Species no longer held/nearly gone from US zoos

SusScrofa

SusScrofa

Well-Known Member
Which species were formerly held in captivity here in the US in the last 30 or so years (since 1990) that are now gone?
Similarly, which species have seen considerable declines in the last 30 years? Basically, the number of zoos holding them has declined by half or more.

Based on research, especially from info on this forum, I already listed several animals. Hopefully others can add more info:

(Note: If a species is held by private individuals, legally or ilegally, but are not held at a normally accessable institution, they do not count as being held in the country)

GONE

Sumatran Rhinoceros
Was once in a very small number of zoos. Bronx had them in early 90s, I think San Diego as well. Cincinnati had the last individual, Harapan, but around 2015 he was sent back to Indonesia to breed.

Proboscis Monkey
I think they were at Bronx and San Diego back in the 90s. I'm not sure how long they've been gone.

Bald Uakari
Last individual, Daisy, passed away at the Los Angeles Zoo just a month or two ago :( I was lucky enough to see her in February. Species was formerly kept at some other facilities probably as recently as the 90s (Monkey Jungle in Miami had some at the time I believe).

Hartebeest (?)
I'm not 100% certain they're completely gone, but I do know the last individual at an AZA facility is. A female Hartebeest at Lion Country Safari passed way a couple of months ago :( As with Daisy the uakari, I was lucky enough to see her.


ALMOST GONE

Japanese Serow
I believe there's only one individual left, a female at Trevor Zoo in New York. Formerly held at several other institutions like San Diego, LA and Woodland Park.

Bush Dog
Never common, but Bush Dogs are down to only a few individuals in less then 5 zoos. Recently gone from several major zoos like Detroit, Atlanta and Saint Louis

Lion-tailed Macaque
Still at several institutions across the country but from what others on this site have said, this species has been on a big decline over the last couple of decades.

Bearded Pig
Not sure if the species was ever common, but now its only found in perhaps one or two smaller facilities, and I'm not even sure if that's confirmed. Formerly present during the last two decades at several major zoos including Philadelphia, ZooTampa and San Diego.
 
Last edited:
I saw proboscis monkeys and a Sumatran rhino at Bronx Zoo in 1991

I saw Sumatran rhinos, Japanese serows and a red uakari at Los Angeles Zoo in 1991
 
Well, to add a bunch...

Gone:

Yapok - gone currently, but knowing DWA may appear again
Red-shanked Douc Langur
South American Sealion - from zoos anyways, there is a handful at a traveling show
Margay
Guenther's Dik-dik
Jentink's Duiker
Saiga
Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo
Jabiru
Goliath Heron
Black Heron
Guanay Cormorant
Resplendent Quetzal
Greater Yellownape
Cardinal Lory - per recent reports from SDZ, unless they're now off display

Almost gone:

Parma Wallaby - might only be one left at SDZ
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby - LA, The Living Desert, and possibly Miami
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth - one individual at DWA, but they might import
Black & Rufous Elephant Shrew - only a couple zoos still have them, breeding has been poor
Potto - couple zoos still have them but they're not likely to stick around
Pygmy Marmoset - not that many zoos with them now
Common Woolly Monkey - two semi-offshow at Louisville
Tree Pangolin - still at a fair handful of zoos but breeding is basically negligible
Raccoon Dog - handful at Oklahoma City
Sun Bear - pretty much all individuals left are elderly
Guadalupe Fur Seal - if SeaWorld SD still has any
Walrus - down to Seaworlds and Indianapolis
Hawaiian Monk Seal - one left at Minnesota, one in Hawaii, one at a research center in California
Aardwolf - one left at Cincinnati
Mountain Tapir - LA and Cheyenne Mountain
Barasingha - zoo population is likely doomed now
White-lipped Deer - only a few left in zoos, more privately
Musk Deer - not that many left now
Black Duiker - around a dozen left, and not breeding well
Harnessed Bushbuck - couple still at Gladys Porter
Gaur - basically reliant on Bronx for pure stock to remain in the US now
Musk Ox - down to Point Defiance in the lower 48, but there's plenty of Alaskan holders
Commerson's Dolphin - two left at Aquatica Orlando
Short-finned Pilot Whale - Seaworld SD is down to three
Tongan Scrubfowl - SDZ's lone female still lives on, but is well in her 30's
Kagu - handful of birds at three zoos, never common though
Emperor Penguin - small group left at Seaworld SD
Brolga - one or two at ICF
Shoebill - down to DWA and Tampa
Oriental White Stork - one at Louisville
Storm's Stork - down to two facilities I believe now, SDZSP and I think Bronx
Black-necked Stork - two (three?) birds left
Lesser Adjutant - Racine and Bronx, reliant on breeding
Ornate Hawk-Eagle - scattering of birds left
Gray Gull - only a few facilities left, on its way out
Parakeet Auklet - North Carolina
Crested Auklet - Aquarium of the Pacific
Yellow-casqued Hornbill - pair at Memphis
White-thighed Hornbill - one left, now in a irreputable place in FL
Purple Roller - might be gone now from SDZSP
Fire-tufted Barbet - the lone bird at SDZ I believe is the last
Plate-billed Mountain Toucan - two or three holders left
Horned Parakeet - SDZ is the only holder
Collared Lory - couple left at SDZ at most
Blue-winged Pitta - might be gone
Whale Shark - Georgia is down to either two or three now, but they were the only holder anyways


That was a pretty painful post to write... and that's not even the half of them...
 
Great Argus said:
Well, to add a bunch...

Gone:

Yapok - gone currently, but knowing DWA may appear again
Red-shanked Douc Langur
South American Sealion - from zoos anyways, there is a handful at a traveling show
Margay
Guenther's Dik-dik
Jentink's Duiker
Saiga
Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo
Jabiru
Goliath Heron
Black Heron
Guanay Cormorant
Resplendent Quetzal
Greater Yellownape
Cardinal Lory - per recent reports from SDZ, unless they're now off display

Almost gone:

Parma Wallaby - might only be one left at SDZ
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby - LA, The Living Desert, and possibly Miami
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth - one individual at DWA, but they might import
Black & Rufous Elephant Shrew - only a couple zoos still have them, breeding has been poor
Potto - couple zoos still have them but they're not likely to stick around
Pygmy Marmoset - not that many zoos with them now
Common Woolly Monkey - two semi-offshow at Louisville
Tree Pangolin - still at a fair handful of zoos but breeding is basically negligible
Raccoon Dog - handful at Oklahoma City
Sun Bear - pretty much all individuals left are elderly
Guadalupe Fur Seal - if SeaWorld SD still has any
Walrus - down to Seaworlds and Indianapolis
Hawaiian Monk Seal - one left at Minnesota, one in Hawaii, one at a research center in California
Aardwolf - one left at Cincinnati
Mountain Tapir - LA and Cheyenne Mountain
Barasingha - zoo population is likely doomed now
White-lipped Deer - only a few left in zoos, more privately
Musk Deer - not that many left now
Black Duiker - around a dozen left, and not breeding well
Harnessed Bushbuck - couple still at Gladys Porter
Gaur - basically reliant on Bronx for pure stock to remain in the US now
Musk Ox - down to Point Defiance in the lower 48, but there's plenty of Alaskan holders
Commerson's Dolphin - two left at Aquatica Orlando
Short-finned Pilot Whale - Seaworld SD is down to three
Tongan Scrubfowl - SDZ's lone female still lives on, but is well in her 30's
Kagu - handful of birds at three zoos, never common though
Emperor Penguin - small group left at Seaworld SD
Brolga - one or two at ICF
Shoebill - down to DWA and Tampa
Oriental White Stork - one at Louisville
Storm's Stork - down to two facilities I believe now, SDZSP and I think Bronx
Black-necked Stork - two (three?) birds left
Lesser Adjutant - Racine and Bronx, reliant on breeding
Ornate Hawk-Eagle - scattering of birds left
Gray Gull - only a few facilities left, on its way out
Parakeet Auklet - North Carolina
Crested Auklet - Aquarium of the Pacific
Yellow-casqued Hornbill - pair at Memphis
White-thighed Hornbill - one left, now in a irreputable place in FL
Purple Roller - might be gone now from SDZSP
Fire-tufted Barbet - the lone bird at SDZ I believe is the last
Plate-billed Mountain Toucan - two or three holders left
Horned Parakeet - SDZ is the only holder
Collared Lory - couple left at SDZ at most
Blue-winged Pitta - might be gone
Whale Shark - Georgia is down to either two or three now, but they were the only holder anyways


That was a pretty painful post to write... and that's not even the half of them...
Click to expand...

Interesting, I was not aware there's three-toed sloth in the US. Were they ever at other facilities in the last 30 years besides DWA.
For what its worth, I did see a Fire-tufted Barbet at Miami around a week ago, so they're in at least one other facility besides SDZ.
 
SusScrofa said:
Sumatran Rhinoceros
Was once in a very small number of zoos. Bronx had them in early 90s, I think San Diego as well. Cincinnati had the last individual, Harapan, but around 2015 he was sent back to Indonesia to breed.

Proboscis Monkey
I think they were at Bronx and San Diego back in the 90s. I'm not sure how long they've been gone.

Bearded Pig
Not sure if the species was ever common, but now its only found in perhaps one or two smaller facilities, and I'm not even sure if that's confirmed. Formerly present during the last two decades at several major zoos including Philadelphia, ZooTampa and San Diego.
Click to expand...
These are the three I really miss. I did see the bearded pigs in Tampa, but not the other two.

Sumatran rhino were held at San Diego, LA, Cincinnati and Bronx, with White Oak at one point too when they were shuffling animals around. I just missed seeing them in San Diego when I was a kid, the habitat was still empty when I went there.

I saw Japanese Snow in the wild, but never in a zoo that I recall. The Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls holds them as well.
 
Last edited:
SusScrofa said:
believe there's only one individual left, a female at Trevor Zoo in New York. Formerly held at several other institutions like San Diego, LA and Woodland Park
Click to expand...
Last female unfortunately died at Trevor about a year ago, I believe that a facility in one of the Dakotas still holds them but I could be remembering wrong
 
Dyl0526 said:
Last female unfortunately died at Trevor about a year ago, I believe that a facility in one of the Dakotas still holds them but I could be remembering wrong
Click to expand...
Yes, the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls holds them.
 
Royal Antelope comes to mind right away as a species that is gone. I'll get a longer list later.

Great Argus said:
Well, to add a bunch...

Gone:

Yapok - gone currently, but knowing DWA may appear again
Red-shanked Douc Langur
South American Sealion - from zoos anyways, there is a handful at a traveling show
Margay
Guenther's Dik-dik
Jentink's Duiker
Saiga
Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo
Jabiru
Goliath Heron
Black Heron
Guanay Cormorant
Resplendent Quetzal
Greater Yellownape
Cardinal Lory - per recent reports from SDZ, unless they're now off display

Almost gone:

Parma Wallaby - might only be one left at SDZ
Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby - LA, The Living Desert, and possibly Miami
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth - one individual at DWA, but they might import
Black & Rufous Elephant Shrew - only a couple zoos still have them, breeding has been poor
Potto - couple zoos still have them but they're not likely to stick around
Pygmy Marmoset - not that many zoos with them now
Common Woolly Monkey - two semi-offshow at Louisville
Tree Pangolin - still at a fair handful of zoos but breeding is basically negligible
Raccoon Dog - handful at Oklahoma City
Sun Bear - pretty much all individuals left are elderly
Guadalupe Fur Seal - if SeaWorld SD still has any
Walrus - down to Seaworlds and Indianapolis
Hawaiian Monk Seal - one left at Minnesota, one in Hawaii, one at a research center in California
Aardwolf - one left at Cincinnati
Mountain Tapir - LA and Cheyenne Mountain
Barasingha - zoo population is likely doomed now
White-lipped Deer - only a few left in zoos, more privately
Musk Deer - not that many left now
Black Duiker - around a dozen left, and not breeding well
Harnessed Bushbuck - couple still at Gladys Porter
Gaur - basically reliant on Bronx for pure stock to remain in the US now
Musk Ox - down to Point Defiance in the lower 48, but there's plenty of Alaskan holders
Commerson's Dolphin - two left at Aquatica Orlando
Short-finned Pilot Whale - Seaworld SD is down to three
Tongan Scrubfowl - SDZ's lone female still lives on, but is well in her 30's
Kagu - handful of birds at three zoos, never common though
Emperor Penguin - small group left at Seaworld SD
Brolga - one or two at ICF
Shoebill - down to DWA and Tampa
Oriental White Stork - one at Louisville
Storm's Stork - down to two facilities I believe now, SDZSP and I think Bronx
Black-necked Stork - two (three?) birds left
Lesser Adjutant - Racine and Bronx, reliant on breeding
Ornate Hawk-Eagle - scattering of birds left
Gray Gull - only a few facilities left, on its way out
Parakeet Auklet - North Carolina
Crested Auklet - Aquarium of the Pacific
Yellow-casqued Hornbill - pair at Memphis
White-thighed Hornbill - one left, now in a irreputable place in FL
Purple Roller - might be gone now from SDZSP
Fire-tufted Barbet - the lone bird at SDZ I believe is the last
Plate-billed Mountain Toucan - two or three holders left
Horned Parakeet - SDZ is the only holder
Collared Lory - couple left at SDZ at most
Blue-winged Pitta - might be gone
Whale Shark - Georgia is down to either two or three now, but they were the only holder anyways


That was a pretty painful post to write... and that's not even the half of them...
Click to expand...
Hasn't Brookfield had some good success with pangolin breeding? I wouldn't count them out so easily.

ICF has 2.2 Brolga. I wouldn't be surprised if the import more, either.
 
Dyl0526 said:
Last female unfortunately died at Trevor about a year ago, I believe that a facility in one of the Dakotas still holds them but I could be remembering wrong
Click to expand...
Really? Trevor Zoo still shows the serow on its website map.
That's such a shame if true. I was thinking of going to Trevor when I visit NY again this summer.
 
Last edited:
SwampDonkey said:
Yes, the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls holds them.
Click to expand...
The zoo in the Dakotas that has them is the Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, ND. There were no serows in Sioux Falls when I visited in August of 2020 and haven't seen any mention of news of them moving to Sioux Falls that I'm aware of since my visit. But I could have missed this news as well.
 
I don't think they were ever common here, but I suppose if we're adding any soon-to-be-gone species, might as well add these:

Drill
Last one is in Atlanta I believe.

Hirola
Might already be gone, but I recall a thread on here where someone mentions Gladys Porter having them.

Red-faced Spider Monkey
This one might be completely gone from US zoos already.

Gray Goral
LA Zoo from what I understand is the last zoo breeding them, and might be one of if not the last holders here.

Guinea Baboon
Apparently held at a few small non-AZA facilities, but I have no idea if they're even breeding.

Red Howler Monkeys
Does DWA have them? Otherwise this species could be gone. Formerly at Monkey Jungle.
 
Last edited:
MGolka said:
The zoo in the Dakotas that has them is the Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, ND. There were no serows in Sioux Falls when I visited in August of 2020 and haven't seen any mention of news of them moving to Sioux Falls that I'm aware of since my visit. But I could have missed this news as well.
Click to expand...
Oh wow, my mistake!

Reading comprehension 101: I read it as "Japanese Snow", as in snow monkey. Thanks for the correction; I have never seen a Japanese Serow - in the wild or a zoo.
 
Another species to the gone list:

Boto
The only individual in the US was held at Pittsburgh Zoo and died back in 2002. Surprised to find out there was ever even a Boto in the US.
 
Platypusboy said:
Aren't Giant elands also doomed at this point? It's really a shame since I've never seen them and they're one of my favorite ungulates.
Click to expand...
Zoo Miami has a herd that has had breeding successes. So at least theirs a fighting chance theyll persist.

Several of these animals listed (Gaur, Goral, Barasingha etc) still have a workable population and are at least being bred by one or more facilities with some degree of success despite being phased out by the AZA, so I would move them into a third category, an Outlook Bad category. The odds of them ever being prevelent is almost non-existent if the phase outs stay, and an unfortunate incident puts them at risk of dying out, but they'll still be around for a little longer if things stay stable.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top