have now passed away - as such the captive population in North America and Europe entirely comprises Ring-tailed Cacomistle.
 
Several months ago (maybe a year ago) I saw a post on the Facebook page of Big Bear Alpine Zoo that stated they were pairing up two on an SSP breeding recommendation. That was the first time I heard there is an SSP for ringtails. I assumed the few I had seen were rescues.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Several months ago (maybe a year ago) I saw a post on the Facebook page of Big Bear Alpine Zoo that stated they were pairing up two on an SSP breeding recommendation. That was the first time I heard there is an SSP for ringtails. I assumed the few I had seen were rescues.
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Turns out there's a studbook for them too, after looking through the AZA program list. That surprises me too, I thought they were rescues.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Several months ago (maybe a year ago) I saw a post on the Facebook page of Big Bear Alpine Zoo that stated they were pairing up two on an SSP breeding recommendation. That was the first time I heard there is an SSP for ringtails. I assumed the few I had seen were rescues.
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ZooAmerica had a litter nearly 2 years ago :) The babies spent nearly a year with mom before being moved to other places. It was really neat seeing the babies and parents all running around together!
 
Arizona Docent said:
Coincidentally, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum made a Facebook post two hours ago of a wild ringtail filmed in their bear exhibit (at night). I saw a wild one on our porch (within touching distance) this summer at Madera Canyon (licking from our bat feeder at night).
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That was a cool video! And a very brave ringtail, with all of those lights. I wouldn't mind a ringtail feeder at night :)
 
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