I was surprised, when compiling all this data over several months in 2023, to find out that I've seen Ringtails at 21 zoos. It was more than I expected. I was even more shocked to realize that a Cacomistle is a completely different species, because at many of these zoos there's been a sign that references both a Ringtail and a Cacomistle and until last year I had no idea they weren't the same animal. It's always been an interchangeable name on American zoo signs.
It seems reasonable to assume that almost every animal I've seen on my list below was a Ringtail, but Zootierliste has Cacomistles at both Oregon Zoo (USA) and Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA) (as former holdings) and I've been to those establishments on multiple occasions and so it's pretty safe to say I've seen at least one Cacomistle in my lifetime.
Geographically, Ringtails/Cacomistles have been seen by me mainly in two states. There's 7 zoos on the list that are located in California and 4 in Texas, with other zoos all mostly being found in warm weather states.
1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 1996
2- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2008
3- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2008
4- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Ringtail – 2010
5- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2010
6- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2010
7- CuriOdyssey (USA) – Ringtail – 2011
8- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Ringtail – 2011
9- CALM (California Living Museum) (USA) – Ringtail – 2011
10- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2014
11- Franklin Drive-Thru Safari (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
12- The Texas Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
13- Austin Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
14- Living Desert Zoo – New Mexico (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
15- Bearizona (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
16- Micke Grove Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2017
17- Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary (USA) – Ringtail – 2017
18- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2017
19- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Ringtail – 2019
20- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Ringtail – 2023
21- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2023
Even though it was completely boarded up on my last visit to this facility in 2023, for many years Oregon Zoo (USA) had a Ringtail/Cacomistle exhibit that was themed as the Cascade Mining Company. It was a very dark space, depending on whether the lights were off, and a rewarding one as on several visits I saw an animal moving around inside.
This very bright, mock-rock disaster was the Ringtail exhibit at Fort Worth Zoo (USA):
At the bizarrely named CuriOdyssey (USA), I saw a Ringtail in this exhibit that included a cereal box for enrichment!
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) has had Ringtails for many years, as I saw one in 2011 and then again in 2023. There's a photo of mine in the gallery showing a sleeping Ringtail when I was there last year, and it shared its enclosure with a Three-banded Armadillo.
Ringtail exhibit at CALM (California Living Museum) (USA):
Here's a variation of a corn-crib cage at Pueblo Zoo (USA), with a Ringtail inside.
These 4 exhibits at Franklin Drive-Thru Safari (USA) had the following species in 2015: Prevost's Squirrel, Common Marmoset, Ringtail and Common Kusimanse.
I can at least praise the impressive stonework surrounding this Ringtail exhibit at Austin Zoo (USA):
The Ringtail exhibit at Micke Grove Zoo (USA) is a decent size:
I saw a Ringtail with a Striped Skunk at Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary (USA). Notice the 'Miner's Shack' themed cabin viewing area:
Los Angeles Zoo (USA) has had Ringtails for years and here's a superb photo of one:
@Newzooboy
@Anteaterman
Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) is the ONLY zoo out of 120 that had Ringtails on my European adventures.
@Therabu
@Mr Gharial
My last sighting was at Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) last year, in a small nocturnal house.
I saw a solitary Ringtail at this zoo and there's only the two exhibits in the very tiny nocturnal house. It's the type of building that could likely only accommodate a handful of visitors at any one time.
Procyonidae: 7 species
Coatis - 117 zoos (2 species: South American & White-nosed)
Northern Raccoons - 94 zoos
Kinkajous - 28 zoos
Ringtails & Cacomistles - 21 zoos
Crab-eating Raccoons - 2 zoos
Updated Species Lists for CARNIVORA:
Canidae: 19 species (129 zoos with Grey Wolf, 75 Red Fox, 51 African Wild Dog, 49 Arctic Fox, 49 Coyote, 44 Fennec Fox, 38 Maned Wolf, 35 Northern Grey Fox, 25 Bat-eared Fox, 22 Red Wolf, 19 Swift Fox, 16 Bush Dog, 10 Dhole, 10 Raccoon Dog, 6 Corsac Fox, 6 Island Fox, 6 Kit Fox, 5 Black-backed Jackal, 2 Golden Jackal...AND bonus animals are 17 New Guinea Singing Dog, 5 Dingo)
Eupleridae: 3 species (25 zoos with Fossa, 3 Ring-tailed Vontsira, 1 Fanaloka)
Felidae: 28 species (195 zoos with Tiger, 179 Lion, 128 Bobcat, 118 Cougar, 98 Leopard, 76 Cheetah, 74 Snow Leopard, 73 Serval, 63 Jaguar, 50 Eurasian Lynx, 49 Ocelot, 45 Canada Lynx, 36 Clouded Leopard, 31 Caracal, 29 Pallas's Cat, 25 Fishing Cat, 16 Black-footed Cat, 15 Sand Cat, 15 'Wildcats' (2 species: African, European), 8 Geoffroy's Cat, 7 Margay, 5 Jaguarundi, 4 Asian Golden Cat, 3 Leopard Cat, 2 Jungle Cat, 2 Rusty-spotted Cat, 1 Southern Tigrina)
Herpestidae: 5 species (129 zoos with Meerkat, 29 Dwarf Mongoose, 22 Banded Mongoose, 9 Yellow Mongoose, 5 Common Kusimanse)
Hyaenidae: 3 species (44 zoos with Spotted Hyena, 14 Striped Hyena, 1 Southern Aardwolf)
Nandiniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with African Palm Civet)
Prionodontidae: 0 species
Procyonidae: 7 species (117 zoos with Coati (South American & White-nosed), 94 Northern Raccoon, 28 Kinkajou, 21 Ringtail & Cacomistle, 2 Crab-eating Raccoon)
Ursidae: 8 species (100 zoos with American Black, 92 Brown, 47 Polar, 32 Andean, 27 Sun, 22 Sloth, 15 Asiatic Black, 8 Giant Panda)
Viverridae: 9 species (38 zoos with Binturong, 8 Cape Genet, 4 Common Genet, 4 Northern Palm Civet, 1 African Civet, 1 Banded Palm Civet, 1 Masked Palm Civet, 1 Philippine Palm Civet, 1 Rusty-spotted Genet)
* Also, on page 42 of this thread, there's an extensive list of all the Primates I've seen (141 species)
It seems reasonable to assume that almost every animal I've seen on my list below was a Ringtail, but Zootierliste has Cacomistles at both Oregon Zoo (USA) and Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA) (as former holdings) and I've been to those establishments on multiple occasions and so it's pretty safe to say I've seen at least one Cacomistle in my lifetime.
Geographically, Ringtails/Cacomistles have been seen by me mainly in two states. There's 7 zoos on the list that are located in California and 4 in Texas, with other zoos all mostly being found in warm weather states.
1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 1996
2- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2008
3- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2008
4- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Ringtail – 2010
5- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2010
6- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2010
7- CuriOdyssey (USA) – Ringtail – 2011
8- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Ringtail – 2011
9- CALM (California Living Museum) (USA) – Ringtail – 2011
10- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2014
11- Franklin Drive-Thru Safari (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
12- The Texas Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
13- Austin Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
14- Living Desert Zoo – New Mexico (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
15- Bearizona (USA) – Ringtail – 2015
16- Micke Grove Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2017
17- Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary (USA) – Ringtail – 2017
18- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2017
19- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Ringtail – 2019
20- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Ringtail – 2023
21- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – Ringtail – 2023
Even though it was completely boarded up on my last visit to this facility in 2023, for many years Oregon Zoo (USA) had a Ringtail/Cacomistle exhibit that was themed as the Cascade Mining Company. It was a very dark space, depending on whether the lights were off, and a rewarding one as on several visits I saw an animal moving around inside.
This very bright, mock-rock disaster was the Ringtail exhibit at Fort Worth Zoo (USA):
At the bizarrely named CuriOdyssey (USA), I saw a Ringtail in this exhibit that included a cereal box for enrichment!
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) has had Ringtails for many years, as I saw one in 2011 and then again in 2023. There's a photo of mine in the gallery showing a sleeping Ringtail when I was there last year, and it shared its enclosure with a Three-banded Armadillo.
Ringtail exhibit at CALM (California Living Museum) (USA):
Here's a variation of a corn-crib cage at Pueblo Zoo (USA), with a Ringtail inside.
These 4 exhibits at Franklin Drive-Thru Safari (USA) had the following species in 2015: Prevost's Squirrel, Common Marmoset, Ringtail and Common Kusimanse.
I can at least praise the impressive stonework surrounding this Ringtail exhibit at Austin Zoo (USA):
The Ringtail exhibit at Micke Grove Zoo (USA) is a decent size:
I saw a Ringtail with a Striped Skunk at Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary (USA). Notice the 'Miner's Shack' themed cabin viewing area:
Los Angeles Zoo (USA) has had Ringtails for years and here's a superb photo of one:
@Newzooboy
@Anteaterman
Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) is the ONLY zoo out of 120 that had Ringtails on my European adventures.
@Therabu
@Mr Gharial
My last sighting was at Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) last year, in a small nocturnal house.
I saw a solitary Ringtail at this zoo and there's only the two exhibits in the very tiny nocturnal house. It's the type of building that could likely only accommodate a handful of visitors at any one time.
Procyonidae: 7 species
Coatis - 117 zoos (2 species: South American & White-nosed)
Northern Raccoons - 94 zoos
Kinkajous - 28 zoos
Ringtails & Cacomistles - 21 zoos
Crab-eating Raccoons - 2 zoos
Updated Species Lists for CARNIVORA:
Canidae: 19 species (129 zoos with Grey Wolf, 75 Red Fox, 51 African Wild Dog, 49 Arctic Fox, 49 Coyote, 44 Fennec Fox, 38 Maned Wolf, 35 Northern Grey Fox, 25 Bat-eared Fox, 22 Red Wolf, 19 Swift Fox, 16 Bush Dog, 10 Dhole, 10 Raccoon Dog, 6 Corsac Fox, 6 Island Fox, 6 Kit Fox, 5 Black-backed Jackal, 2 Golden Jackal...AND bonus animals are 17 New Guinea Singing Dog, 5 Dingo)
Eupleridae: 3 species (25 zoos with Fossa, 3 Ring-tailed Vontsira, 1 Fanaloka)
Felidae: 28 species (195 zoos with Tiger, 179 Lion, 128 Bobcat, 118 Cougar, 98 Leopard, 76 Cheetah, 74 Snow Leopard, 73 Serval, 63 Jaguar, 50 Eurasian Lynx, 49 Ocelot, 45 Canada Lynx, 36 Clouded Leopard, 31 Caracal, 29 Pallas's Cat, 25 Fishing Cat, 16 Black-footed Cat, 15 Sand Cat, 15 'Wildcats' (2 species: African, European), 8 Geoffroy's Cat, 7 Margay, 5 Jaguarundi, 4 Asian Golden Cat, 3 Leopard Cat, 2 Jungle Cat, 2 Rusty-spotted Cat, 1 Southern Tigrina)
Herpestidae: 5 species (129 zoos with Meerkat, 29 Dwarf Mongoose, 22 Banded Mongoose, 9 Yellow Mongoose, 5 Common Kusimanse)
Hyaenidae: 3 species (44 zoos with Spotted Hyena, 14 Striped Hyena, 1 Southern Aardwolf)
Nandiniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with African Palm Civet)
Prionodontidae: 0 species
Procyonidae: 7 species (117 zoos with Coati (South American & White-nosed), 94 Northern Raccoon, 28 Kinkajou, 21 Ringtail & Cacomistle, 2 Crab-eating Raccoon)
Ursidae: 8 species (100 zoos with American Black, 92 Brown, 47 Polar, 32 Andean, 27 Sun, 22 Sloth, 15 Asiatic Black, 8 Giant Panda)
Viverridae: 9 species (38 zoos with Binturong, 8 Cape Genet, 4 Common Genet, 4 Northern Palm Civet, 1 African Civet, 1 Banded Palm Civet, 1 Masked Palm Civet, 1 Philippine Palm Civet, 1 Rusty-spotted Genet)
* Also, on page 42 of this thread, there's an extensive list of all the Primates I've seen (141 species)


