Species I would like to see in UK Zoos

C

crested seriema

Active Member
Would like to see Ring Tails and Cacomistles in UK Zoos, remember seeing Cacomistle at Dublin Zoo many years ago,Kagus and Limpkins would be nice too!
 
I've love more rhinoceros species, but we've already got all the species it's practical to house. It will be decades before there are enough Sumatran Rhinoceros to consider keeping some in the UK again.

Same story with the Kakapo and Takahē.

I've realised recently that Old World monkeys are declining seriously in UK collections. Apes, Lemurs and New World monkeys are still kept in large numbers and varieties but there seem to be less and less Old Worlders each year.

Similar story with Civets, Hyenas and Raccoons.

My ultimate pick would be African forest elephants. I'd love to see some but the only collections with them are in Africa and Japan.
 
Proboscis monkey, stump tailed macaques, mountain gorilla, south china tiger (not sure if there are some somewhere in the uk already?) , huon tree kangaroo, Sumatran rhino
 
alfiethetortois said:
Proboscis monkey, stump tailed macaques, mountain gorilla, south china tiger (not sure if there are some somewhere in the uk already?) , huon tree kangaroo, Sumatran rhino
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No South China Tigers (except possibly many-generations hybrids, I suppose) but there are Stump-tailed Macaques at Thrigby, Monkey World and Gentleshaw.
 
I would like to see the return of several species of small mammals, such as elephant shrews, hutias, more squirrel and tree shrew species and talapoin monkeys too.
I would also like to see a zoo build new quarters for breeding and exhibiting a few hummingbird and manakin species (possibly even some mannikins too ;)).

Alan
 
gentle lemur said:
I would like to see the return of several species of small mammals, such as elephant shrews, hutias, more squirrel and tree shrew species and talapoin monkeys too.
I would also like to see a zoo build new quarters for breeding and exhibiting a few hummingbird and manakin species (possibly even some mannikins too ;)).

Alan
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Absolutely. The role of the zoo as a place where diversity is shown through the unusual is so important. Well into my thirties I could hope to wander into the Clore Pavilion and see small mammals that I'd not even heard of before, never mind seen.

If the animals in the Tierpark get established, and more could be imported, Gerenuk would be a lovely addition to the UK. Ditto Baird's Tapir, as has been suggested above. And Kagu, although they were a damn sight less confiding than I'd have hoped when I saw them in San Diego back in 1999.
 
IanRRobinson said:
Absolutely. The role of the zoo as a place where diversity is shown through the unusual is so important. Well into my thirties I could hope to wander into the Clore Pavilion and see small mammals that I'd not even heard of before, never mind seen.
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Days we shall not see again, I fear :( this is one very specific facet of why I mourn the lack of any real zoological collections in the northeast of England for the first 20 years or so of my life, when I was unable to visit anywhere further afield. It is of some frustration to me that even when I was 13 or 14, a visit to London would have allowed me to see species I will *never* see again - not least of all Leadbeter's Possum!
 
With relation to small animals, I'm picturing something like an old rodent house, many smaller tanks in a complex I'd love to see that.
 
I agree with Devi. One of my favourite buildings was the Rodent House in Berlin's Tierpark. It was basically a shed, but had several interesting species including cururo, gundi, short-tailed opossum and a group of dassie rats (Hurray). A relatively cheap way to keep several species in a small space.

Sorry, Laurag2132, I think there are too many lions and tigers in UK zoos. They occupy a lot of space and, while zoos will argue that they are kept for consrvation reasons, they are mainly kept for financial reasons with no real hope of introducing any descendants back into the wild. I'd prefer to see some pangolins, especially considering their parlous state (BBC Nature - 'Shocking' scale of pangolin smuggling revealed).
 
I would like to see more focus on the less cute and cuddly animals such as insects, reptiles and rodents.

Unsurprisingly given my area of interest, I would like to see a concerted effort on the part of UK zoological establishments to find the stimuli to breeding the Sungazer Lizard - as it stands this species has rarely been bred outside South Africa and certainly not on any sort of consistent or repeatable basis.

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More marsupials and monotetemes would be nice, especially Dasyurids. Does Bristol really have Kowari?

I'd also love to see more true seals. I don't think I've seen one in years.
 
I would like to see more small carnivore diversity with proper full-scale captive breeding programmes for otter civets and aquatic genets and the return of banded linsangs in the UK.

I would love to see at least one British zoo try to cooperate with Taipei and Leipzig Zoos and help establish a European breeding programme with Chinese pangolins.
 
lamna said:
More marsupials and monotetemes would be nice, especially Dasyurids. Does Bristol really have Kowari?

I'd also love to see more true seals. I don't think I've seen one in years.
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Bristol do indeed have Kowari - and they are onshow, too.

If you are based in the Midlands, your best bet for seeing true seals would be to go to Mableforth Seal Rescue, Skegness Natureland or Rhyl Seaquarium.

lamna said:
Two more very good choices. Manatees are planned for the Wild Place eventually, aren't they?
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That was the original plan long, long ago - but I suspect that if this is still intended we're talking on the scale of closer to a decade or more, rather than merely years.
 
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