Zhao yun
Well-Known Member
The Singapore zoos have not one, not two, not three, but 4 ASCO exhibits. Oh yeah... and they are in a few shows to boot!!!
Zoo trends that are overdone.
- Thread starter owensluis
- Start date
This is one I was considering saying something about and bit my tongue... at least one zoo I follow seems to have not just one but SEVERAL alcohol-themed events for adults, and I get it, there's few easier ways to get butts in seats than offering drinks, I get it, but it does feel saturated, and as someone who doesn't really drink, it'd be nice to see more adult-aimed events that are not explicitly tied to drinking.
ZooNew2004
Active Member
Wow could I not agree more, I'm so sick and tired of seeing red pandas in Asian forest/highlands attractions over and over again. I mean, I get why a lot of zoos have them [they require less space, are popular with guest even before turning red, and can be displayed year-round] but that doesn't mean you should house them 24/7!
Genuinely curious here - why are so many people listing the Meerkat, ASCO, and Red Panda just for being common? Ring-tailed Lemur is more understandable, they're everywhere inside and outside accredited facilities, but why the small carnivores? Not been many complaints about common larger carnivores or hoofstock.
I wouldn't call either of those three species insanely common, either, at least from a US perspective. Meerkat and ASCO are decently common but not insanely so (ASCO isn't even the most common otter species here) and Red Panda is very common but only in certain regions.
Of course, the Meerkat situation is much more understandable when you look at Europe. Zootierliste lists an astonishing 653 holders! Are there even that many zoos in the US?
What does this mean? How could you house them, but not 24/7?
Completely disagree on the red pandas by the way - an excellent animal not doing well in the wild, super popular with the public, well-suited to cold northern climates. What's not to love? It's only excessively common in AZA collections in the Midwest specifically.
Depends on what one considers a zoo.
There's currently 237 AZA accredited facilities, and 17 of those are in countries other than the US/Canada. So take the 220 and you're at one shy of a third of the European Meerkat holders!
I should have perhaps directed my question more specifically towards NA since I definitely agree there's no shortage of Meerkats in Europe!
I don't understand from a US perspective any criticisms of meerkat or ASCO, but for red pandas it is a species that I see at basically any zoo I go to. While I acknowledge other regions are differently, it's a little frustrating here in the northeast where quite literally almost every non-specialist AZA zoo has the species. It's also a species that is frustrating because they are an often inactive species, and one that during summer months is often off-show, hiding inside an airconditioned section. While I've seen a few places with indoor-outdoor exhibits for red pandas, these are the exceptions not the rule, so in many cases it is simply an empty, outdoor exhibit during the summer months, when the zoo is most busy. Behaviorally, I simply find them to not be an interesting species. I'm not necessarily opposed to them since it isn't a lot of space they take up, and it was impressive to see them at the Detroit Zoo where they were high up in live trees in a phenomenal exhibit, but at most zoos they are one of the species I am least interested in.
For the record, since you mentioned large animals, I also included lions on my list of overdone trends. That's a species I'd be more than happy to see a drastic reduction in the number of zoos keeping.
Two species, not one.
But I do understand the sentiment to some degree.And one of these two species/subspecies (it's not clear yet whether this split will stay, in my opinion) is much more common than the other. I'd be genuinely happy to see some zoos switch from fulgens to refulgens/styani, as it'd still be something less common in zoos that could use more support.Two species, not one.
A. styani is in certain regions of the country just as common as A. fulgens. A. styani is also the one floating around in the private trade and is much more common in unaccredited zoos.
AZA-wide though, there are 60 fulgens holders, compared to 33 for refulgens/styani. It doesn't surprise me there's a regional gap (in the northeast, all but three holders I am aware of are fulgens), but it'd be great to level the numbers and have an equal number of holders for each, especially seeing that EAZA only manages fulgens. It's interesting there are red pandas floating around the private trade, I was under the impression the only unaccredited zoos were places like Pittsburgh that were formerly in the AZA and continue to cooperate with them. Has there been breeding in the private trade of red pandas?
I'm not sure how red pandas managed to make their way into the private trade, but it's a very recent development - they've been popping up in some of the larger roadsides only the in the last couple of years. If there hasn't been breeding yet I imagine there will be seen.
Elands aren't really unreasonably common compared to other antelope, at least within the AZA. The AZA has 15 holders of eland, compared to 16 with nyala, 17 with white-bearded wildebeest, and 27 with greater kudu. Perhaps more frustrating would just be an overall reduction of the number of ungulates housed by zoos, not that this one particular species is so common?
The biggest catch with African hoofstock is there's so many species vying for space, and it keeps many of the holders on the low side.
Yeah I agree; I think the Bronx and San Diego are some of the best examples of children's zoos that are also really interesting.
I Like Zoos
Active Member
They should have things like interactive tunnels or the reptile house be there
In the case of larger carnivores, I think it's just that most zoos manage a reasonable collection of those even if they don't cover all the big family members - there's not a perception leopards are crowding out jaguars. I think some zoochatters interpret the popularity of meerkats as crowding out other small carnivores and animals, and in some cases I think I've seen a few members suggest this directly in regards to mongoose specifically. It may apply to all three species although I think otters as a group occupy a niche that can't really be replaced or replicated by other carnivores in any way.
To be honest though, I think the perception of meerkat overpopulation feels at times like an in-joke, the sort of talking point that has spread well beyond those who were truly concerned and become part of a sort of hobbyist osmosis.
Ringtail lemur are ubiquitous although I do find it funny to think I rarely saw them as a kid myself, since Lincoln Park does not hold them at all and Brookfield has kept them in an up-charge attraction.
I've been to six facilities (both Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Louis, National, Denver) with an African collection and have not seen common eland at any of them, if it helps!