@Austin the Sengi in the post where he talked about the animals that he wasn't going to cover in this thread he mentioned sengis as being part of the mammals that he would skip, probably because he doesn't have a concrete list, but I could be wrong and he could surprise us.
Nutria are surprisingly uncommon in Brazilian zoos, despite being a native species. Since 2021, I have only seen one in Gramado. However, I saw my first ones at the São Paulo aquarium, way back in 2011, during my first visit.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
Sttangely enough, I don't remember Batu Secret Zoo having THAT many Nutria when it first opened
What a damn shame if that's true!I doubt it, given the fact he's made it clear he intends to cease rodents (and the thread as a whole) entirely in order to start writing about his trip to southeast Asia the moment that the eligible timespan for "Thread of the Year 2025" starts
I doubt it, given the fact he's made it clear he intends to cease rodents (and the thread as a whole) entirely in order to start writing about his trip to southeast Asia the moment that the eligible timespan for "Thread of the Year 2025" starts
I would love to win the Thread of the Year 2024 as I feel that the effort I've put in over an entire 12-month span has been so enormous that winning would give me the energy to then go and tackle yet another huge thread for 2025. So, if you've enjoyed my work of an hour or two of writing every day for the past year, vote next week when the final Thread of the Year nominations are announced.
I see zoos in the Northern Hemisphere have collections slightly different to those in South America and Australia.I love the tongue in cheek remarks from a certain tea sippin' individual.
But, in all honest truth, I've simply run out of species and I've been open about that for a long time now. I must be between 400-500 species at this point as I began this thread in January. Months of talking about primates segued into months of carnivores and odds n' ends mammals such as macropods, and then it was several months of hooved animals which I am convinced was the most popular section of this epic thread.
I'm down to literally a handful of posts left because I have never tracked rodents like I have other mammal species. It's literally impossible for me to accurately represent what I've seen and so I've tackled beavers, Nutrias and today I will look at Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and then there's only a few more posts left. I did privately attempt to analyze bats at one point in the year, but abandoned those mammals as unless I'm 95% accurate in my statistics then I'm not at all comfortable posting information. So, Batman will be content as bats are out.
Prairie Dogs have been incredibly common for me, not quite reaching the heights of Meerkats (150 zoos) or Coatis (121 zoos), but slightly surpassing Red Pandas (112 zoos) and Small-clawed Otters (108 zoos). Those mammal species are all relatively cute, easy to maintain and super popular with families.
I've seen Prairie Dogs at 116 zoos:
2008 = 11 zoos
2010 = 15 zoos
2012 = 10 zoos
2014 = 15 zoos
2015 = 11 zoos
2019 = 24 zoos
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 1975
2- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2001
3- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2006
4- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2006
5- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2006
6- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2006
7- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
8- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
9- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2008
10- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
11- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
12- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
13- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
14- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
15- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
16- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
17- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
18- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
19- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
20- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
21- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
22- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
23- Binder Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
24- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
25- Maryland Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
26- Chattanooga Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
27- Houston Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
28- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
29- El Paso Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
30- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
31- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
32- Zoo Boise (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
33- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2011
34- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2011
35- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2011
36- Blank Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
37- Potawatomi Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
38- Franklin Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
39- Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
40- Virginia Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
41- Hattiesburg Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
42- Jackson Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
43- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
44- Sunset Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
45- Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
46- Reptile Gardens (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
47- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
48- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
49- Red River Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
50- Pine Grove Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
51- Lake Superior Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
52- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
53- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
54- Lincoln Park Zoo - Wisconsin (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
55- Ochsner Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
56- Henry Vilas Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
57- Scovill Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
58- Lincoln Children’s Zoo - Nebraska (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
59- Clay Center Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
60- Hutchinson Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
61- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
62- San Angelo Nature Center (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
63- Frank Buck Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
64- Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
65- Austin Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
66- Austin Nature & Science Center (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
67- Capital of Texas Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
68- Abilene Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
69- Living Desert Zoo – New Mexico (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
70- Wildlife West Nature Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
71- Out of Africa (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
72- Olympic Game Farm (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2016
73- Orange County Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2017
74- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2017
75- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2018
76- Roscommon Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
77- Saginaw Children’s Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
78- Columbian Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
79- Animal Haven Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
80- Wildwood Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
81- Zollman Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
82- Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
83- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
84- Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
85- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
86- Harry Malter Familiepark (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
87- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
88- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
89- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
90- Alsdorf Tierpark (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
91- Aachener Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
92- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
93- Tierpark + Fossilium Bochum (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
94- Tiergehege Kaisergarten (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
95- Tiergarten Monchengladbach (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
96- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
97- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
98- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
99- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
100- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
101- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
102- NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
103- Nordhorn Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
104- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
105- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
106- Ree Park Safari (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
107- Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
108- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
109- Odense Zoo (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
110- Pata Zoo (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
111- Sriayuthaya Lion Park (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
112- Monsters Aquarium (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
113- Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
114- Lost World of Tambun (Malaysia) – Prairie Dog – 2024
115- Bali Zoo (Indonesia) – Prairie Dog – 2024
116- Lembang Park & Zoo (Indonesia) – Prairie Dog – 2024
I saw Prairie Dogs in an old, small enclosure back in the day at San Diego Zoo (USA), but in recent years the zoo has built a brand-new exhibit (in the Children's Zoo) for the species that combines Burrowing Owls into the mix.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) had Prairie Dogs, Jackrabbits, Cottontail Rabbits and armadillos all together inside the Desert Dome when I first visited that zoo. But then a few years ago the zoo built the 5-acre Children's Adventure Trails complex that included a new, outdoor Prairie Dog exhibit with pop-up bubbles for kids to explore.
@pachyderm pro
The exhibit itself isn't very memorable, but when I visited Maryland Zoo (USA) in 2010 I can recall strolling through the entrance gate and past the 'Prairie Dog Plaza' and then it was a long walk before any other animals were visible. A visitor could be 10 minutes into the zoo and have only seen prairie dogs!
There's a LOT of Prairie Dog exhibits with pop-up bubbles in the ZooChat gallery, as so many of the zoos I've toured have had mini tunnels and acrylic or plastic bubbles for kids to 'pop up' and get a close encounter with a Prairie Dog. There's also a number of themed 'mine shaft' type enclosures, such as this one that was at El Paso Zoo (USA) in 2010.
In the now defunct Discoveryland area of Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA), there was a Prairie Dog exhibit with at least SIX pop-up bubbles. You can actually see someone in one of the bubbles in this photo.
@Ituri
The Prairie Dog exhibit at Sunset Zoo (USA) is memorable because when I was there in 2012 it was a walk-through enclosure. It's probably the first Prairie Dog walk-through I've ever encountered and there were even a few Turkey Vultures in this area.
Welcome to Prairie Dog Town! Reptile Gardens (USA) in South Dakota is famous for its cold-blooded critters, but there's also a Prairie Dog exhibit with striking yellow walls and an underground area.
This naff little fish tank was the entire space for two Prairie Dogs at Amarillo Zoo (USA) in 2015. Not cool at all. Maybe ex-pets?
Living Desert Zoo (USA) in New Mexico (not the Living Desert Zoo in California) has a huge, top-notch Prairie Dog exhibit.
It's much more common, unsurprisingly, for European zoos to have walk-through Prairie Dog exhibits. I saw a number of them on that continent, including this spacious one at Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands).
There's lots of horseshoes and wagon wheels at the themed Prairie Dog exhibit at Harry Malter Familiepark (Belgium).
This impressive looking structure is for Prairie Dogs and Burrowing Owls at Tierpark + Fossilium Bochum (Germany).
What was once a Golden Eagle aviary has now become an expansive Prairie Dog/North American Porcupine exhibit at Berlin Tierpark (Germany).
@SivatheriumGuy
Tierpark Nordhorn (Germany) has a delightful North American panorama exhibit right near the entrance. There's some Red-eared Sliders in a little pool, a Prairie Dog enclosure behind it, and then a mixed-species combination of Collared Peccaries and Wood Bison at the back. It's all very tastefully done. Here's the walk-through Prairie Dog habitat:
@RonBurrgundy
Walk-through Prairie Dog exhibits in Europe are plentiful and super popular, such as the spacious example at Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands). It's possible to have hundreds of walk-through exhibits for all types of mammals in European zoos because visitors aren't babies over there who will cry and sue a zoo if a Prairie Dog runs over one of their shoes.
@vogelcommando
Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) has what I believe is a fairly new walk-through Prairie Dog exhibit, complete with a tunnel for limber visitors to crawl into.
@KevinB
Monsters Aquarium (Thailand) probably spent more on their life-sized Dromedary statue then they did on these two tiny indoor exhibits for Prairie Dogs and Meerkats. But at least there's some cacti stickers on the glass!
While walking around the old-fashioned menagerie that is Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand), I saw a Prairie Dog in a tiny black metal cage (photo in gallery) and there was also this small 'tree trunk' exhibit for the species.
It's common to have very poor exhibits for Prairie Dogs in some Asian zoos, such as this one that's mainly mock-rock cement at Lost World of Tambun (Malaysia).
Although this Prairie Dog exhibit at Bali Zoo (Indonesia) is adequate:
Rodents: 4 species so far (and not many more to go!)
Prairie Dog - 116 zoos
North American Beaver - 35 zoos
Nutria - 24 zoos
Eurasian Beaver - 6 zoos
Have you ever seen an exhibit for a prairie dog species other than Black-tailed?I love the tongue in cheek remarks from a certain tea sippin' individual.
But, in all honest truth, I've simply run out of species and I've been open about that for a long time now. I must be between 400-500 species at this point as I began this thread in January. Months of talking about primates segued into months of carnivores and odds n' ends mammals such as macropods, and then it was several months of hooved animals which I am convinced was the most popular section of this epic thread.
I'm down to literally a handful of posts left because I have never tracked rodents like I have other mammal species. It's literally impossible for me to accurately represent what I've seen and so I've tackled beavers, Nutrias and today I will look at Black-tailed Prairie Dogs and then there's only a few more posts left. I did privately attempt to analyze bats at one point in the year, but abandoned those mammals as unless I'm 95% accurate in my statistics then I'm not at all comfortable posting information. So, Batman will be content as bats are out.
Prairie Dogs have been incredibly common for me, not quite reaching the heights of Meerkats (150 zoos) or Coatis (121 zoos), but slightly surpassing Red Pandas (112 zoos) and Small-clawed Otters (108 zoos). Those mammal species are all relatively cute, easy to maintain and super popular with families.
I've seen Prairie Dogs at 116 zoos:
2008 = 11 zoos
2010 = 15 zoos
2012 = 10 zoos
2014 = 15 zoos
2015 = 11 zoos
2019 = 24 zoos
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 1975
2- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2001
3- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2006
4- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2006
5- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2006
6- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2006
7- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
8- Detroit Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
9- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2008
10- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
11- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
12- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
13- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
14- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
15- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
16- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
17- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2008
18- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
19- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
20- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
21- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
22- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
23- Binder Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
24- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
25- Maryland Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
26- Chattanooga Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
27- Houston Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
28- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
29- El Paso Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
30- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
31- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
32- Zoo Boise (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2010
33- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2011
34- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2011
35- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2011
36- Blank Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
37- Potawatomi Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
38- Franklin Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
39- Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
40- Virginia Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
41- Hattiesburg Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
42- Jackson Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
43- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
44- Sunset Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
45- Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2012
46- Reptile Gardens (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
47- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
48- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
49- Red River Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
50- Pine Grove Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
51- Lake Superior Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
52- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
53- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
54- Lincoln Park Zoo - Wisconsin (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
55- Ochsner Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
56- Henry Vilas Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
57- Scovill Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
58- Lincoln Children’s Zoo - Nebraska (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
59- Clay Center Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
60- Hutchinson Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2014
61- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
62- San Angelo Nature Center (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
63- Frank Buck Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
64- Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
65- Austin Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
66- Austin Nature & Science Center (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
67- Capital of Texas Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
68- Abilene Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
69- Living Desert Zoo – New Mexico (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
70- Wildlife West Nature Park (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
71- Out of Africa (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2015
72- Olympic Game Farm (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2016
73- Orange County Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2017
74- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2017
75- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Prairie Dog – 2018
76- Roscommon Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
77- Saginaw Children’s Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
78- Columbian Park Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
79- Animal Haven Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
80- Wildwood Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
81- Zollman Zoo (USA) – Prairie Dog – 2018
82- Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
83- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
84- Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
85- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
86- Harry Malter Familiepark (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
87- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
88- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
89- Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (Belgium) – Prairie Dog – 2019
90- Alsdorf Tierpark (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
91- Aachener Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
92- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
93- Tierpark + Fossilium Bochum (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
94- Tiergehege Kaisergarten (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
95- Tiergarten Monchengladbach (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
96- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
97- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
98- Tierpark Hagenbeck (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
99- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
100- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
101- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
102- NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
103- Nordhorn Zoo (Germany) – Prairie Dog – 2019
104- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
105- Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) – Prairie Dog – 2019
106- Ree Park Safari (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
107- Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
108- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
109- Odense Zoo (Denmark) – Prairie Dog – 2022
110- Pata Zoo (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
111- Sriayuthaya Lion Park (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
112- Monsters Aquarium (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
113- Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand) – Prairie Dog – 2024
114- Lost World of Tambun (Malaysia) – Prairie Dog – 2024
115- Bali Zoo (Indonesia) – Prairie Dog – 2024
116- Lembang Park & Zoo (Indonesia) – Prairie Dog – 2024
I saw Prairie Dogs in an old, small enclosure back in the day at San Diego Zoo (USA), but in recent years the zoo has built a brand-new exhibit (in the Children's Zoo) for the species that combines Burrowing Owls into the mix.
Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (USA) had Prairie Dogs, Jackrabbits, Cottontail Rabbits and armadillos all together inside the Desert Dome when I first visited that zoo. But then a few years ago the zoo built the 5-acre Children's Adventure Trails complex that included a new, outdoor Prairie Dog exhibit with pop-up bubbles for kids to explore.
@pachyderm pro
The exhibit itself isn't very memorable, but when I visited Maryland Zoo (USA) in 2010 I can recall strolling through the entrance gate and past the 'Prairie Dog Plaza' and then it was a long walk before any other animals were visible. A visitor could be 10 minutes into the zoo and have only seen prairie dogs!
There's a LOT of Prairie Dog exhibits with pop-up bubbles in the ZooChat gallery, as so many of the zoos I've toured have had mini tunnels and acrylic or plastic bubbles for kids to 'pop up' and get a close encounter with a Prairie Dog. There's also a number of themed 'mine shaft' type enclosures, such as this one that was at El Paso Zoo (USA) in 2010.
In the now defunct Discoveryland area of Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA), there was a Prairie Dog exhibit with at least SIX pop-up bubbles. You can actually see someone in one of the bubbles in this photo.
@Ituri
The Prairie Dog exhibit at Sunset Zoo (USA) is memorable because when I was there in 2012 it was a walk-through enclosure. It's probably the first Prairie Dog walk-through I've ever encountered and there were even a few Turkey Vultures in this area.
Welcome to Prairie Dog Town! Reptile Gardens (USA) in South Dakota is famous for its cold-blooded critters, but there's also a Prairie Dog exhibit with striking yellow walls and an underground area.
This naff little fish tank was the entire space for two Prairie Dogs at Amarillo Zoo (USA) in 2015. Not cool at all. Maybe ex-pets?
Living Desert Zoo (USA) in New Mexico (not the Living Desert Zoo in California) has a huge, top-notch Prairie Dog exhibit.
It's much more common, unsurprisingly, for European zoos to have walk-through Prairie Dog exhibits. I saw a number of them on that continent, including this spacious one at Familiepark Plaswijckpark (Netherlands).
There's lots of horseshoes and wagon wheels at the themed Prairie Dog exhibit at Harry Malter Familiepark (Belgium).
This impressive looking structure is for Prairie Dogs and Burrowing Owls at Tierpark + Fossilium Bochum (Germany).
What was once a Golden Eagle aviary has now become an expansive Prairie Dog/North American Porcupine exhibit at Berlin Tierpark (Germany).
@SivatheriumGuy
Tierpark Nordhorn (Germany) has a delightful North American panorama exhibit right near the entrance. There's some Red-eared Sliders in a little pool, a Prairie Dog enclosure behind it, and then a mixed-species combination of Collared Peccaries and Wood Bison at the back. It's all very tastefully done. Here's the walk-through Prairie Dog habitat:
@RonBurrgundy
Walk-through Prairie Dog exhibits in Europe are plentiful and super popular, such as the spacious example at Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands). It's possible to have hundreds of walk-through exhibits for all types of mammals in European zoos because visitors aren't babies over there who will cry and sue a zoo if a Prairie Dog runs over one of their shoes.
@vogelcommando
Dierenpark Amersfoort (Netherlands) has what I believe is a fairly new walk-through Prairie Dog exhibit, complete with a tunnel for limber visitors to crawl into.
@KevinB
Monsters Aquarium (Thailand) probably spent more on their life-sized Dromedary statue then they did on these two tiny indoor exhibits for Prairie Dogs and Meerkats. But at least there's some cacti stickers on the glass!
While walking around the old-fashioned menagerie that is Lanna Mini Zoo (Thailand), I saw a Prairie Dog in a tiny black metal cage (photo in gallery) and there was also this small 'tree trunk' exhibit for the species.
It's common to have very poor exhibits for Prairie Dogs in some Asian zoos, such as this one that's mainly mock-rock cement at Lost World of Tambun (Malaysia).
Although this Prairie Dog exhibit at Bali Zoo (Indonesia) is adequate:
Rodents: 4 species so far (and not many more to go!)
Prairie Dog - 116 zoos
North American Beaver - 35 zoos
Nutria - 24 zoos
Eurasian Beaver - 6 zoos
One of those Gunnison's listings is sources from a USDA report though, which I immediately do not trust.
ZTL lists a current holding of Mexican Prairie Dog in Argentina.
Thanks, birdsandbats. I've edited my post
Despite Temaikèn being Argentina's only major zoo (so their collection is full of exotics), I believe this falls under the case I have mentioned above.
I recommend you contact ZTL about this.
I have contacted them but there are too many wrong entries lol. I am also not very aware about some collections (for instance, zoos in Venezuela are as transparent as North Korea) and I think I could maybe get some help from other Latin American users... Perhaps, if everyone joins in we might have a chance at winning.
Rather predictably, I didn't realize that Woodchucks weren't ubiquitous zoo animals everywhere. And yes, I do occasionally see them in the wild as well.That was an interesting discussion about Prairie Dogs (116 zoos) yesterday, which makes me think that there's a small possibility that I perhaps once saw a species other than Black-tailed. But who really knows...
I will analyze TWO species today.
Lowland Pacas have been a very rare species for me, with 8 out of my 11 sightings coming between 2017 and 2019. They seem to pop up in haphazard locations, whether it's a couple of obscure American zoos, or in a brand-new exhibit in a German zoo, or even twice in Southeast Asia. There's no rhyme or reason to their appearances, the AZA in North America pretty much abandoned the species ages ago, and yet there's around 50 zoos in the world with Lowland Pacas so they aren't as rare as I would have guessed.
Almost unheard of in European collections, my Woodchuck sightings have been almost entirely on 3 road trips (2014, 2015 and 2018) when I was mostly focused on cold-weather, northern USA zoos. I saw a whopping ELEVEN zoos with Woodchucks in the space of a couple of weeks in the summer of 2018, because if you visit zoos in Michigan and Wisconsin like I did then you will see Woodchucks at least once or twice a day. People living there must see them occasionally in the wild, by the side of highways or even in a backyard. It's very much a geographical quirk though, because outside of that part of the world this species is very rare in captivity and there's only around 30 zoos with Woodchucks in the world.
I've seen Lowland Pacas at 11 zoos:
1- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Lowland Paca – 2011
2- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Lowland Paca – 2017
3- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Lowland Paca – 2017
4- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Lowland Paca – 2018
5- Washington Park Zoo (USA) – Lowland Paca – 2018
6- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Lowland Paca – 2018
7- Zoo Neuwied (Germany) – Lowland Paca – 2019
8- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – Lowland Paca – 2019
9- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Lowland Paca – 2019
10- Monsters Aquarium (Thailand) – Lowland Paca – 2024
11- Chiang Mai Zoo (Thailand) – Lowland Paca – 2024
AND...
I've seen Woodchucks at 18 zoos:
2018 = 11 zoos
1- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Woodchuck – 2008
2- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – Woodchuck – 2014
3- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2014
4- Clay Center Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2014
5- Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2015
6- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Woodchuck – 2015
7- Wilderness Walk Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
8- GarLyn Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
9- Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
10- Howell Nature Center: Wild Wonders Wildlife Park (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
11- Willowbrook Wildlife Center (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
12- Animal Gardens Petting Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
13- Bear Den Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
14- Shalom Wildlife Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
15- Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
16- Special Memories Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
17- Zollman Zoo (USA) – Woodchuck – 2018
18- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Woodchuck – 2023
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) had Lowland Pacas at least between 2010-2012 and perhaps longer, in two different locations within the park. There was an exhibit for the species in the Condor Ridge area, as well as an exhibit next to the Wings of the World aviary near the zoo's entrance. I don't think there's been Lowland Pacas there for many years now.
@Otter Lord
Black Howler Monkey/Lowland Paca exhibit at Los Angeles Zoo (USA), in the Rainforest of the Americas zone.
@Coelacanth18
I then saw a couple of Lowland Pacas at the Wildlife Learning Center (USA) in California (my photo of the exhibit is in the gallery) and Toledo Zoo (USA) kept the species with Emperor Tamarins in the historic, 1930s-era Aviary building.
@Moebelle
Washington Park Zoo (USA) is a neat little place with a whole bunch of 1930s-era architecture and this small Indiana zoo had Lowland Pacas when I was there in 2018.
Inside the slightly industrial, yet still excellent, South America House at Neuwied Zoo (Germany) can be found a Lowland Paca/Tamandua exhibit and it was wonderful to see those species together when I toured the zoo in 2019.
The species has left Duisburg Zoo (Germany) now, but when I visited in 2019 the Rio Negros house not only had an Amazon River Dolphin but also a Lowland Paca.
@Maguari
I have a photo of a sleeping Lowland Paca at Monsters Aquarium (Thailand) in the gallery, as well as a shot of the all-indoor exhibit.
At Chiang Mai Zoo (Thailand), a couple of Lowland Pacas were kept in an old-fashioned cement 'pit' with some potted plants and rocks. You can see a paca in my photo:
As for Woodchucks, you can see a couple of them in this tiny cage at Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA). The cage was right near the zoo's entrance, in amongst an area with animals that could be taken out and petted by staff and visitors. Seems sketchy to me!
It's not difficult to see Woodchucks in many crappy American zoos, as they are often kept in tiny cages such as this one at DeYoung Family Zoo (USA). A Woodchuck is eating from its silver food dish in my photo.
Another abomination of a cage for a Woodchuck, with the animal hiding in a metal pipe at Clay Center Zoo (USA). There's nowhere to dig...
This exhibit is a little better, but the rocky outcrop in the middle would be useless for a burrowing animal such as a Woodchuck. I took this photo at Wilderness Walk Zoo (USA):
GarLyn Zoo (USA) had a small wire cage for a Woodchuck that was full of branches and previously would have held a different species. I noted that the Woodchuck was an albino specimen.
Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA) had a heavily fortified Woodchuck exhibit in 2018:
The best Woodchuck exhibit I've ever seen was at the obscure Howell Nature Center: Wild Wonders Wildlife Park (USA). Perhaps at one time there was a trio of wood and wire cages, but when I toured this zoo in 2018 all three enclosures were joined to form one large Woodchuck exhibit. Also, visitors could crawl through that open door and there was an exit 15 feet away, but while inside that tunnel it was possible to get close-up views of the zoo's Woodchucks. It was kind of neat!
Why is it that SIX of the zoos I've seen Woodchucks at all begin with the letter "W"? A curious statistic! Willowbrook Wildlife Center (USA) is the latest:
@pachyderm pro
Another small cage, this time with a green kiddie pool, for a Woodchuck at Bear Den Zoo (USA):
At Shalom Wildlife Zoo (USA), my perception was that the Woodchuck was confined to the tiny metal cage in the center of the rusty circle. And yet there's all that forest as a backdrop...
A now permanently closed naff little roadside facility, Special Memories Zoo (USA) had a Woodchuck when the place was open.
You can see a Woodchuck curled up in its all-cement indoor exhibit at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA):
Rodents: 6 species so far (and not many more to go!)
Prairie Dog - 116 zoos
North American Beaver - 35 zoos
Nutria - 24 zoos
Woodchuck - 18 zoos
Lowland Paca - 11 zoos
Eurasian Beaver - 6 zoos
