Mossman Joe
Well-Known Member
The Pangolin in Batu Secret Zoo is still on display!
It sometimes comes out and explores its enclosure for a little while before retreating back into its burrow.
Snowleopard's Mammals: A Lifetime List of Species Mammalian and Non-Mammalian
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The Pangolin in Batu Secret Zoo is still on display!
It sometimes comes out and explores its enclosure for a little while before retreating back into its burrow.
While I hadn't consciously realized that you hadn't seen Tree Pangolin, in hindsight it makes total sense. 
I guess that's another I have on you! You still have a lot more I'm missing though. 
I guess that's another I have on you! You still have a lot more I'm missing though. 
@Enzo I need to do a big South American trip one day as your list of mammal species that I haven't seen is a long one! But I also need to head back to Germany as I just finished reading The Zoos of Germany (Tuson, 2024), and I'd love to head off to Japan as well...
North American Beavers are the third largest rodents in the world (after Greater & Lesser Capybaras) and legendary in Canada, being named my nation's national animal in 1975. The North American Fur Trade raged for so long that mammals such as beavers and otters were practically exterminated from wide swathes of the continent, which in turn caused a ripple effect on the waterways of North America. The mass destruction of beavers created total chaos to entire ecosystems, as this species has been around for millions of years in one form or another and helped shape the landscape due to its nature of cutting down trees and building dams.
I've seen quite a few zoos with North American Beavers, and a half-dozen with Eurasian Beavers, but in truth this species only makes for a good exhibit if there is underwater viewing and den viewing. Even then, peering through a smeared window at a brown blob might be the best that many people can do when it comes to seeing a beaver in a zoo. Watching one swim is a magical experience, especially in circumstances where there are babies around. I can recall seeing a mama beaver at Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) swimming around with all her little minions following her in a line. Remarkable.
I've seen beavers at 41 zoos (35 North American Beaver, 6 Eurasian Beaver):
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – North American Beaver – 1975
2- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – North American Beaver – 1998
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2005
4- Oregon Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2005
5- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – North American Beaver – 2007
6- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
7- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
8- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – North American Beaver – 2008
9- Montreal Biodome (Canada) – North American Beaver – 2008
10- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
11- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
12- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
13- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
14- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
15- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
16- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
17- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
18- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
19- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
20- Jackson Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2012
21- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2014
22- National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2014
23- Zoo Montana (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
24- Oklahoma Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
25- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
26- Spring River Park & Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
27- Bearizona (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
28- Orange County Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2017
29- Detroit Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2018
30- Howell Nature Center: Wild Wonders Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2018
31- Natuurpark Lelystad (Netherlands) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
32- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
33- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – North American Beaver – 2019
34- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – North American Beaver – 2019
35- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
36- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – North American Beaver – 2019
37- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – North American Beaver – 2019
38- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
39- Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
40- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – North American Beaver – 2019
41- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Eurasian Beaver – 2022
Fascinating creatures, but at times recognized as pests, this is a photo of a North American Beaver. They have recently been culled in some parts of Canada to keep their numbers down.
@Austin the Sengi
Underwater viewing for beavers elevates an exhibit to a higher standard, especially if there is also a den area as is the case at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA). Either above ground viewing, underwater viewing, or den viewing means that there's a 100% chance of a visitor seeing a beaver at this fantastic zoo.
A similar exhibit to the one at Northwest Trek is found a few hours south at Oregon Zoo (USA). Waterfowl species, such as Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail and Ruddy Duck are often mixed with the North American Beavers found here.
I'm guessing that Adelaide Zoo (Australia) was the last facility in Australia to have beavers and I saw one there in 2007. I think that by 2010 they were gone from the country.
@Hix
Minnesota Zoo (USA) has a famous North American Beaver exhibit as it's one that's superb in terms of space for the animals and viewing opportunities for visitors.
The immersive underwater viewing window for North American Beavers at Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) is memorable.
@geomorph
Entirely indoors, although in the vast Montreal Biodome (Canada) where the leaves change with the seasons, is a North American Beaver exhibit.
@Pier-Luc Chouinard
One of the very best North American beaver exhibits is found within the bowels of Kingdoms of the Night, the huge underground Nocturnal House at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) that's one of my all-time favourite exhibits. However, good quality photos are a struggle there. Back in the sunshine is this North American Beaver enclosure at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA).
I was astonished to see a North American Beaver at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) in 2010 and be told that the Grey Wolf exhibit (in the background) is joined to the beaver/fish tank in the foreground. Someone told me that when this exhibit was first opened, the wolves were inquisitive and would come to the edge of the pond to hopefully snag a beaver going too close to the edge, but after a short time the wolves ignored the beavers and the two species have lived harmoniously ever since. Is that true? Does anyone know more details?
@geomorph
This nasty little enclosure was one I saw at Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) in 2014. You can see a North American Beaver on the right-hand side and it shared its space with some Ringed Teal.
An entirely indoors, totally fake, rather small North American Beaver exhibit was at Oklahoma Aquarium (USA) when I was there in 2015.
There was a North American Beaver curled up in the tree stump in this naff little enclosure at Spring River Park & Zoo (USA).
When I was at Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) in 2019, there was a big walk-through European Aviary that within it contained an Eurasian Beaver exhibit. The aviary remains but the beavers are now gone.
@Toddy
The Last Frontier is one of the big 'world' complexes at Pairi Daiza (Belgium) and I saw a single North American Beaver in the rather strange exhibit there in 2019. The water area was a significant size, but the land section consisted of two islands with wooden structures on them.
It often seems that all the exhibits at GaiaZOO (Netherlands) are excellent, including one for North American Beavers.
@KevinB
The same could be said for ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany), a big zoo that also has a high degree of excellence across its grounds. At one point, the zoo had North American Porcupines and North American Beavers together.
@zoogiraffe
Another European zoo, another terrific North American Beaver exhibit. Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands), now called Eindhoven Zoo, has this beauty.
@KevinB
Now we have an example of a North American Porcupine/Eurasian Beaver combination at Osnabruck Zoo (Germany), found in the Manitoba area of the zoo.
@twilighter
I counted 8 Eurasian Beavers at AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) when I toured the facility in 2022.
North American Beavers are the third largest rodents in the world (after Greater & Lesser Capybaras) and legendary in Canada, being named my nation's national animal in 1975. The North American Fur Trade raged for so long that mammals such as beavers and otters were practically exterminated from wide swathes of the continent, which in turn caused a ripple effect on the waterways of North America. The mass destruction of beavers created total chaos to entire ecosystems, as this species has been around for millions of years in one form or another and helped shape the landscape due to its nature of cutting down trees and building dams.
I've seen quite a few zoos with North American Beavers, and a half-dozen with Eurasian Beavers, but in truth this species only makes for a good exhibit if there is underwater viewing and den viewing. Even then, peering through a smeared window at a brown blob might be the best that many people can do when it comes to seeing a beaver in a zoo. Watching one swim is a magical experience, especially in circumstances where there are babies around. I can recall seeing a mama beaver at Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) swimming around with all her little minions following her in a line. Remarkable.
I've seen beavers at 41 zoos (35 North American Beaver, 6 Eurasian Beaver):
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – North American Beaver – 1975
2- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – North American Beaver – 1998
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2005
4- Oregon Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2005
5- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – North American Beaver – 2007
6- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
7- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
8- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – North American Beaver – 2008
9- Montreal Biodome (Canada) – North American Beaver – 2008
10- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
11- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
12- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
13- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
14- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
15- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
16- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
17- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
18- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
19- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
20- Jackson Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2012
21- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2014
22- National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2014
23- Zoo Montana (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
24- Oklahoma Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
25- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
26- Spring River Park & Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
27- Bearizona (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
28- Orange County Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2017
29- Detroit Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2018
30- Howell Nature Center: Wild Wonders Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2018
31- Natuurpark Lelystad (Netherlands) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
32- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
33- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – North American Beaver – 2019
34- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – North American Beaver – 2019
35- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
36- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – North American Beaver – 2019
37- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – North American Beaver – 2019
38- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
39- Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
40- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – North American Beaver – 2019
41- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Eurasian Beaver – 2022
Fascinating creatures, but at times recognized as pests, this is a photo of a North American Beaver. They have recently been culled in some parts of Canada to keep their numbers down.
@Austin the Sengi
Underwater viewing for beavers elevates an exhibit to a higher standard, especially if there is also a den area as is the case at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA). Either above ground viewing, underwater viewing, or den viewing means that there's a 100% chance of a visitor seeing a beaver at this fantastic zoo.
A similar exhibit to the one at Northwest Trek is found a few hours south at Oregon Zoo (USA). Waterfowl species, such as Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail and Ruddy Duck are often mixed with the North American Beavers found here.
I'm guessing that Adelaide Zoo (Australia) was the last facility in Australia to have beavers and I saw one there in 2007. I think that by 2010 they were gone from the country.
@Hix
Minnesota Zoo (USA) has a famous North American Beaver exhibit as it's one that's superb in terms of space for the animals and viewing opportunities for visitors.
The immersive underwater viewing window for North American Beavers at Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) is memorable.
@geomorph
Entirely indoors, although in the vast Montreal Biodome (Canada) where the leaves change with the seasons, is a North American Beaver exhibit.
@Pier-Luc Chouinard
One of the very best North American beaver exhibits is found within the bowels of Kingdoms of the Night, the huge underground Nocturnal House at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) that's one of my all-time favourite exhibits. However, good quality photos are a struggle there. Back in the sunshine is this North American Beaver enclosure at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA).
I was astonished to see a North American Beaver at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) in 2010 and be told that the Grey Wolf exhibit (in the background) is joined to the beaver/fish tank in the foreground. Someone told me that when this exhibit was first opened, the wolves were inquisitive and would come to the edge of the pond to hopefully snag a beaver going too close to the edge, but after a short time the wolves ignored the beavers and the two species have lived harmoniously ever since. Is that true? Does anyone know more details?
@geomorph
This nasty little enclosure was one I saw at Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) in 2014. You can see a North American Beaver on the right-hand side and it shared its space with some Ringed Teal.
An entirely indoors, totally fake, rather small North American Beaver exhibit was at Oklahoma Aquarium (USA) when I was there in 2015.
There was a North American Beaver curled up in the tree stump in this naff little enclosure at Spring River Park & Zoo (USA).
When I was at Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) in 2019, there was a big walk-through European Aviary that within it contained an Eurasian Beaver exhibit. The aviary remains but the beavers are now gone.
@Toddy
The Last Frontier is one of the big 'world' complexes at Pairi Daiza (Belgium) and I saw a single North American Beaver in the rather strange exhibit there in 2019. The water area was a significant size, but the land section consisted of two islands with wooden structures on them.
It often seems that all the exhibits at GaiaZOO (Netherlands) are excellent, including one for North American Beavers.
@KevinB
The same could be said for ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany), a big zoo that also has a high degree of excellence across its grounds. At one point, the zoo had North American Porcupines and North American Beavers together.
@zoogiraffe
Another European zoo, another terrific North American Beaver exhibit. Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands), now called Eindhoven Zoo, has this beauty.
@KevinB
Now we have an example of a North American Porcupine/Eurasian Beaver combination at Osnabruck Zoo (Germany), found in the Manitoba area of the zoo.
@twilighter
I counted 8 Eurasian Beavers at AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) when I toured the facility in 2022.
@snowleopard I can't speak for past wolves, but Cleveland's current pack seems to perfer hanging out near the back of the exhibit. Very rarely do I see them in/near the water and it's even rarer to see the wolves near the beavers. Although I was told by an employee that yes, there has been at least one beaver that was preyed upon by a wolf, but that was in the 90's. The beavers also have an underwater escape tunnel to get back to their dam if they feel threatened by the wolves.
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Osedax
Well-Known Member
Correct on both counts. The last individual died in July 2010, and he was the last of his species in Australasia.I'm guessing that Adelaide Zoo (Australia) was the last facility in Australia to have beavers and I saw one there in 2007. I think that by 2010 they were gone from the country.
@Hix
Great thread!
European Beavers became common in parts of Europe, and now inhabit waterways in many cities. I wonder if there is a zoo in Europe which has wild beavers living on its grounds? Wild kingfishers are found in several zoos, and at least Munich zoo has visiting wild otters, but beavers?
European Beavers became common in parts of Europe, and now inhabit waterways in many cities. I wonder if there is a zoo in Europe which has wild beavers living on its grounds? Wild kingfishers are found in several zoos, and at least Munich zoo has visiting wild otters, but beavers?
Salzburg Zoo is located directly next to a place where wild beavers live. The zoo has signage for them. But since beavers are mostly nocturnal and shy, one would need to be very lucky to see one.
I am becoming increasingly skeptical over seeing said sambar. It is likely Rio kept Javan rusa all along, even before sending their old herd somewhere else (maybe Volta Redonda?). If that's the case, Brazil might have one the world's largest herds of Rusa timorensis, as I believe all of our Asian deer are descendents of the old Rio herd.
I have never seen a beaver, though two Brazilian zoos (São Paulo and Sorocaba) held the species in the 1970s.
AndyJ08
Well-Known Member
I’ve always loved rodents, and it’s pretty disheartening to hear that there are only around 10-15 species that are encountered with any regularity in American zoos. Europe seems to be a little better on that regard, but I wish that rodents would become more commonplace, even if they aren’t the most spectacular of attractions.@Enzo I need to do a big South American trip one day as your list of mammal species that I haven't seen is a long one! But I also need to head back to Germany as I just finished reading The Zoos of Germany (Tuson, 2024), and I'd love to head off to Japan as well...
North American Beavers are the third largest rodents in the world (after Greater & Lesser Capybaras) and legendary in Canada, being named my nation's national animal in 1975. The North American Fur Trade raged for so long that mammals such as beavers and otters were practically exterminated from wide swathes of the continent, which in turn caused a ripple effect on the waterways of North America. The mass destruction of beavers created total chaos to entire ecosystems, as this species has been around for millions of years in one form or another and helped shape the landscape due to its nature of cutting down trees and building dams.
I've seen quite a few zoos with North American Beavers, and a half-dozen with Eurasian Beavers, but in truth this species only makes for a good exhibit if there is underwater viewing and den viewing. Even then, peering through a smeared window at a brown blob might be the best that many people can do when it comes to seeing a beaver in a zoo. Watching one swim is a magical experience, especially in circumstances where there are babies around. I can recall seeing a mama beaver at Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) swimming around with all her little minions following her in a line. Remarkable.
I've seen beavers at 41 zoos (35 North American Beaver, 6 Eurasian Beaver):
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – North American Beaver – 1975
2- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – North American Beaver – 1998
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2005
4- Oregon Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2005
5- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – North American Beaver – 2007
6- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
7- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
8- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – North American Beaver – 2008
9- Montreal Biodome (Canada) – North American Beaver – 2008
10- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
11- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
12- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
13- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
14- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
15- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – North American Beaver – 2008
16- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
17- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
18- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
19- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2010
20- Jackson Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2012
21- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2014
22- National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2014
23- Zoo Montana (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
24- Oklahoma Aquarium (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
25- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
26- Spring River Park & Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
27- Bearizona (USA) – North American Beaver – 2015
28- Orange County Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2017
29- Detroit Zoo (USA) – North American Beaver – 2018
30- Howell Nature Center: Wild Wonders Wildlife Park (USA) – North American Beaver – 2018
31- Natuurpark Lelystad (Netherlands) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
32- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
33- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – North American Beaver – 2019
34- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – North American Beaver – 2019
35- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
36- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – North American Beaver – 2019
37- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – North American Beaver – 2019
38- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
39- Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) – Eurasian Beaver – 2019
40- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – North American Beaver – 2019
41- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Eurasian Beaver – 2022
Fascinating creatures, but at times recognized as pests, this is a photo of a North American Beaver. They have recently been culled in some parts of Canada to keep their numbers down.
@Austin the Sengi
Underwater viewing for beavers elevates an exhibit to a higher standard, especially if there is also a den area as is the case at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA). Either above ground viewing, underwater viewing, or den viewing means that there's a 100% chance of a visitor seeing a beaver at this fantastic zoo.
A similar exhibit to the one at Northwest Trek is found a few hours south at Oregon Zoo (USA). Waterfowl species, such as Hooded Merganser, Bufflehead, Northern Pintail and Ruddy Duck are often mixed with the North American Beavers found here.
I'm guessing that Adelaide Zoo (Australia) was the last facility in Australia to have beavers and I saw one there in 2007. I think that by 2010 they were gone from the country.
@Hix
Minnesota Zoo (USA) has a famous North American Beaver exhibit as it's one that's superb in terms of space for the animals and viewing opportunities for visitors.
The immersive underwater viewing window for North American Beavers at Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) is memorable.
@geomorph
Entirely indoors, although in the vast Montreal Biodome (Canada) where the leaves change with the seasons, is a North American Beaver exhibit.
@Pier-Luc Chouinard
One of the very best North American beaver exhibits is found within the bowels of Kingdoms of the Night, the huge underground Nocturnal House at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) that's one of my all-time favourite exhibits. However, good quality photos are a struggle there. Back in the sunshine is this North American Beaver enclosure at Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA).
I was astonished to see a North American Beaver at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) in 2010 and be told that the Grey Wolf exhibit (in the background) is joined to the beaver/fish tank in the foreground. Someone told me that when this exhibit was first opened, the wolves were inquisitive and would come to the edge of the pond to hopefully snag a beaver going too close to the edge, but after a short time the wolves ignored the beavers and the two species have lived harmoniously ever since. Is that true? Does anyone know more details?
@geomorph
This nasty little enclosure was one I saw at Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) in 2014. You can see a North American Beaver on the right-hand side and it shared its space with some Ringed Teal.
An entirely indoors, totally fake, rather small North American Beaver exhibit was at Oklahoma Aquarium (USA) when I was there in 2015.
There was a North American Beaver curled up in the tree stump in this naff little enclosure at Spring River Park & Zoo (USA).
When I was at Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) in 2019, there was a big walk-through European Aviary that within it contained an Eurasian Beaver exhibit. The aviary remains but the beavers are now gone.
@Toddy
The Last Frontier is one of the big 'world' complexes at Pairi Daiza (Belgium) and I saw a single North American Beaver in the rather strange exhibit there in 2019. The water area was a significant size, but the land section consisted of two islands with wooden structures on them.
It often seems that all the exhibits at GaiaZOO (Netherlands) are excellent, including one for North American Beavers.
@KevinB
The same could be said for ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany), a big zoo that also has a high degree of excellence across its grounds. At one point, the zoo had North American Porcupines and North American Beavers together.
@zoogiraffe
Another European zoo, another terrific North American Beaver exhibit. Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands), now called Eindhoven Zoo, has this beauty.
@KevinB
Now we have an example of a North American Porcupine/Eurasian Beaver combination at Osnabruck Zoo (Germany), found in the Manitoba area of the zoo.
@twilighter
I counted 8 Eurasian Beavers at AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) when I toured the facility in 2022.
It amazes me that you have only seen American beavers in 35 zoos, after decades of visiting literally 100s of zoos in North America. Is there a reason why these are so rare?
Probably because they are not very showy and having a beaver exhibit is rather expensive (because they require a semiaquatic environment to thrive). Also, there might not be that many rescued beavers around.
I forgot to add beavers are invasive in Argentina.
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That could be, but ZTL also lists only 45 zoos with this species. Seen or not seen by Snowleopard, this species still seems to be quite rare in zoos while this is a very common species that is very widespread.
Probably because they make very poor exhibit animals. Have you ever seen one do anything other than sleep?
It does seem as if beavers (North American and Eurasian species) being at only 41 zoos is not a lot for an invasive, common rodent. My guess is that they aren't in more zoos simply because they don't make for a great display animal and also it costs a lot of money to operate pools with expensive, modern filtration systems.
An even rarer rodent in zoos for me has been the Nutria, also called a Coypu, but this is clearly a regional thing. In visits to more than 400 North American zoos and aquariums, I saw this species exactly FOUR times. I used to get quite excited to see a Nutria, as they look remarkably like beavers except for being slightly smaller and with a different shaped tail. I've seen Goitered Gazelles in 4 North American zoos, meaning that they are just as common as Nutrias. Haha!
Nutrias were incredibly rare to me, before I went to Europe in 2019 and saw them 13 times in a month. I then saw Nutrias 4 more times just in Denmark in 2022 and 3 times in Southeast Asia this summer, often in big numbers, but I still haven't seen them in any North American zoos in more than a dozen years. There seems a real reluctance to have these animals in zoos, but in truth if they are kept in large numbers with underwater viewing then Nutrias are wonderful display mammals.
I've seen Nutrias at 24 zoos:
2019 = 13 zoos
1- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Nutria – 2008
2- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Nutria – 2010
3- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – Nutria – 2010
4- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Nutria – 2011
5- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
6- Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
7- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
8- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
9- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
10- Tiergehege Kaisergarten (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
11- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
12- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
13- De Bosruiter (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
14- De Paay (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
15- Tierpark Strohen (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
16- Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
17- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
18- Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
19- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
20- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
21- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
22- Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand) - Nutria – 2024
23- Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia) - Nutria – 2024
24- Eco Green Park (Indonesia) – Nutria – 2024
A rare species in North America, but a very common one in Europe, I present to you a Nutria/Coypu:
@KevinB
The first time I ever saw some Nutrias was at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) in the labyrinth that is the underground Kingdoms of the Night exhibit. After that, it was in the Louisiana Swamp complex at Audubon Zoo (USA). Here's some at that Louisiana zoo:
Back in 2011, Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) had a Nutria exhibit and visitors could put money into tiny red machines (in photo) to get some food for the animals.
I saw Nutria, usually labeled as Coypu in NINE Dutch zoos in a single summer, including the small facility known as Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands). The Dutch love this species!
GaiaZOO (Netherlands) had both North American Beavers and Nutrias (separately) when I was there in 2019.
@vogelcommando
Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) also had both North American Beavers and Nutrias (separately) when I was there in 2019. It's a curious decision to have two species that look remarkably alike at multiple zoos in the same nation.
@Maguari
It was kind of a naff little enclosure, with 3 small pools, but this is what I saw at Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) in 2019. Notice a white Nutria in the water.
The Dutch have a zoo rich nation in terms of quality, but then there's De Paay (Netherlands) with its shoddy enclosures. Although, I don't mind the look of that tree in this Nutria exhibit as it works as a cool shelter for the rodents.
@vogelcommando
Small, rocky, not very memorable, this summarizes the rock-walled Nutria exhibit at Tierpark Strohen (Germany). It's fascinating to note the two large rocks placed for kids to step on in order to get a better look at the big 'rats'.
@RonBurrgundy
My perception of this vast space for Eurasian Beavers and Nutrias is that the two species potentially shared the area, but I could be mistaken. An older image from a different zoo nerd in the gallery supports that theory. My photo from Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) shows the beautiful boardwalk that cuts through the pools for the two species.
At Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) I counted more than 50 Nutrias (!!) in this single exhibit, which made for a stinky and enjoyable sight.
AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) had two Nutria exhibits that were joined together to make one larger space when I toured this facility in 2022. Here's 50% of the area for the rodents:
Kids can run from the colourful playground and reach over the wall to pet a Nutria! This is the exhibit at Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark):
An obscure Thai facility called Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand) had a small exhibit for white Nutrias this past summer.
Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia) is a zoo with a vast animal collection and while there I saw FIVE Nutria exhibits.
The zoo had around a dozen Nutrias in a tiny, circular, cement enclosure with a small pool. Visitors can eat a snack and smell the rodents!
There's a group of white Nutria in the Nocturnal House section of the zoo.
It's interesting to note that the Nutria exhibits here are found in all different areas of the zoo, including one near the entrance with an enormous rock wall with plants.
A long, narrow exhibit with underwater viewing is actually half-decent and popular.
Yet another Nutria exhibit (a 5th!) at Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia):
At Eco Green Park (Indonesia), which is really a big bird park, there's a Nutria exhibit with a red brick wall and a small pink hamster wheel contraption.
Rodents: 3 species so far (and not many more to go!)
North American Beaver - 35 zoos
Nutria - 24 zoos
Eurasian Beaver - 6 zoos
An even rarer rodent in zoos for me has been the Nutria, also called a Coypu, but this is clearly a regional thing. In visits to more than 400 North American zoos and aquariums, I saw this species exactly FOUR times. I used to get quite excited to see a Nutria, as they look remarkably like beavers except for being slightly smaller and with a different shaped tail. I've seen Goitered Gazelles in 4 North American zoos, meaning that they are just as common as Nutrias. Haha!
Nutrias were incredibly rare to me, before I went to Europe in 2019 and saw them 13 times in a month. I then saw Nutrias 4 more times just in Denmark in 2022 and 3 times in Southeast Asia this summer, often in big numbers, but I still haven't seen them in any North American zoos in more than a dozen years. There seems a real reluctance to have these animals in zoos, but in truth if they are kept in large numbers with underwater viewing then Nutrias are wonderful display mammals.
I've seen Nutrias at 24 zoos:
2019 = 13 zoos
1- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Nutria – 2008
2- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Nutria – 2010
3- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – Nutria – 2010
4- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Nutria – 2011
5- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
6- Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
7- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
8- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
9- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
10- Tiergehege Kaisergarten (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
11- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
12- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
13- De Bosruiter (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
14- De Paay (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
15- Tierpark Strohen (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
16- Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) – Nutria – 2019
17- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Nutria – 2019
18- Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
19- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
20- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
21- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – Nutria – 2022
22- Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand) - Nutria – 2024
23- Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia) - Nutria – 2024
24- Eco Green Park (Indonesia) – Nutria – 2024
A rare species in North America, but a very common one in Europe, I present to you a Nutria/Coypu:
@KevinB
The first time I ever saw some Nutrias was at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) in the labyrinth that is the underground Kingdoms of the Night exhibit. After that, it was in the Louisiana Swamp complex at Audubon Zoo (USA). Here's some at that Louisiana zoo:
Back in 2011, Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) had a Nutria exhibit and visitors could put money into tiny red machines (in photo) to get some food for the animals.
I saw Nutria, usually labeled as Coypu in NINE Dutch zoos in a single summer, including the small facility known as Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands). The Dutch love this species!
GaiaZOO (Netherlands) had both North American Beavers and Nutrias (separately) when I was there in 2019.
@vogelcommando
Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) also had both North American Beavers and Nutrias (separately) when I was there in 2019. It's a curious decision to have two species that look remarkably alike at multiple zoos in the same nation.
@Maguari
It was kind of a naff little enclosure, with 3 small pools, but this is what I saw at Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) in 2019. Notice a white Nutria in the water.
The Dutch have a zoo rich nation in terms of quality, but then there's De Paay (Netherlands) with its shoddy enclosures. Although, I don't mind the look of that tree in this Nutria exhibit as it works as a cool shelter for the rodents.
@vogelcommando
Small, rocky, not very memorable, this summarizes the rock-walled Nutria exhibit at Tierpark Strohen (Germany). It's fascinating to note the two large rocks placed for kids to step on in order to get a better look at the big 'rats'.
@RonBurrgundy
My perception of this vast space for Eurasian Beavers and Nutrias is that the two species potentially shared the area, but I could be mistaken. An older image from a different zoo nerd in the gallery supports that theory. My photo from Olderdissen Zoo (Germany) shows the beautiful boardwalk that cuts through the pools for the two species.
At Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) I counted more than 50 Nutrias (!!) in this single exhibit, which made for a stinky and enjoyable sight.
AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) had two Nutria exhibits that were joined together to make one larger space when I toured this facility in 2022. Here's 50% of the area for the rodents:
Kids can run from the colourful playground and reach over the wall to pet a Nutria! This is the exhibit at Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark):
An obscure Thai facility called Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand) had a small exhibit for white Nutrias this past summer.
Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia) is a zoo with a vast animal collection and while there I saw FIVE Nutria exhibits.
The zoo had around a dozen Nutrias in a tiny, circular, cement enclosure with a small pool. Visitors can eat a snack and smell the rodents!
There's a group of white Nutria in the Nocturnal House section of the zoo.
It's interesting to note that the Nutria exhibits here are found in all different areas of the zoo, including one near the entrance with an enormous rock wall with plants.
A long, narrow exhibit with underwater viewing is actually half-decent and popular.
Yet another Nutria exhibit (a 5th!) at Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia):
At Eco Green Park (Indonesia), which is really a big bird park, there's a Nutria exhibit with a red brick wall and a small pink hamster wheel contraption.
Rodents: 3 species so far (and not many more to go!)
North American Beaver - 35 zoos
Nutria - 24 zoos
Eurasian Beaver - 6 zoos
I have seen beavers active on a couple of occassions, but I've seen them inactive a lot more. I remember seeing active beavers in Gaiazoo, Brno and Munich.
On the other hand, my latest zootrip was very unsuccesfull. Beavers were no-shows in Nürnberg and were sleeping in their den in both Augsburg and Innsbruck.
I have also yet to see them active in Dierenrijk, a zoo I visited multiple times in the last 2 years.
I have seen Beavers active on only 3 occasions. Invasive North American Beaver in Tierra del Fuego, reintroduced European Beaver in Scotland (wild, not captive), and a long time ago an active individual in Highland Wildlife Park.
Mossman Joe
Well-Known Member
Both Batu Secret Zoo and Taman Safari Prigen used to hold American Beavers, but they seemed to have disappeared entirely from Indonesian institutions.
@snowleopard I’ve been wondering if, at some point in the near future, will you plan to cover the order Macroscelidea here on this thread? I’m aware that we just started to cover the rodents, but I couldn’t help but ask if you have considered such an idea.
To my knowledge, there are currently nineteen species of sengi / elephant shrew, and I’m certain that you must’ve seen at least one species of sengi during your travels.
To my knowledge, there are currently nineteen species of sengi / elephant shrew, and I’m certain that you must’ve seen at least one species of sengi during your travels.