Snowleopard's Mammals: A Lifetime List of Species Mammalian and Non-Mammalian

[snowleopard]

My obsession with zoos began at a very young age, as my parents regularly took me to the small Edmonton 'Storyland' Valley Zoo in Alberta, Canada. At that time, there was also the Alberta Game Farm in Edmonton and it was the Berlin Tierpark of North America, with approximately 80 ungulate species at one time in the late 1970s. Those two zoos fed my obsession and I began to collect plastic toy zoo animals, guidebooks and paper zoo maps (I now have 3,000 different ones), but by the time I turned 30 years old I had only visited 20 different zoos despite studying those facilities all my life. I had spent my twenties working as a bread delivery driver, making decent money but rarely ever getting a day off.

At that point in my life, things changed dramatically for me in my 30th year. I went back to university, worked hard to obtain my Bachelor of Arts and Master's degrees in education, became a schoolteacher, got married, had 4 kids, and I began touring zoos with regularity on big trips. I've now visited 551 different zoos and aquariums, an astonishing total and one I'm very proud of even though there are a lot of tiny little places included.

However, one thing that I'd never done was add up all the lists of species that I'd made over the years into one grand total. I had many questions from fellow zoo nerds that made me think about the thousands of animals I'd seen over the years. How many zoos had I been to with elephants? 50? 100? Who knows! Had I been to more zoos with gorillas or perhaps orangutans? When was the first time I saw a Crab-eating Macaque? It turns out that zoo #342, the obscure Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary in Folsom, California, was where I first saw that macaque species in 2017. Now I wish that I had known at the time that those monkeys were 'lifers' for me, even though I've seen them a few more times since then.

Several months ago I decided to look back through all 551 zoos and aquariums and spend innumerable evenings (between driving my kids around to their various activities) to figure out exactly what captive animals I've seen in my lifetime. That meant going through all my 'Snowleopard Road Trip' threads on this site, along with my 36,000 photos that I've uploaded here, and also spending a crazy number of hours analyzing zoo maps and books. I have only done mammals, and I didn't even contemplate researching every mouse, rat or domestic creature at all those hundreds of zoos that I've toured. I avoided looking at camels, llamas, alpacas, maras, capybaras and other mammals that are so plentiful that no one will really care if I've seen a million maras in my 48 years on this planet. But I did detail every felid, canid and primate species and each ungulate, along with the rest of the usual ABC megafauna suspects.

This thread is a bit self-indulgent, but hopefully some of my fellow zoo nerds will be interested to see my lists of mammals. I also would like some help once I get deeper into the thread, as there's been many occasions when roadside American zoos I've toured have had a sign that simply says 'gibbon' or 'macaque' with no other information. Perhaps some helpful zoo nerds will lend a hand to allow me to narrow down my focus to a particular species. I foresee this as being a lengthy thread, one that will putter along for well over a year, as I'll post lists of the various mammal species and then comment on some of the highlights via photos and analysis. This will give me a big project to work on during 2024, as there are no new zoo trips for me in the near future as my wife and I are taking our kids to Disneyland for the first time! That means crawling further into debt, but you only live once, right? Also, I'll squeeze in 3 or 4 zoos on the drive from B.C. to California and back.

Here are my last 10 road trip threads with all my reviews. These reports have been a major source of my data:

Snowleopard's 2023 Road Trip (17 zoos in 12 days - California, Arizona, Oregon & Washington):

Snowleopard's 2023 Road Trip: California, Arizona & Oregon

Snowleopard's 2022 Road Trip (24 zoos in 11 days - Denmark, Sweden & Norway):

Snowleopard's 2022 Road Trip: Denmark, Sweden & Norway

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip (95 zoos in 33 days - Netherlands, Belgium, Germany & France):

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip (50 zoos in 16 days - mainly Michigan and Wisconsin):

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip (44 zoos in 17 days - California):

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip (81 zoos in 24 days - Texas, Arizona and the south):

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip (65 zoos in 20 days - Minnesota, Illinois and the north):

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip (50 zoos in 50 days - all over the USA):

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2011 Road Trip (24 zoos in 31 days - California & Arizona):

Snowleopard's 2011 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip (39 zoos in 46 days - all over the USA):

Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip

 

[TeaLovingDave]

This thread is a bit self-indulgent

In much the same way that Pope Francis is a *bit* Catholic

hopefully some of my fellow zoo nerds will be interested to see my lists of mammals.

Definitely - and of course, it might provide pointers as to species which you might have photographed way-back-when which were lost to the ZC gallery in the Great Purge!

 

[twilighter]

Zootierliste goes Worldwide and Snowleopard reveals his lifetime list of Mammal species! Only In the first week of 2024!

The most exciting part of those two projects is, that they can nicely complement one another.

Facts that @snowleopard saw Sumatran Rhino up close and witnessed legendary places like the Horn and Hoof Mesa makes this very, very promising thread!

 

[snowleopard]

I’ve visited 551 different zoos and aquariums and I was curious to note how many zoos I’d been to with elephants. That question, which was posed to me by two different zoo nerd friends, was the catalyst for this entire project. It turns out that the number is 105 zoos. I have listed all those zoos below, beginning from the year I was born, and it’s a fascinating list because within the next few years there possibly will be almost a third of those zoos that no longer have elephants. Therefore, my lifetime of visiting zoos with elephants becomes part of my historical record with these facilities.

In some cases, I narrowly missed seeing elephants. When I toured Cleveland Zoo (USA) in 2010, I didn’t see any elephants because ‘African Elephant Crossing’ would open in 2011 and the whole area was under construction. Similarly, when I was at Birmingham Zoo (USA) in 2010, there weren’t any elephants as ‘Trails of Africa’ was due to open the following year. But, in countless cases, I saw elephants at a zoo that would soon phase them out, whether that was at Brookfield, Lee Richardson, Toronto, Nashville, Buffalo, Riverbanks and in many other examples. Even small, privately-run zoos like Grant’s Farm and Monterey Zoo each had 4 African Elephants when I toured them, but a few years down the road both places had gone out of elephants completely. It can happen in a blink of an eye.

It's interesting to note 6 instances where a zoo had both African and Asian Elephants together in the same exhibit space, highlighted here by the inclusion of Greater Vancouver Zoo, Woodland Park, San Diego, Louisville, Reid Park and Topeka. That’s still the case in Louisville and Topeka, as strange as that seems in the year 2024! Surprisingly, there are only 3 zoos (Miami, Pairi Daiza and Berlin Tierpark) that had both African and Asian Elephants in separate exhibits.

Asian Elephants – 62 zoos
African Elephants – 53 zoos

Some of these zoos are ones I’ve visited on many occasions, but I’ve listed them only once and that is based on the first time I saw elephants at each zoo.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Asian – 1975
2- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Asian – 1977
3- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Asian – 1986
4- Perth Zoo (Australia) – Asian – 1987
5- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – African & Asian together – 1988
6- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 1994
7- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – Asian – 2003
8- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2005
9- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2005
10- San Diego Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2006
11- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – African – 2006
12- Denver Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2006
13- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Asian – 2007
14- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Asian – 2007
15- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
16- Toledo Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
17- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – African – 2008
18- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
19- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
20- Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
21- Columbus Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
22- Cincinnati Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
23- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
24- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
25- Memphis Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
26- Zoo Knoxville (USA) – African – 2008
27- Zoo Atlanta (USA) – African – 2008
28- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
29- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
30- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
31- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
32- Disney’s Animal Kingdom (USA) – African – 2008
33- Jacksonville Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
34- Zoo Miami (USA) – African & Asian separate – 2008
35- Wildlife Safari (USA) – African – 2010
36- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
37- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
38- Tulsa Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
39- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
40- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
41- Louisville Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2010
42- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
43- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
44- Roger Williams Park Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
45- Maryland Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
46- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
47- Riverbanks Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
48- Nashville Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
49- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
50- Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
51- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
52- Houston Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
53- Caldwell Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
54- Dallas Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
55- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
56- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
57- El Paso Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
58- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
59- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
60- Oakland Zoo (USA) – African – 2011
61- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2011
62- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2011
63- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Asian (2011) & then African (2017)
64- Rosamond Gifford Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2012
65- Virginia Zoo (USA) – African – 2012
66- ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) – African – 2012
67- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (USA) – Asian – 2012
68- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2012
69- Dickerson Park Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2012
70- Topeka Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2012
71- Grant’s Farm (USA) – African – 2014
72- Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) – African – 2014
73- Monterey Zoo (USA) – African – 2017
74- Artis Royal Zoo - Amsterdam (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
75- Blijdorp Zoo - Rotterdam (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
76- Zoo Maubeuge (France) – Asian – 2019
77- Zoo Antwerp (Belgium) – Asian – 2019
78- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Asian – 2019
79- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – African – 2019
80- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – African & Asian separate – 2019
81- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – African – 2019
82- Opel Zoo (Germany) – African – 2019
83- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
84- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – African – 2019
85- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – African – 2019
86- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
87- Dierenrijk Animal Kingdom (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
88- Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – African – 2019
89- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – African – 2019
90- Burgers’ Zoo (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
91- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Asian – 2019
92- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
93- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – African & Asian separate – 2019
94- Hannover Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
95- Serengeti-Park (Germany) – African – 2019
96- Tierpark Strohen (Germany) – Asian – 2019
97- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
98- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – Asian – 2019
99- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
100- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
101- Givskud Zoo (Denmark) – Asian – 2022
102- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – African – 2022
103- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Asian – 2022
104- Boras Zoo (Sweden) – African – 2022
105- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Asian – 2022

Some of the zoos listed below have already gone out of elephants, and going down my initial list my best guess is that it’s possible that none of these 31 zoos will have elephants in the future. The elephants that are remaining are mainly elderly specimens.

Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) - one left
Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) - gone
Calgary Zoo (Canada) - gone
Perth Zoo (Australia) - two leaving for Monarto in late 2024
Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) - gone
Woodland Park Zoo (USA) - gone
Point Defiance Zoo (USA) - one left
Melbourne Zoo (Australia) - herd leaving for Werribee in late 2024
Brookfield Zoo (USA) - gone
Toronto Zoo (Canada) - gone
Bronx Zoo (USA) - two left
Zoo Knoxville (USA) - leaving in 2024
Phoenix Zoo (USA) - one left
Louisville Zoo (USA) - two left (African & Asian)
Buffalo Zoo (USA) - gone
Riverbanks Zoo (USA) - gone
Nashville Zoo (USA) - gone
Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) - gone
Cameron Park Zoo (USA) - one left
El Paso Zoo (USA) - one left
Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) - gone
Oakland Zoo (USA) - one left
Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) - gone
Virginia Zoo (USA) - gone
Topeka Zoo (USA) - two left (African & Asian)
Grant’s Farm (USA) - gone
Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) - gone
Monterey Zoo (USA) - gone
Krefeld Zoo (Germany) - two left
Givskud Zoo (Denmark) - gone
Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) - two left

 

[15399]

I’ve visited 551 different zoos and aquariums and I was curious to note how many zoos I’d been to with elephants. That question, which was posed to me by two different zoo nerd friends, was the catalyst for this entire project. It turns out that the number is 105 zoos. I have listed all those zoos below, beginning from the year I was born, and it’s a fascinating list because within the next few years there possibly will be almost a third of those zoos that no longer have elephants. Therefore, my lifetime of visiting zoos with elephants becomes part of my historical record with these facilities.

In some cases, I narrowly missed seeing elephants. When I toured Cleveland Zoo (USA) in 2010, I didn’t see any elephants because ‘African Elephant Crossing’ would open in 2011 and the whole area was under construction. Similarly, when I was at Birmingham Zoo (USA) in 2010, there weren’t any elephants as ‘Trails of Africa’ was due to open the following year. But, in countless cases, I saw elephants at a zoo that would soon phase them out, whether that was at Brookfield, Lee Richardson, Toronto, Nashville, Buffalo, Riverbanks and in many other examples. Even small, privately-run zoos like Grant’s Farm and Monterey Zoo each had 4 African Elephants when I toured them, but a few years down the road both places had gone out of elephants completely. It can happen in a blink of an eye.

It's interesting to note 6 instances where a zoo had both African and Asian Elephants together in the same exhibit space, highlighted here by the inclusion of Greater Vancouver Zoo, Woodland Park, San Diego, Louisville, Reid Park and Topeka. That’s still the case in Louisville and Topeka, as strange as that seems in the year 2024! Surprisingly, there are only 3 zoos (Miami, Pairi Daiza and Berlin Tierpark) that had both African and Asian Elephants in separate exhibits.

Asian Elephants – 62 zoos
African Elephants – 53 zoos

Some of these zoos are ones I’ve visited on many occasions, but I’ve listed them only once and that is based on the first time I saw elephants at each zoo.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Asian – 1975
2- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Asian – 1977
3- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Asian – 1986
4- Perth Zoo (Australia) – Asian – 1987
5- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – African & Asian together – 1988
6- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 1994
7- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – Asian – 2003
8- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2005
9- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2005
10- San Diego Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2006
11- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – African – 2006
12- Denver Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2006
13- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Asian – 2007
14- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Asian – 2007
15- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
16- Toledo Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
17- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – African – 2008
18- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
19- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
20- Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
21- Columbus Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
22- Cincinnati Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
23- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
24- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
25- Memphis Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
26- Zoo Knoxville (USA) – African – 2008
27- Zoo Atlanta (USA) – African – 2008
28- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
29- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
30- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
31- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2008
32- Disney’s Animal Kingdom (USA) – African – 2008
33- Jacksonville Zoo (USA) – African – 2008
34- Zoo Miami (USA) – African & Asian separate – 2008
35- Wildlife Safari (USA) – African – 2010
36- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
37- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
38- Tulsa Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
39- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
40- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
41- Louisville Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2010
42- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
43- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
44- Roger Williams Park Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
45- Maryland Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
46- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
47- Riverbanks Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
48- Nashville Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
49- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
50- Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
51- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
52- Houston Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
53- Caldwell Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
54- Dallas Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
55- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
56- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
57- El Paso Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
58- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2010
59- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – African – 2010
60- Oakland Zoo (USA) – African – 2011
61- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2011
62- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2011
63- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Asian (2011) & then African (2017)
64- Rosamond Gifford Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2012
65- Virginia Zoo (USA) – African – 2012
66- ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) – African – 2012
67- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (USA) – Asian – 2012
68- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2012
69- Dickerson Park Zoo (USA) – Asian – 2012
70- Topeka Zoo (USA) – African & Asian together – 2012
71- Grant’s Farm (USA) – African – 2014
72- Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) – African – 2014
73- Monterey Zoo (USA) – African – 2017
74- Artis Royal Zoo - Amsterdam (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
75- Blijdorp Zoo - Rotterdam (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
76- Zoo Maubeuge (France) – Asian – 2019
77- Zoo Antwerp (Belgium) – Asian – 2019
78- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Asian – 2019
79- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – African – 2019
80- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – African & Asian separate – 2019
81- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – African – 2019
82- Opel Zoo (Germany) – African – 2019
83- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
84- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – African – 2019
85- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – African – 2019
86- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
87- Dierenrijk Animal Kingdom (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
88- Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – African – 2019
89- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – African – 2019
90- Burgers’ Zoo (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
91- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Asian – 2019
92- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
93- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – African & Asian separate – 2019
94- Hannover Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
95- Serengeti-Park (Germany) – African – 2019
96- Tierpark Strohen (Germany) – Asian – 2019
97- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Asian – 2019
98- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – Asian – 2019
99- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
100- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Asian – 2019
101- Givskud Zoo (Denmark) – Asian – 2022
102- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – African – 2022
103- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Asian – 2022
104- Boras Zoo (Sweden) – African – 2022
105- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Asian – 2022

Some of the zoos listed below have already gone out of elephants, and going down my initial list my best guess is that it’s possible that none of these 31 zoos will have elephants in the future. The elephants that are remaining are mainly elderly specimens.

Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) - one left
Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) - gone
Calgary Zoo (Canada) - gone
Perth Zoo (Australia) - two leaving for Monarto in late 2024
Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) - gone
Woodland Park Zoo (USA) - gone
Point Defiance Zoo (USA) - one left
Melbourne Zoo (Australia) - herd leaving for Werribee in late 2024
Brookfield Zoo (USA) - gone
Toronto Zoo (Canada) - gone
Bronx Zoo (USA) - two left
Zoo Knoxville (USA) - leaving in 2024
Phoenix Zoo (USA) - one left
Louisville Zoo (USA) - two left (African & Asian)
Buffalo Zoo (USA) - gone
Riverbanks Zoo (USA) - gone
Nashville Zoo (USA) - gone
Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) - gone
Cameron Park Zoo (USA) - one left
El Paso Zoo (USA) - one left
Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) - gone
Oakland Zoo (USA) - one left
Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) - gone
Virginia Zoo (USA) - gone
Topeka Zoo (USA) - two left (African & Asian)
Grant’s Farm (USA) - gone
Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) - gone
Monterey Zoo (USA) - gone
Krefeld Zoo (Germany) - two left
Givskud Zoo (Denmark) - gone
Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) - two left

Are there any favorite or least favorite elephant exhibits you've seen, or particularly memorable experiences with elephants?

 

[snowleopard]

Looking at the 105 zoos that I've visited that have had elephants, many memories come to mind. It's astonishing to note how many of the zoos have either gone out of elephants completely, or have dramatically improved the lives of their elephants by building expensive new exhibits that cost many millions of dollars. Very few zoos have been stagnant.

One piece of nostalgia for me is to take my family back to Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) to see 'Lucy' the wild-born Asian Elephant wandering around the zoo's grounds. It's a bit sad, as she should have been moved to a zoo in the warm, southern part of the USA many years ago, but it's still neat for my 4 kids to see her walking on the pathways only a few feet from visitors. She has always been a placid, calm elephant and Lucy has been at the zoo (mainly alone) since 1977.

A contender for my favourite African Elephant exhibit would be North Carolina Zoo (USA) with its 7 lush acres devoted to elephants.

I truly enjoyed my time at Cologne Zoo (Germany) in 2019, watching their approximately 16 Asian Elephants in their sprawling habitat with the city as a backdrop. Having large herds of elephants makes all the difference for visitors and herd dynamics compared to zoos with just a few. The current AZA recommendation is for a zoo to have FOUR elephants and there are many zoos that don't even meet that absolute minimum recommendation and that's disappointing. To see so many at Cologne Zoo was astounding.

Giants of the Savanna, at Dallas Zoo (USA) is a terrific mixed-species habitat with African Elephants.

This next exhibit, while being a bit flat and boring, held Asian Elephants, Red Deer, Axis Deer and Crab-eating Macaques all together and that was quite a sight! This is at Dierenrijk Animal Kingdom (Netherlands).

It hasn't all been great though, as on two consecutive trips to Oregon Zoo (USA) circa 2010 , I saw an Asian Elephant locked in a tiny part of the old barn with a cement floor and iron bars. Many zoos still chained elephants all night long up until the last 15 years. There are horrible stories about elephants being beaten with sticks or tortured with electrical prods that are honestly quite commonplace pre-2000. Now zoos have stopped shackling the animals by their feet at night, stopped exerting dominance, embraced protective contact and added layers of sand to barn floors.

Seeing Asian Elephants at Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) begging for food in 2019 was concerning. Visitors were lined up by the dozen to feed them and there were several keepers in the exhibit monitoring the whole thing just like in the dark old days.

However, things have improved considerably at numerous zoos across the globe. I was thrilled to see the superb Asian Elephant exhibit at Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) in 2019, with acres of space available to the herd. There are a couple of elephants near the center of this photo that look like boulders as there's a lot of space and enrichment available to them.

@KevinB

Opel Zoo (Germany) has a spacious, fantastic exhibit for its African Elephants that is a contender for the best of its kind in a zoo-rich nation.

 

[snowleopard]

I’ve visited 551 different zoos and aquariums, and I was curious to note how many zoos I’d been to with Gorillas. It turns out that the number is 74 zoos.

I've seen Gorillas mixed with other animals on 4 occasions in American zoos and on 9 occasions in European zoos.

Some of these zoos are ones I’ve visited on many occasions, but I’ve listed them only once and that is based on the first time I ever saw Gorillas at each zoo. (One possible change is that I visited Calgary Zoo in 1986 and I don't know if they had Gorillas at that time. Maybe someone remembers?)

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – 1975
2- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – 1994
3- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – 2003
4- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – 2006
5- San Diego Zoo (USA) – 2006
6- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – 2006
7- Denver Zoo (USA) – 2006
8- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – 2006
9- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – 2007
10- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – 2007
11- Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) – 2008
12- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – 2008
13- Toledo Zoo (USA) – 2008
14- Detroit Zoo (USA) – 2008 (with Diana Monkeys & Mandrills)
15- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – 2008
16- Bronx Zoo (USA) – 2008
17- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – 2008
18- Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) – 2008
19- Columbus Zoo (USA) – 2008
20- Cincinnati Zoo (USA) – 2008
21- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) – 2008 (with Diana Monkeys & Colobus Monkeys)
22- Memphis Zoo (USA) – 2008
23- Zoo Knoxville (USA) – 2008
24- Zoo Atlanta (USA) – 2008
25- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – 2008
26- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – 2008
27- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – 2008
28- Disney’s Animal Kingdom (USA) – 2008
29- Jacksonville Zoo (USA) – 2008
30- Zoo Miami (USA) – 2008
31- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – 2010
32- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – 2010
33- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – 2010
34- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – 2010
35- Louisville Zoo (USA) – 2010 (with Patas Monkeys)
36- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – 2010
37- Cleveland Zoo (USA) – 2010
38- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – 2010
39- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – 2010
40- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – 2010
41- Riverbanks Zoo (USA) – 2010
42- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – 2010
43- Audubon Zoo (USA) – 2010
44- Dallas Zoo (USA) – 2010
45- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – 2010
46- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – 2010
47- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – 2010
48- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – 2011
49- Erie Zoo (USA) – 2012
50- Franklin Park Zoo (USA) – 2012
51- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (USA) – 2012
52- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – 2012
53- Topeka Zoo (USA) – 2012
54- Como Park Zoo (USA) – 2014
55- Houston Zoo (USA) – 2015 (with Red River Hogs)
56- Artis Royal Zoo Amsterdam (Netherlands) – 2019 (with Diana Monkeys & Meerkats)
57- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – 2019
58- Zoo Antwerp (Belgium) – 2019
59- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – 2019 (with Colobus Monkeys)
60- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – 2019 (with Black-crested Mangabeys)
61- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – 2019
62- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – 2019 (with King Colobus Monkeys)
63- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – 2019
64- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – 2019
65- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – 2019
66- Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) - 2019 (with Colobus Monkeys & Black-crested Mangabeys – two separate Gorilla exhibits)
67- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) - 2019 (with Roloway Monkeys)
68- Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) – 2019 (with L’Hoest’s Monkeys)
69- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – 2019
70- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – 2019
71- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – 2019
72- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) - 2019 (with Red-capped Mangabeys)
73- Givskud Zoo (Denmark) – 2022
74- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – 2022

Analysis and highlights to follow in another post...

 

[snowleopard]

Gorillas are iconic zoo animals, once deemed ferocious but for decades they've now been known as 'gentle giants'. Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), I often visited the Alberta Game Farm and saw two 'Mountain' Gorillas in their spacious habitat. When I became an adult, I found out that the apes were typical Lowland Gorillas and not 'Mountain' specimens.

It's easy to discuss the fantastic Gorilla exhibits of the world, as there are so many of them. Bronx Zoo's Congo Gorilla Forest is a legendary example that has raised millions of dollars for conservation.

@Dhole dude

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a magnificent gorilla complex:

Aside from the wonderful exhibits I've seen across the globe, there are memorable moments actually watching Gorillas. When I toured Gladys Porter Zoo in Texas, USA, in 2010, I was astonished to see Gorillas leap into their deep, water-filled moat. It was an extraordinary sight to see the apes climb onto a protruding rock, then jump into the air and come crashing down via a 'cannonball' dive into the water.

Seeing Gorillas with Black Crested Mangabeys at GaiaZOO in the Netherlands was a real treat, and I saw 9 different zoos with mixed-species Gorilla exhibits in a single summer (2019) in Europe.

Is the 2.5-acre Gorilla exhibit at Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) the greatest zoo Gorilla habitat in the world? Here's a photo I took in 2019 at a keeper feeding session:

And seeing 'Amahoro' at Antwerp Zoo (Belgium) in 2019 was another memorable event. Most zoo nerds will know that she is the only Eastern Lowland Gorilla in captivity.

@Green_mamba

There are still a few ghastly Gorilla exhibits out there in various zoos. Brookfield and Buffalo keep their apes entirely indoors in mock-rock monstrosities. Buffalo's is like a little cave and is god-awful:

I also strongly dislike the Gorilla accommodation at Ouwehands Zoo in the Netherlands. It's a giant metal cage, with very poor and awkward visitor viewing windows in tiny portals as if you are on an immense ship, and then sort of a 'King Kong' entrance vibe. Bizarre.

@lintworm

 

[15399]

I’ve visited 551 different zoos and aquariums, and I was curious to note how many zoos I’d been to with Gorillas. It turns out that the number is 74 zoos.

I've seen Gorillas mixed with other animals on 4 occasions in American zoos and on 9 occasions in European zoos.

Some of these zoos are ones I’ve visited on many occasions, but I’ve listed them only once and that is based on the first time I ever saw Gorillas at each zoo. (One possible change is that I visited Calgary Zoo in 1986 and I don't know if they had Gorillas at that time. Maybe someone remembers?)

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – 1975
2- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – 1994
3- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – 2003
4- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – 2006
5- San Diego Zoo (USA) – 2006
6- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – 2006
7- Denver Zoo (USA) – 2006
8- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – 2006
9- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – 2007
10- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – 2007
11- Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) – 2008
12- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – 2008
13- Toledo Zoo (USA) – 2008
14- Detroit Zoo (USA) – 2008 (with Diana Monkeys & Mandrills)
15- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – 2008
16- Bronx Zoo (USA) – 2008
17- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – 2008
18- Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) – 2008
19- Columbus Zoo (USA) – 2008
20- Cincinnati Zoo (USA) – 2008
21- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) – 2008 (with Diana Monkeys & Colobus Monkeys)
22- Memphis Zoo (USA) – 2008
23- Zoo Knoxville (USA) – 2008
24- Zoo Atlanta (USA) – 2008
25- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – 2008
26- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – 2008
27- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – 2008
28- Disney’s Animal Kingdom (USA) – 2008
29- Jacksonville Zoo (USA) – 2008
30- Zoo Miami (USA) – 2008
31- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – 2010
32- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – 2010
33- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – 2010
34- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – 2010
35- Louisville Zoo (USA) – 2010 (with Patas Monkeys)
36- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – 2010
37- Cleveland Zoo (USA) – 2010
38- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – 2010
39- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – 2010
40- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – 2010
41- Riverbanks Zoo (USA) – 2010
42- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – 2010
43- Audubon Zoo (USA) – 2010
44- Dallas Zoo (USA) – 2010
45- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – 2010
46- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – 2010
47- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – 2010
48- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – 2011
49- Erie Zoo (USA) – 2012
50- Franklin Park Zoo (USA) – 2012
51- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (USA) – 2012
52- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – 2012
53- Topeka Zoo (USA) – 2012
54- Como Park Zoo (USA) – 2014
55- Houston Zoo (USA) – 2015 (with Red River Hogs)
56- Artis Royal Zoo Amsterdam (Netherlands) – 2019 (with Diana Monkeys & Meerkats)
57- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – 2019
58- Zoo Antwerp (Belgium) – 2019
59- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – 2019 (with Colobus Monkeys)
60- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – 2019 (with Black-crested Mangabeys)
61- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – 2019
62- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – 2019 (with King Colobus Monkeys)
63- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – 2019
64- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – 2019
65- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – 2019
66- Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) - 2019 (with Colobus Monkeys & Black-crested Mangabeys – two separate Gorilla exhibits)
67- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) - 2019 (with Roloway Monkeys)
68- Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) – 2019 (with L’Hoest’s Monkeys)
69- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – 2019
70- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – 2019
71- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – 2019
72- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) - 2019 (with Red-capped Mangabeys)
73- Givskud Zoo (Denmark) – 2022
74- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – 2022

Analysis and highlights to follow in another post...

I'm surprised you've seen elephants in so many more zoos than gorillas! I don't know if this is because elephants used to be more common than they now are, if the number of elephant and gorilla holders is significantly different in Europe than the US, or if my personal experience seeing these animals is skewed, but I've viewed gorillas as a staple of most big zoos, while elephants seem to be much more limited to zoos willing to dedicate substantial resources to them.

There are still a few ghastly Gorilla exhibits out there in various zoos. Brookfield and Buffalo keep their apes entirely indoors in mock-rock monstrosities. Buffalo's is like a little cave and is god-awful:

While you are completely justified calling Buffalo's exhibit awful, and I don't think anyone out there would call it "good", it is an exhibit I find there is a lot of hyperbolic statements about. The research team I am on has a really big project on these Gorillas (dating back to 2009), so I've spent a lot of time watching them (and analyzing the data) and know people who have spent even more time as well.

The gorillas at Buffalo Zoo behave like gorillas, and there aren't any high rates of stereotypies amongst the zoo's gorilla troop. Furthermore, Buffalo has an excellent gorilla enrichment program, as every time I go to observe there are new enrichment items in the exhibit, which at least the younger gorillas typically interact with). While the exhibit is certainly flawed (I wish it had natural substrate for starters), and gorillas don't live in caves in the wild, it seems oftentimes this exhibit gets brought up with statements of it being the worst exhibit ever, which I would strongly disagree with. If you were to compare the behavior of gorillas at Buffalo to gorillas at any of the top gorilla exhibits at the country, the only differences you'd be likely to find could be attributed to the different social dynamics between individuals, and not the built environment.

While I, as much as anyone, would love Buffalo to get a new gorilla exhibit, it is far from the monstrosity many claim it to be. I wouldn't rank Buffalo's gorilla exhibit as the worst exhibit at Buffalo Zoo (giraffes take that title), nor would I rank it as the worst gorilla exhibit I've seen (I found Cleveland's to have many more flaws, though thankfully this exhibit will soon be no longer), and I certainly wouldn't rank it as the worst exhibit for a large mammal in the AZA (there are a few I've seen that are stronger contenders for that title- including the pinniped exhibits at Aquarium of Niagara, which are truly monstrosities).

 

[snowleopard]

Thanks for your comments @Neil chace and it is indeed fascinating to see that I've visited 105 zoos with elephants and only 74 zoos with gorillas. I provided a list of 31 zoos that either have gone out of elephants, or will almost certainly be done with elephants in the future, thus there might only be 74 of those zoos that continue to maintain elephants a few years from now. Contrast that with gorillas, as just about every single zoo I've seen with gorillas still has the species. In fact, Alberta Game Farm, Erie Zoo, Topeka Zoo, Blijdorp Zoo (soon!) might be the only 4 zoos on the list that have now gone out of gorillas. Gorilla holders are stable, while elephant holders have obviously dropped a great deal.

I remember you saying before that you were involved in a study of the gorillas at Buffalo Zoo and I appreciate your opinion on the situation. It sounds as if the zoo is doing a great job of keeping the gorillas healthy and active given the restrictive enclosure size, so that's a big positive. However, I really do wish that AZA would clamp down harder on accredited zoos with very poor habitats. Buffalo finally got rid of its bear pits and elephants, both of which I saw in 2010 and those sections of the zoo were pretty grim, but the situation with the gorillas and giraffes is also disappointing.

 

[15399]

However, I really do wish that AZA would clamp down harder on accredited zoos with very poor habitats

I can agree with this, but to put it more broadly I'd like to see the AZA be more stringent about animal welfare. Great exhibits don't mean a whole lot if they aren't also paired with all the other important aspects of welfare, such as enrichment, a healthy diet, etc., while there is a lot that can be done to lessen the impact a poor exhibit has on its residents. From a behavioral perspective, some species aren't overly impacted by the built environment, and are much more impacted by the social structure. Of course, that isn't to say that the built environment doesn't matter, as it is still very important to give animals enough space, the freedom to express natural behaviors, and an exhibit that allows the animals to be comfortable (e.g., on an appropriate substrate), but it doesn't always have as huge an impact as many would expect.

There's a great paper (found here: Transfer and Acclimatization Effects on the Behavior of Two Species of African Great Ape (Pan troglodytes and Gorilla gorilla gorilla) Moved to a Novel and Naturalistic Zoo Environment - International Journal of Primatology) looking at the great apes at Lincoln Park Zoo and their behavior in the old Great Ape House compared to the Regenstein Center for African Apes. Obviously, this was a substantial change in the built environment, with the new exhibit being much more naturalistic in many ways. However, only the chimpanzees showed a significant shift in behavior, showing (along with some other studies) how gorillas are not overly impacted by the built environment in terms of their behavior. Now, of course behavior isn't the only indication of good or bad animal welfare, and it's possible to have gorillas behaving normally but with poor welfare in other metrics (e.g., high cortisol levels), but behavior can be a strong indication of the quality of life animals are living, and in this case I do think the criticisms of Buffalo's gorilla exhibit are often hyperbolized.

Buffalo finally got rid of its bear pits and elephants, both of which I saw in 2010 and those sections of the zoo were pretty grim, but the situation with the gorillas and giraffes is also disappointing.

Both the elephants and bear pits were gone before I started college in Buffalo, but from pictures they do seem like horrible situations. The zoo's black rhino is a much better fit for the old elephant house, while the Arctic's Edge is a much more impressive polar bear habitat that I actually considered for the fifth spot in my best exhibits thread (I opted for Lincoln Park instead). I've been told that a new gorilla exhibit has been rumored for over a decade now, but given the high cost of new exhibits and Buffalo Zoo's challenges due to having multiple registered historical buildings, it'd be a very difficult task for any meaningful change to happen. Of course, while it'd be a bittersweet change, I don't necessarily think the Buffalo Zoo needs to keep as many charismatic megafauna as it does, so while I'd be sad to see them go I'd be open to plans that involve phasing out gorillas and re-using that space for something more space-appropriate, and personally if I was in charge I'd consider solving the giraffe situation to be of higher priority than solving the gorilla one (and it'd likely be an easier fix as well).

 

[DavidBrown]

I’ve visited 551 different zoos and aquariums, and I was curious to note how many zoos I’d been to with Gorillas. It turns out that the number is 74 zoos.

Are Calgary and Toronto the only Canadian zoos with gorillas as of 2024?

 

[snowleopard]

Are Calgary and Toronto the only Canadian zoos with gorillas as of 2024?

There are three zoos in Canada with Gorillas. Toronto and Calgary usually have around a half-dozen Gorillas at any moment in time and I know that Granby Zoo has a small bachelor group as well. As an aside, there aren't any Bonobos in the country, or even Chimpanzees (outside of a few in a non-public sanctuary) and only Toronto Zoo even has Orangutans.

Now that the Canadian government experienced some success with whales and dolphins, as for instance Vancouver Aquarium phased out all of their cetaceans, this Government of Canada official link from November mentions elephants and great apes:

Government of Canada introduces bill to protect elephants and great apes in captivity - Canada.ca

Calgary Zoo's master-plan included the renovation of the former Elephant Barn to accommodate a troop of Orangutans, but that idea is looking tenuous these days.

 

[snowleopard]

I’ve visited 551 different zoos and aquariums, and I was curious to note how many zoos I’d been to with Orangutans. It turns out that the number is 74...the same as Gorillas!

Some of these zoos are ones I’ve visited on many occasions, but I’ve listed them only once and that is based on the first time I ever saw Orangutans at each zoo.

1- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – 1986
2- Perth Zoo (Australia) – 1987
3- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – 1994
4- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – 2003
5- Oregon Zoo (USA) – 2005 (with White-cheeked Gibbons)
6- San Diego Zoo (USA) – 2006 (with Siamangs)
7- Denver Zoo (USA) – 2006
8- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – 2007
9- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – 2007
10- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – 2007 (with Siamangs)
11- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – 2008
12- Toledo Zoo (USA) – 2008
13- Toronto Zoo (USA) – 2008
14- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – 2008
15- Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) – 2008
16- Columbus Zoo (USA) – 2008
17- Cincinnati Zoo (USA) – 2008 (with White-handed Gibbons)
18- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) – 2008 (with Agile Gibbons & Siamangs & Francois’ Langurs on various visits in 2008, 2012 and 2018)
19- Memphis Zoo (USA) – 2008 (with Siamangs)
20- Zoo Atlanta (USA) – 2008
21- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – 2008
22- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – 2008
23- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – 2008
24- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – 2008
25- Zoo Miami (USA) – 2008
26- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – 2010
27- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – 2010
28- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – 2010
29- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – 2010
30- Louisville Zoo (USA) – 2010
31- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (USA) – 2010
32- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – 2010
33- Cleveland Zoo (USA) – 2010
34- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – 2010 (with White-handed Gibbons)
35- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – 2010
36- Audubon Zoo (USA) – 2010
37- Houston Zoo (USA) – 2010
38- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – 2010
39- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – 2010
40- El Paso Zoo (USA) – 2010
41- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – 2010
42- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – 2010
43- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – 2011 (with Siamangs)
44- Sacramento Zoo (USA) – 2011
45- Erie Zoo (USA) – 2012
46- Virginia Zoo (USA) – 2012
47- ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) – 2012
48- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (USA) – 2012
49- Jackson Zoo (USA) – 2012
50- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – 2012
51- Topeka Zoo (USA) – 2012
52- Rolling Hills Zoo (USA) – 2012
53- Chahinkapa Zoo (USA) – 2014
54- Como Park Zoo (USA) – 2014
55- Henry Vilas Zoo (USA) – 2014
56- Racine Zoo (USA) – 2014
57- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – 2019 (with Small-clawed Otters)
58- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – 2019
59- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – 2019 (with Binturongs)
60- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – 2019
61- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – 2019
62- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – 2019 (with Malayan Tapirs)
63- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – 2019 (with Small-clawed Otters & Hanuman Langurs)
64- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – 2019
65- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – 2019
66- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – 2019
67- Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) – 2019
68- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – 2019 (with Small-clawed Otters)
69- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – 2019
70- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – 2019 (with White-cheeked Gibbons)
71- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – 2019 (with Small-clawed Otters)
72- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – 2022
73- Boras Zoo (Sweden) – 2022
74- Kristiansand Zoo (Norway) – 2022

Analysis and highlights to follow in another post...

 

[snowleopard]

I don't have a breakdown of the Orangutan species that I've seen, as in the past some zoos have had Bornean, Sumatran and hybrid orangs all together in the same exhibit and things are rather complicated at loads of establishments. It is intriguing to note that I've toured 74 zoos with Gorillas and the same number with Orangutans, but overall the exhibit quality for Gorillas is far superior. Orangutans are famously difficult to maintain adequately in captivity, often being seen on the ground even though they are arboreal apes.

Saint Louis Zoo (USA) has a superb Orangutan exhibit:

Both photos are from @Coelacanth18

Woodland Park Zoo (USA) has two indoor areas and two outdoor areas for its orangs, and on a sunny day it's great to see the apes outside in the canopy of the habitat.

Pairi Daiza (Belgium) has many memorable attractions, none more so than the Orangutan complex. Seeing the red apes up high is a delight, with many climbing opportunities and Small-clawed Otters on the ground. The various outdoor yards are surprisingly decent:

@KevinB

I was astounded when I saw the 'Orangutan Temple' there in 2019:

Inside the temple is the indoor area for the Orangutans, made from real marble and costing a small fortune. Do you know how many American zoos I've seen with indoor areas for orangs that have cement floors, maybe a tire in a corner and a few old ropes? At least this Belgian zoo has a thick layer of mulch, many climbing opportunities for the apes, and hammocks strung up even in the highest corners. Between the various outdoor and indoor habitats, Pairi Daiza has one of the very best Orangutan complexes I've ever seen. It just happens to be part of an ultra-expensive temple.

@lintworm

Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) has 4 islands and 10 km of ropes, thus the zoo does a wonderful job of keeping Orangutans off the ground. Although, I'm a bit surprised that the zoo hasn't built any high shelters or hammocks at the top of the various wooden poles.

@twilighter

I visited Melbourne Zoo (Australia) in 2007 and a real highlight was the Orangutan/Siamang complex. The use of sway poles to help the apes brachiate across their exhibit is famous, even though in this excellent photo there's an orangutan on the ground hiding under a burlap sack. They are very difficult animals to showcase to the public!

@Zoofan15

I really like the idea of Dortmund Zoo (Germany) having Malayan Tapirs in with their orangs, as what better way to keep the apes up in the canopy? Or the 4 European zoos I've toured with Small-clawed Otters (feisty little buggers) in with Orangutans, which is again a mixed-species set-up that encourages the apes to head for the trees. I've never once seen that combination in any North American zoos. But a truly memorable visit was when I went to the Smithsonian's National Zoo (USA) and saw the red apes up on the O-Line. Now that's a sight to behold!

When it comes to all-indoor enclosures, only TWO of the 74 Gorilla exhibits I've seen have been entirely inside with zero access to the outside. One was at Brookfield, which is soon to be rectified, and that will leave Buffalo as the last remaining zoo I've toured that keeps Gorillas inside 24/7. Maybe they will eventually phase out Gorillas.

When it comes to Orangutans, I've seen them kept entirely indoors at SIX different zoos and all of those are in American zoos. Birmingham, Brookfield, Cleveland, Fort Wayne, Pittsburgh and Racine are those facilities. The laws surrounding great apes in countries such as Germany (or anywhere in Scandinavia) are much more stringent, hence there are less roadside, junky zoos than in the USA and there are more legalities in terms of larger exhibit requirements for captive animals.

How is Racine Zoo (Wisconsin, USA) even allowed to be AZA-accredited when it has this as the entire space for its Orangutans? The enclosure would be better suited to Squirrel Monkeys or Cotton-top Tamarins.

Pittsburgh Zoo has an all-indoor enclosure that is quite dark and depressing when seen in person:

@geomorph

 

[15399]

Its interesting you've seen orangs at the same number of zoos as gorilla. While I've obviously been to a fraction of the zoos you have, I know I've seen gorillas in about three times the zoos I've seen orangutans. My first thoughts was perhaps this could be chalked up to international differences in how common these apes are. Counting it up, 23 of the zoos you've seen gorillas at are outside the US and Canada, compared to an identical 23 of the zoos you've seen orangs at, so clearly that is not what the difference is! Additionally, interestingly all four zoos I have seen orangutans at also keep gorillas, making it clear amongst zoos I've visited gorillas are the "ape of choice" if only having a single ape. Perhaps in the western US or southern US orangutans are often the ape of choice? Or is this something that can be chalked up to the changing popularity of these species over time?

 

[Coelacanth18]

Perhaps in the western US or southern US orangutans are often the ape of choice? Or is this something that can be chalked up to the changing popularity of these species over time?

All of the great apes are pretty evenly distributed across the country, and it's pretty common for zoos from anywhere to have Orangutans as their only great ape. I think you may just be extrapolating from a small sample size.

Here are the zoos I've visited with great apes for comparison (as someone who has been around the US, but not seen great apes internationally):

Gorilla, Orangutan and Chimp/Bonobo: 8
Gorilla and Orangutan: 5
Gorilla and Chimp: 3
Orangutan and Chimp: 1
Gorilla only: 2
Orangutan only: 3
Chimp only: 2

My total is 14 zoos with Chimp/Bonobo, 17 with Orangutan, and 18 with Gorilla. 8 zoos had 3 species, 9 zoos had 2 species, and 7 zoos had 1 species. So a fairly even distribution however you cut it.

 

[15399]

All of the great apes are pretty evenly distributed across the country, and it's pretty common for zoos from anywhere to have Orangutans as their only great ape. I think you may just be extrapolating from a small sample size.

Here are the zoos I've visited with great apes for comparison (as someone who has been around the US, but not seen great apes internationally):

Gorilla, Orangutan and Chimp/Bonobo: 8
Gorilla and Orangutan: 5
Gorilla and Chimp: 3
Orangutan and Chimp: 1
Gorilla only: 2
Orangutan only: 3
Chimp only: 2

My total is 14 zoos with Chimp/Bonobo, 17 with Orangutan, and 18 with Gorilla. 8 zoos had 3 species, 9 zoos had 2 species, and 7 zoos had 1 species. So a fairly even distribution however you cut it.

Looking at AZA studbooks, there appear to be four more AZA zoos with orangutans than with gorillas (however this does include some facilities outside the US). However, I do think there are some, even if slight, regional differences in how common they are. If you look at the Orangutan SSP's map of zoos (to be found here: Member Zoos), there are some obvious clusters where orangutans are common, for instance in Wisconsin or Kansas. While there isn't a similar map out there for gorillas, I'd imagine that map would have different clusters where they are more common.

Looking at the orangutan map, the Eastern seaboard has very few dots (Philadelphia, Smithsonian, Virginia, Riverbanks, Atlanta, and three facilities in Florida- plus Seneca Park which is a future holder). In contrast, if I counted gorilla holders on the Eastern seaboard it'd be a longer list (Franklin Park, Bronx, Buffalo, Philadelphia, Smithsonian, North Carolina, Riverbanks, Atlanta, and four in Florida). Along the eastern seaboard, Tampa and Virginia are the only two orangutan holders which don't also hold gorillas, while there are six gorilla holders which don't hold orangutans (Franklin Park, Bronx, Buffalo, North Carolina, Disney, and Jacksonville). While I have no doubts, based on the overall numbers, that this regional phenomena would not hold true nationwide, it does appear at least that the distribution of great apes in zoos in another scenario where regional differences arise. I'm sure zoochatters from Kansas, where there is one gorilla holder and three orangutan holders, would have different experiences than me about which ape they see more frequently.

 

[Coelacanth18]

Along the eastern seaboard, Tampa and Virginia are the only two orangutan holders which don't also hold gorillas, while there are six gorilla holders which don't hold orangutans (Franklin Park, Bronx, Buffalo, North Carolina, Disney, and Jacksonville).

Actually the South Carolina holder is not Riverbanks, but Greenville - one of the zoos I've been to that only has orangutan

While I see the point you're trying to make, I think you are extrapolating a lot from a limited sample size as well as making very broad use of the term "regional" - as I wouldn't personally define Kansas, Wisconsin or the entire Eastern seaboard as "regions". Interestingly, the most notable regional difference I can discern is that the Northeast seems heavy on gorillas compared to the other great apes - which might explain your own experience seeing great apes

 

[Pleistocene891]

I don't have a breakdown of the Orangutan species that I've seen, as in the past some zoos have had Bornean, Sumatran and hybrid orangs all together in the same exhibit and things are rather complicated at loads of establishments. It is intriguing to note that I've toured 74 zoos with Gorillas and the same number with Orangutans, but overall the exhibit quality for Gorillas is far superior. Orangutans are famously difficult to maintain adequately in captivity, often being seen on the ground even though they are arboreal apes.

Saint Louis Zoo (USA) has a superb Orangutan exhibit:

Both photos are from @Coelacanth18

Woodland Park Zoo (USA) has two indoor areas and two outdoor areas for its orangs, and on a sunny day it's great to see the apes outside in the canopy of the habitat.

Pairi Daiza (Belgium) has many memorable attractions, none more so than the Orangutan complex. Seeing the red apes up high is a delight, with many climbing opportunities and Small-clawed Otters on the ground. The various outdoor yards are surprisingly decent:

@KevinB

I was astounded when I saw the 'Orangutan Temple' there in 2019:

Inside the temple is the indoor area for the Orangutans, made from real marble and costing a small fortune. Do you know how many American zoos I've seen with indoor areas for orangs that have cement floors, maybe a tire in a corner and a few old ropes? At least this Belgian zoo has a thick layer of mulch, many climbing opportunities for the apes, and hammocks strung up even in the highest corners. Between the various outdoor and indoor habitats, Pairi Daiza has one of the very best Orangutan complexes I've ever seen. It just happens to be part of an ultra-expensive temple.

@lintworm

Apenheul Primate Park (Netherlands) has 4 islands and 10 km of ropes, thus the zoo does a wonderful job of keeping Orangutans off the ground. Although, I'm a bit surprised that the zoo hasn't built any high shelters or hammocks at the top of the various wooden poles.

@twilighter

I visited Melbourne Zoo (Australia) in 2007 and a real highlight was the Orangutan/Siamang complex. The use of sway poles to help the apes brachiate across their exhibit is famous, even though in this excellent photo there's an orangutan on the ground hiding under a burlap sack. They are very difficult animals to showcase to the public!

@Zoofan15

I really like the idea of Dortmund Zoo (Germany) having Malayan Tapirs in with their orangs, as what better way to keep the apes up in the canopy? Or the 4 European zoos I've toured with Small-clawed Otters (feisty little buggers) in with Orangutans, which is again a mixed-species set-up that encourages the apes to head for the trees. I've never once seen that combination in any North American zoos. But a truly memorable visit was when I went to the Smithsonian's National Zoo (USA) and saw the red apes up on the O-Line. Now that's a sight to behold!

When it comes to all-indoor enclosures, only TWO of the 74 Gorilla exhibits I've seen have been entirely inside with zero access to the outside. One was at Brookfield, which is soon to be rectified, and that will leave Buffalo as the last remaining zoo I've toured that keeps Gorillas inside 24/7. Maybe they will eventually phase out Gorillas.

When it comes to Orangutans, I've seen them kept entirely indoors at SIX different zoos and all of those are in American zoos. Birmingham, Brookfield, Cleveland, Fort Wayne, Pittsburgh and Racine are those facilities. The laws surrounding great apes in countries such as Germany (or anywhere in Scandinavia) are much more stringent, hence there are less roadside, junky zoos than in the USA and there are more legalities in terms of larger exhibit requirements for captive animals.

How is Racine Zoo (Wisconsin, USA) even allowed to be AZA-accredited when it has this as the entire space for its Orangutans? The enclosure would be better suited to Squirrel Monkeys or Cotton-top Tamarins.

Pittsburgh Zoo has an all-indoor enclosure that is quite dark and depressing when seen in person:

@geomorph

Do the orangutans at Pairi have access to the temple or is the temple just there for theming?