Exotic animals you have touched/handled

The standouts for me would be:

giant panda
red panda
Persian leopard
koala
orangutan (not sure which subspecies)
Asian elephant

Others off the top of my head:

ring-tailed lemur
barbary macaque
rhesus macaque
bottlenose dolphin
slow loris
red kangaroo
grey kangaroo
some wallaby or other
alpaca

ostrich
various parrots and parakeets

a dozen or so snake species (Burmese and reticulated pythons being the biggest)
different lizards and geckos

the usual touchpool rays, starfish etc
nurse shark
 
Giant Panda: Panda breeding/research base in Chengdu. I think they stopped doing it recently, but they used to allow a small number of people each day to register to hold a young panda and have pictures taken for a "donation" (completely mandatory payment) of about 200 quid.

Red Panda: At a Chinese theme park (Happy Valley Wuhan).

Persian Leopard: Chester Zoo. Back in the '90s, they had "Day with a Keeper" sessions for kids holding junior memberships (no idea if they still do it). I spent a day in the old cat house. One of the leopards there at the time had been hand-reared and liked to be stroked. This was through the bars of the off-show area though; she was too excitable to go in with.

Koala: Quite easy to do in Australia. I did it at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast.

Orangutan: Singapore Zoo. Technically, it touched me, but I've counted it. They're "free range" (actually quite cleverly contained) and are allowed down for feeding and photo opportunities. You're not allowed to touch them, but if you get your photo with them, you're inches away and there's nothing stopping them from touching you.

Elephant: Not happy about it now, but the first time was one of those elephant riding "sanctuaries" in Thailand. This was way before we had all the info about it that we have now (probably 15 years ago), and I would NEVER have done it had I known back then. There are plenty of actual sanctuaries around Asia now (Thailand, India, Sri Lanka) where you can interact with elephants without the awful riding aspect.
 
JigerofLemuria said:
I'll do my list by zoos, and I won't count domestic animals. ;)
Barcelona Zoo:
- Brazillian tapir (the male goes up to the fence to be pet by everyone)
- Leopard gecko (animal ambassador)
- North African mastigure (animal ambassador)
- Corn snake (animal ambassador)

Aquarium Barcelona:
- Common stingray (back in the day you could touch them)

Aqualeon (no longer a zoo):
- Military macaw (animal ambassador)
- Eurasian eagle-owl (animal ambassador)
- Boa constrictor (animal ambassador)
- Marginated tortoise (animal ambassador)

Faunia:
- Reeve's muntjac (came up and licked me. :3)

Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium:
- Thornback ray (... Yeah, I got quite a few cuts, but it was worth it)

Aquarium of the Pacific:
- Grey bamboo shark

Singapore Zoo:
- California sea lion (Threw it a frisbee successfully in the show! :D)

Singapore Night Safari:
- Maggie the reticulated python (came up as a volunteer during the show)

Wellington Zoo:
- Common brushtail possum (animal ambassador)
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I forgot to mention: I touched a bottlenose dolphin at the Barcelona zoo on my 6th birthday, and, sorry to admit, an Asian elephant at a circus when I was very young. I can still remember their very distinct textures to this day.
 
gjkgjakkagkvn If we're doing animals we've touched, then I've probably touched cownose rays, brownbanded and whitespotted bamboo sharks, and maybe leopard whiptail rays and nurse sharks. I've also touched a variety of other animals I have forgotten about.
 
North American Porcupine
Virginia Opossum
Beaver
Indian Rhinoceros
Mountain Tapir
Ruffed Lemurs (both species)
Golden Eagle and Harris Hawk (held on the glove)
Giraffe
Florida Manatee
Red Panda
Galapagos Tortoise
American Alligator (youngster, with tied jaws)
African Pangolin
Walrus
Bottlenose Dolphin
Commerson Dolphin
 
I have handled several different kinds of snake (non-venomous, of course), lizards, birds and various small mammals (hedgehogs, lemurs and koala especially). I have touched many other animals, including white rhinoceros and African elephant.
 
Mammals
Brazilian tapir
Ring-tailed coatimundi
American mink
Fallow deer
Sika deer
Brown rat
Kinkajou (it touched me)
Cottontop tamarin (it touched me)
Red ruffed lemur (it touched me)
Ring-tailed lemur
Six-banded armadillo
Lesser hedgehog tenrec
Meerkat (it touched me)
Red-necked wallaby

Birds
Nene
Red-breasted goose
Red-headed pochard
Carolina duck
Southern red-billed whistling-duck
White-faced whistling-duck
Mandarin duck
Bufflehead
Hooded merganser
Ringed teal
Smew
Laysan teal
Rosybill
Andean goose
Cape Barren goose
Black swan
Ocellated turkey
Swan goose
Common eider
European wigeon
Maned goose
Plumed whistling-duck
Cape teal
South African black duck
Indian peafowl
Golden pheasant
Eastern white pelican
Chilean flamingo
Socorro dove
Atlantic puffin
Arctic tern (it touched me if attacking counts)
Lesser black-backed gull
Greater black-backed gull
Willow warbler
Chiffchaff
Song thrush
European starling
Storm petrel
Shag
White-cheeked turaco
Emu
Greater rhea
Blue-and-gold macaw
Blue-fronted amazon
Congo grey parrot
Cockatoo sp.
Barn owl
Little owl
Bateleur
American kestrel
Saker falcon
Amur falcon (I think tho I can't remember exactly)
Blue crane

Reptiles, amphibians and fish
Veiled chameleon
Corn snake
White's treefrog
Trinidadian stream frog
Probably more that I can't remember

Invertebrates
Leaf-cutter ant
Chilean pink-footed tarantula
Stick insect sp.
Madagascar hissing cockroach
Again probably more than I can't remember
 
Dylan said:
Mammals
Brazilian tapir
Ring-tailed coatimundi
American mink
Fallow deer
Sika deer
Brown rat
Kinkajou (it touched me)
Cottontop tamarin (it touched me)
Red ruffed lemur (it touched me)
Ring-tailed lemur
Six-banded armadillo
Lesser hedgehog tenrec
Meerkat (it touched me)
Red-necked wallaby

Birds
Nene
Red-breasted goose
Red-headed pochard
Carolina duck
Southern red-billed whistling-duck
White-faced whistling-duck
Mandarin duck
Bufflehead
Hooded merganser
Ringed teal
Smew
Laysan teal
Rosybill
Andean goose
Cape Barren goose
Black swan
Ocellated turkey
Swan goose
Common eider
European wigeon
Maned goose
Plumed whistling-duck
Cape teal
South African black duck
Indian peafowl
Golden pheasant
Eastern white pelican
Chilean flamingo
Socorro dove
Atlantic puffin
Arctic tern (it touched me if attacking counts)
Lesser black-backed gull
Greater black-backed gull
Willow warbler
Chiffchaff
Song thrush
European starling
Storm petrel
Shag
White-cheeked turaco
Emu
Greater rhea
Blue-and-gold macaw
Blue-fronted amazon
Congo grey parrot
Cockatoo sp.
Barn owl
Little owl
Bateleur
American kestrel
Saker falcon
Amur falcon (I think tho I can't remember exactly)
Blue crane

Reptiles, amphibians and fish
Veiled chameleon
Corn snake
White's treefrog
Trinidadian stream frog
Probably more that I can't remember

Invertebrates
Leaf-cutter ant
Chilean pink-footed tarantula
Stick insect sp.
Madagascar hissing cockroach
Again probably more than I can't remember
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Nice list! Curious, what were the circumstances on the geese and swans, I know they don't generally like being touched!
 
Crowthorne said:
A lion cub.

For some reason it was brought into school when I was around 6 years old for assembly. It was on a lead, and at the end as we all left to go back to class, we all got to give it a stroke as we filed past. No idea where it came from or why it was brought in. This was the early 90s, can't see anything like it happening now thankfully! Looking back, it seems utterly bizarre :confused:
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Additionally, on entering the jungle walkthrough at Blackpool, we were immediately jumped on by a squirrel monkey intent on getting into my shoulder bag for snacks! Considering their small size, it was surprisingly heavy and very strong. It was also very determined and took a lot of persuasion to get off my shoulder
 
The list is way to long to mention all, but the most special ones for me were:
- Spix and lears macaw
- Beira
- Gerenuk
- Phillips dikdik
- Spekes gazelle
- King BOP
- Greater BOP
- Saddlebilled and Shoebilled Stork
- Greater adjutant
- King, Somali and Southeast African cheetah
- Serval
- Arabian sandcat
- Pygmy slow loris
- Andean Cock of the Rock
- Common wallaroo
- Steller sea eagle
- Andean condor
- Secretary bird
- Palm cockatoo
- Visayan Warty pig
- Many hornbill, crane and flamingo species
 
That's a nice list

Great Argus said:
Nice list! Curious, what were the circumstances on the geese and swans, I know they don't generally like being touched!
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I was worming them against intestinal parasites. And squirrel monkey is a species I missed. They stole my glasses at five sisters zoo
 
These are animals I have touched that I can remember:

- Giraffe
- Binturong
- Eastern Gray Kangaroo
- Red-Necked Pademelon
- Rock Dove (in the wild)
- Zebra Dove (in the wild)
- Spotted Dove (in the wild)
- Black Swan
- Mallard
- Domestic Turkey
- Australian White Ibis (in the wild)
- Scarlet Macaw
- Blue-&-Gold Macaw
- Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo
- Cockatiel
- Budgerigar
- American Alligator
- Green Sea Turtle
- Burmese Python
- Gopher Tortoise
- African Spurred Tortoise
- Eyestripe Surgeonfish
- Pacific Cleaner Shrimp
- Horseshoe Crab
 
Here is my list
Lots of types of Giraffes
Indian Rhino
White Rhino
Sumatran Rhino
Asian Elephant
Dromedary Camel
Bactrian Camel
Sting Rays
Red River Hog
Lots of birds, reptiles, and small mammals
 
Reticulated Giraffe
Common Ostrich
Dromedary
Bactrian Camel
Galapagos Tortoise
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Ball Python
Chinese Pond Turtle
Rosy Boa
Eastern Box Turtle
Collared Peccary
Indian Peafowl
African Collared Dove
American Alligator
Mai Thai said:
Here is my list
Lots of types of Giraffes
Indian Rhino
White Rhino
Sumatran Rhino
Asian Elephant
Dromedary Camel
Bactrian Camel
Sting Rays
Red River Hog
Lots of birds, reptiles, and small mammals
Click to expand...
I could not be more jealous. :p
 
Fignewton said:
Reticulated Giraffe
Common Ostrich
Dromedary
Bactrian Camel
Galapagos Tortoise
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Ball Python
Chinese Pond Turtle
Rosy Boa
Eastern Box Turtle
Collared Peccary
Indian Peafowl
African Collared Dove
American Alligator

I could not be more jealous. :p
Click to expand...
I though do not have touched an ostrich which is on my bucket list:p
 
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