Animals you miss from your hometown zoo

Pleistohorse said:
I remember the Dolphin’s they kept for the Shedd Aquarium. I’m thinking that was sometime around 1996 as well or later (2004)?
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Seeing that I remember seeing the Shedd dolphins there and I was born in 2004, I can definitely say that it was later than that. I want to say the dolphins were there 2012-ish.

EDIT: This article states that the transfer occurred in 2008-2009.
Rare Out-of-Towners at Mystic Aquarium (Published 2008)
 
Wilhelma Zoo

Pesquets Parrot: unfortunatly they are gone from the parrot terraces

Green winged Macaw: unfortunatly they are gone from the parrot terraces

African Ostrich: maybee they bring them back to the zoo but lets see

Hippo: i know the enclosure was way to small for them but i havent seen Hippos since Mike left the Wilhelma

Pigmy Hippo: i know the enclosure was way to small for them but i havent seen Pigmy Hippos since Hanibal passed away.

Sumatran Tiger: Tigers are one of my favorite big cat species. They want to build a new Tiger enclosure soon.
 
Largetooth Sawfish at the Cairns Aquarium, they're amazing animals and were so cool to see kept in freshwater. They have since been released as they outgrew the exhibit; it's an absolutely massive tank, but Largetooths can reach 7 metres in length!

I do also miss Reef HQ's Scalloped Hammerheads, they are no longer on display, although I don't know why or what happened to them. Ditto their Onefin Flashlightfish, whose tank now houses a pair of Ornate Rock Lobsters. I hope that when Reef HQ reopens, the tank will house something a little more interesting :p
 
River Safari

Mississippi River (Alligator gar, Alligator snapping turtle, American beaver & American paddlefish): The whole area got replaced by a bunch of African fish, while those are still cool, they were already in other parts of the aquarium so there really wasn't a reason to remove the Mississipi. The beavers were removed way earlier than the others for a pretty generic fish x aviary display though they're the only of the 4 still in River Safari off-show, you can only see them during a show (Gar and snapping turtle are in the Zoo, Paddlefish and more gars are in the aquarium)

Dwarf crocodile: Their removal was weird, their tank now has a bunch of birds and Lake Malawi cichlids. At least the new African tanks give some extra variety

Golden pheasant: Have no clue what happened to the ones at River Safari, they just vanished without a trace

Singapore Zoo

Polar bear: Singapore is way too hot for polar bears but I'd be lying if I said I didn't love seeing him. RIP

Nyala: They used to be around and though they seemed to have returned in 2021, I have no clue if they're still there (gonna visit later this year)
 
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Nile/Pygmy Hippos- The last pygmy died in 2005(ish) and the Nile Hippo named Blackie was moved into a retirement barn when the Pachyderm Building closed, and eventually passed in 2014.
Reticulated Python- Died in 2013, replaced with a Burmese Python.
Polar Bears- Our last one died in 2012.
Chimpanzees- Moved out in 2007. Fingers crossed they return when the zoo builds its new Primate Forest exhibit.
 
The North Carolina Zoo and the Greensboro Science Center are the closest I have to being "hometown" zoos (despite both facilities being at least a 1.5 hours drive and several counties over from where I live).

Greensboro hasn't really had any major species be phased out from the collection as far as I can recall; GSC has gained way more than they lost in the years since I started visiting in 2015. The Discovery House has seen species come and go, but nothing too major. They did lose tigers for a while before acquiring new ones. Probably the one that most comes to mind were Yellow-spotted Amazon River Turtles in the aquarium's Amazon Rising exhibit, which I have not seen on my last 2 visits (yes, I'm a huge turtle fan and will notice if any go missing).

The North Carolina Zoo, on the other hand...
  • The African Pavilion - As I have said in other threads, it was a real shame this exhibit had to be discontinued without any replacement being built. So many interesting species were housed in here that, to my knowledge, were never rehoused elsewhere in the zoo. The ones that come to mind are Mantled Guerezas, Meerkats, Dwarf Crocodiles, Rock Pythons, Savanna Monitors, African Mud Turtles, and cichlids.
  • In their Cypress Swamp exhibit, the current Alligator Snapping Turtle exhibit inside the pavilion was previously home to Pond Sliders, River Cooters, Spotted Turtles, and Chicken Turtles. All but the pond slider were relocated to the Streamside exhibit. The Pond Slider was never displayed elsewhere in the zoo from what I remember, but the species I missed the most was the Chicken Turtle, which I have not seen on my last few visits. I have not seen this species in other collections I have been to, and it's also not native to my area. The cooter and spotted turtle are still on exhibit in Streamside as far as I know. Regardless, seeing any turtles get removed from the collection hurts me, even if it's a native species.
  • Speaking of Streamside, this building held quite a few species that have since left the (public) collection (the exhibit's collection seems to have been downsized over the years). In addition to the aforementioned Chicken Turtle, they also had a Spiny Softshell Turtle at one point (who I saw on at least 2 visits, but who later passed away in either 2017 or 2018), Two-toed Amphiuma (removed because the exhibit they were in was altered), and Queen Snake. The lower building also had several species of fish that are no longer present, such as Brook Trout.
  • Desert - I really miss their Ringtail, Rock Hyrax, Rosy Boa, and Merriam's Kangaroo-Rat. Especially the latter as the zoo has left it's exhibit go unoccupied for years on end.
Yes, I know that many of the animals I listed are "small/minor animals" in many peoples eyes, but as a big fan of both reptiles, especially turtles, and small animals, I really do miss them. Additionally, the NC Zoo never had a big collection species-wise to begin with, so any species going missing will be noticable.

Also, I know the aviary is gone with (most of) it's inhabitants following, but given that I do not know where they will be rehomed, combined with the fact that a replacement is now within the realm of possibility, I am not going to list it, yet. Also, I have not visited the zoo since 2019.
 
I don't consider to have a "hometown" zoo, but San Diego Zoo is my favorite zoo I've been to and here is what I miss seeing:
- Indian Rhino (My #1 animal no longer there)
- Giant Panda
- Pangolin
- Sea Lion
- Black, White, and Sumatran Rhinos
- Aardwolf
- Bongo
- Moose
- Sable
- African Wild Dog
- Ostrich
- Emu
- Bison
 
RhinoHippoElephantGiraffe said:
I don't consider to have a "hometown" zoo, but San Diego Zoo is my favorite zoo I've been to and here is what I miss seeing:
- Indian Rhino (My #1 animal no longer there)
- Giant Panda
- Pangolin
- Sea Lion
- Black, White, and Sumatran Rhinos
- Aardwolf
- Bongo
- Moose
- Sable
- African Wild Dog
- Ostrich
- Emu
- Bison
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You're apparently a lot older than I thought you were if you've seen all of those species there.
 
Hmm. This isn’t exactly in line with the prompt, but I do have an answer that sticks out in my mind. During a fairly difficult period in my life my home zoo was Riverbanks in Columbia, SC. I’ve since moved far away and can only visit every couple years.

There are a lot of species from Riverbanks I miss, most of which are still there. I loved looking at the otters. The harbor seal often went out of their way to investigate visitors from the other side of the glass. The baby Galapagos Tortoises had a habit of lining up in formations for no discernible reasons. The meerkat enclosure had a lovely sight line that created the illusion they were about to escape their habitat. And one year they had black footed kittens, which were adorable. Oh, and a baby Eurasian Eagle Owl that was entirely floof, anger, and confusion.

What I really miss the smallest and most common of these, the rainbow lorikeets. They’re pretty, curious, loud, and I’d say they give no s***s but I know they do from the stains on my jacket. Over the course of a few years coming at least once a week I was able to build up a bond with them. They recognized me and flew over whenever I walked in, whether or not I was holding food (but they really liked the food). I have curly hair and they would often climb onto my head to try and steal some of it for nesting material. Sometimes they crawled all over my winter coat because of the texture. On cooler winter days many of the birds would still be out but fewer people came to visit them. That’s when they were the most hungry and social.

I came to learn the names of all the staff in that area. Sometimes when a kid struggled to get one bird on them I’d teach them the ropes or coax one of mine to them. My friends all thought I was weird, but it made me very happy. Whenever the world seemed particularly bad I would go to the zoo, see the birds, and sometimes just leave immediately after.

I’ve moved away. I don’t think any of the Chicago zoos have them. The ones in Fort Wayne aren’t terrible social, although I have coaxed one into perching on my arm. The Indianapolis birds are usually full but can occasionally be persuaded to land and check out my hair or clothing. It’s still not quite the same and I’m too far from Indy or any of those zoos to go quickly if I need a moment of peace.

They’re still at Riverbanks as far as I’m aware. I’ll still visit them whenever I go back. I know they aren’t pandas, saiga, manatees, elephants or rhinos, but I still miss them dearly.
 
I’m only doing the Arizona facilities because I’ve only been in Wisconsin for three years, Henry Vilas hasn’t changed their collection too much (I never saw the Prairie Dogs), and I only visited Milwaukee for the first time last year.
Phoenix Zoo: The Pemba Flying Foxes in the Children’s Zone. There was nothing else at the zoo quite like them, and now their former exhibit is just another ordinary aviary (that might have a rare species that I’m completely forgetting). I also miss the Elands and (this is gonna sound shocking) the Watusi in the main Savannah. They made the whole exhibit feel more busy and alive and nothing has really come in to take their place yet. I’d also say the Capybaras, but I never actually saw them.
Wildlife World Zoo: Apparently there used to be a Giant Anteater at the end of the boardwalk near the Safari Park entrance (in the same habitat that held the Spotted Hyenas before said Safari Park opened), but now the signage is gone and there’s a couple of Sarus Cranes in there instead. The funny thing is that I never actually saw the anteater when the signage was up. So was there ever an anteater in there? Was the Wildlife World Zoo trying to gaslight visitors into thinking that there was an anteater in that habitat when there was actually nothing? (Wouldn’t be surprised if it were true, tbh)
Odysea Aquarium: What happened to the Giant Isopod in the tank near the elevator at the bottom floor? That tank used to be cool and dark and now it’s a generic seahorse tank. I also miss Mighty Mike the Alligator, but I understand that he’s basically a celebrity and has other places to be :(.
And while not a “hometown” zoo, I’ve visited the Detroit Zoo enough times to notice the decay in their collection, which used to have….
Asian Elephant
Hippo
Tapir
Pudu
Emu
Binturong
African Crested Porcupine
Bush Dog
Capybara
Guanaco
Takin
Elk
Przewalski’s Wild Horse
Siamese Crocodile
African Slender Snouted Crocodile
Meerkat
Fennec Fox (which I never knew they had until last year)
Drill
Lion tailed Macaque
Javelina
Arctic Fox
African Wild Dog
Coati
Yak
American Black Bear
Syrian Brown Bear
Eastern Brown Snake
Lungfish
Saddle-billed Stork
And Seals, all of which used to be there last decade (except the elephants)
Can’t have squat in Detroit, am I right?
 
Corangurilla said:
I’m only doing the Arizona facilities because I’ve only been in Wisconsin for three years, Henry Vilas hasn’t changed their collection too much (I never saw the Prairie Dogs), and I only visited Milwaukee for the first time last year.
Phoenix Zoo: The Pemba Flying Foxes in the Children’s Zone. There was nothing else at the zoo quite like them, and now their former exhibit is just another ordinary aviary (that might have a rare species that I’m completely forgetting). I also miss the Elands and (this is gonna sound shocking) the Watusi in the main Savannah. They made the whole exhibit feel more busy and alive and nothing has really come in to take their place yet. I’d also say the Capybaras, but I never actually saw them.
Wildlife World Zoo: Apparently there used to be a Giant Anteater at the end of the boardwalk near the Safari Park entrance (in the same habitat that held the Spotted Hyenas before said Safari Park opened), but now the signage is gone and there’s a couple of Sarus Cranes in there instead. The funny thing is that I never actually saw the anteater when the signage was up. So was there ever an anteater in there? Was the Wildlife World Zoo trying to gaslight visitors into thinking that there was an anteater in that habitat when there was actually nothing? (Wouldn’t be surprised if it were true, tbh)
Odysea Aquarium: What happened to the Giant Isopod in the tank near the elevator at the bottom floor? That tank used to be cool and dark and now it’s a generic seahorse tank. I also miss Mighty Mike the Alligator, but I understand that he’s basically a celebrity and has other places to be :(.
And while not a “hometown” zoo, I’ve visited the Detroit Zoo enough times to notice the decay in their collection, which used to have….
Asian Elephant
Hippo
Tapir
Pudu
Emu
Binturong
African Crested Porcupine
Bush Dog
Capybara
Guanaco
Takin
Elk
Przewalski’s Wild Horse
Siamese Crocodile
African Slender Snouted Crocodile
Meerkat
Fennec Fox (which I never knew they had until last year)
Drill
Lion tailed Macaque
Javelina
Arctic Fox
African Wild Dog
Coati
Yak
American Black Bear
Syrian Brown Bear
Eastern Brown Snake
Lungfish
Saddle-billed Stork
And Seals, all of which used to be there last decade (except the elephants)
Can’t have squat in Detroit, am I right?
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Detroit still had the signage for elk when I visited last month. I think I saw them, too, but I might be misremembering.
 
Woodland Park Zoo:

- Elephants: They had a decently-sized exhibit with some incredible theming. I hope WPZ will one day bring back the species in this exhibit.
- Lion-Tailed Macaque: It's unfortunate that the AZA is phasing out this species, they look really cool.
- Literally every animal in the day exhibit: I'm happy that the Forests For All exhibit will be opening in 2026, and I hope most of the reptile species housed there will return.
 
Haley said:
- Elephants: They had a decently-sized exhibit with some incredible theming. I hope WPZ will one day bring back the species in this exhibit.
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Unfortunately that will almost certainly never happen, due to both species of elephant struggling to hold population growth and the exhibit does not meet the new elephant size standard.

Haley said:
- Literally every animal in the day exhibit: I'm happy that the Forests For All exhibit will be opening in 2026, and I hope most of the reptile species housed there will return.
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I was really glad to see the zoo is going to get the building open again, the previous exhibits housed a lot of nice species.
 
Corangurilla said:
And while not a “hometown” zoo, I’ve visited the Detroit Zoo enough times to notice the decay in their collection, which used to have….
Asian Elephant
Hippo
Tapir
Pudu
Emu
Binturong
African Crested Porcupine
Bush Dog
Capybara
Guanaco
Takin
Elk
Przewalski’s Wild Horse
Siamese Crocodile
African Slender Snouted Crocodile
Meerkat
Fennec Fox (which I never knew they had until last year)
Drill
Lion tailed Macaque
Javelina
Arctic Fox
African Wild Dog
Coati
Yak
American Black Bear
Syrian Brown Bear
Eastern Brown Snake
Lungfish
Saddle-billed Stork
And Seals, all of which used to be there last decade (except the elephants)
Can’t have squat in Detroit, am I right?
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Somehow, in this enormous list of animals that resembles the list of what the Looney Tunes Tasmanian Devil eats, I somehow missed the Drills. At least the Bush Dogs will be back in due time...
 
roger williams park zoo
wild dogs rip
north american porcupines
stone zoo:
jaguar rip
buttonwood park zoo
american bison
 
Bison at ZooAmerica. They're one of my favorite animals. I was told by the food vendor a few years ago that the original plan was to acquire new bison, but that never happened because it might receive a negative reaction from the press after the death of their previous bison.
 
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