What is the source for this?
Returning Rarities - News About Rarely Kept Species in NA
- Thread starter MonkeyBat
- Start date
East Texas Zoo no longer even exists.
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USDA lists "East Texas Zoo" (no longer the name) as having two Bushy-tailed Olingo, which probably isn't right either. I'd be curious to know why they're listing them as Olinguito as well.
Evirapo
Well-Known Member
There are only two pictures of these from the zoo account on Facebook. I also have a terrible video of these while visiting the zoo but it's there after all
There are only two pictures of these from the zoo account on Facebook. I also have a terrible video of these while visiting the zoo but it's there after all
Can you link the post(s) for these?
Evirapo
Well-Known Member
Thanks! Surprising, and quite disappointing that they're at this place.
Evirapo
Well-Known Member
They should’ve given these at least better habitats since the new owner.
A quick look through their gallery does not inspire a lot of confidence, I didn't realize there were still places in the US that bad. As a species hunter, I'd be quite hesitant visiting, even for olinguito.
The new owner is just as bad, but in different ways. As CMP and Argus have said, they remain one of the worst in the USA.
I think this is unfortunately a feature, not a bug. Most terrible roadside zoos already have questionable ethics, and therefore have little hesitation in importing animals from shady sources. I think this idea has been brought up in Lintworm's European zoo trends thread.
These unreputable zoos are also already unaccredited and breaking from the orthodoxy, so that may be another factor in the many seemingly random species collections; they are normally small and underfunded zoos that bring in whatever animals they can get their hands on.
Right - my point being these unusual and rare species are being subjected to poor conditions, and for those of us who would like to see them, debating whether we want to support the low welfare and questionable imports to tick a cool species.
Oh certainly - they're typically not opposed to anything. More than one collection has(or is) been a sideshow of sorts, as a place for unscrupulous dealers to have extra space and get around requirements. Such was the previous ownership of the facility in question here, and not much seems to have changed even without him.
Olinguitos are visually distinguishable from olingos by their much thicker fur and by colour.
Those photos do not show Olinguitos.
Evirapo
Well-Known Member
Tbh, I don't blame the zoo for mislabeling these as “Olinguitos“. Quito Zoo had one that looked very similar to these. I’m sure few users in Zoochat believe that
When you go to a zoo's facebook page, and the first photos include children, seemingly unsupervised, holding spider monkeys, capuchins, and macaques...that's when you know you are dealing with the worst of the worst. I'd never heard of this zoo before, but beyond disgusting they still exist, and that it's completely legal for these sorts of facilities to operate in the US.
What are they?
Based on the context I would guess olingos.
There's a few different species of olingo
I would not be surprised if "Olinguitos" start appearing in roadside zoos in America soon enough, but I'd eat all my hats if any will actually be Olinguitos.
I'd say these pictured ones would probably be B. alleni although that is, at best, an "educated guess". I'm not an Olingologist.