Animals that are difficult to see in your zoo

Père Damian's Deer

Père Damian's Deer

Well-Known Member
I just came with this idea after spending quite some time in my home zoo looking for a certain species of animal. I was wondering what species you rarely see in your home zoo or a zoo that you often visit?

I'll start with my own home zoo 'Antwerp zoo'. There are certain species of bird that i have never seen in my 30 odd visits to the zoo such as the rosy starling. I have also never seen a green iguana in the alligator habitat even tho it is signed.
 
I have only ever seen a mountain chicken frog in Fota Wildlife Park once. Their enclosure is also quite small compared to London's, but I saw multiple animals in that tank out in the open when I went there. I also tend to have trouble finding the golden mantella in Fota, but I have seen it a few times and it is possible with enough searching.
 
Cheeorcox said:
I just came with this idea after spending quite some time in my home zoo looking for a certain species of animal. I was wondering what species you rarely see in your home zoo or a zoo that you often visit?

I'll start with my own home zoo 'Antwerp zoo'. There are certain species of bird that i have never seen in my 30 odd visits to the zoo such as the rosy starling. I have also never seen a green iguana in the alligator habitat even tho it is signed.
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Hello.

I have yet to see the ocelot. The lowland paca is almost always a no-show, same with our black jaguar. Both porcupines are very difficult to spot a well.
 
A few of the small cats and the Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) at Port Lympne are often hard to see, but the real challenge is the Pallas’s cats (Otocolobus manul). I’ve been visiting since 2012, and in that time I’ve seen them only twice.
 
The southern three banded armadillos at Hellabrunn. Apparently they are out of their dens around opening time. But I never visited the park around that time. Round eared sengi is another species that is hard to spot. It’s more annoying because it was off display for the longest time and their enclosure is considerably tiny. There’s also baron’s green racer which I have seen the fewest times amongst the snakes in the aquarium followed by cape coral cobra. I also had a hard time seeing muntjacs before they were moved to the stork enclosure.
 
pendraig_milnerae said:
A few of the small cats and the Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus) at Port Lympne are often hard to see, but the real challenge is the Pallas’s cats (Otocolobus manul). I’ve been visiting since 2012, and in that time I’ve seen them only twice.
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I totally agree about the Pallas's cats. When i visit a zoo with them i need to be very lucky to see them. I didn't see them at tierpark berlin and only once in rotterdam.
 
Eastern coral snake and binturong at ZooTampa. Also clouded leopard, but that is mainly because of the exhibit being only visible from a tour or from the water ride line.
 
At the Aquarium of the Pacific, the most difficult animal to see by far for the last 5 or so years was the thornback guitarfish (Platyrhinoidis triserata) in the Shorebird Sanctuary. I worked there as a volunteer for two years while in college and I saw him for sure once. Then, just recently, I do believe they added him to the Ray Pool! There’s now a big old thornback in there and I got multiple great photos of him on my visit yesterday. Here’s one:
Thornback guitarfish (Platyrhinoidis triserata) at the Ray Pool

Thornback guitarfish (Platyrhinoidis triserata) at the Ray Pool

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Very glad I finally got a good picture of this fella now that he’s added to his new home! From...
 
At St. Louis Zoo, the Spectacled langur (Trachypithecus obscurus) comes to mind. They are rotated through Primate Canopy Trials, but not the Primate House AFAIK, and I only saw them through a window into their BTS housing.
 
At my home zoo Zoo Taiping, it's extremely difficult to see Gursky's spectral tarsier (Tarsius spectrumgurskyae). The exhibit has a large "off exhibit" zone that the animal can move freely, and the the exhibit is not designed for nocturnal animals.

The best way to see will be visit during Night Safari and wait for an hour in front of the exhibit.
Spectral Tarsier (Tarsius tarsier)

Spectral Tarsier (Tarsius tarsier)

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Spectral Tarsier Exhibit

Spectral Tarsier Exhibit

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I rarely see the kiwi at Franklin Park Zoo, and the tawny frogmouth they live with could apply as well. I suppose it’s fitting since it’s a nocturnal exhibit.

Another animal that often isn’t out is the Steller’s sea-eagle, which is a shame because they’re one of the more interesting animals at the zoo.
 
NNM. said:
I rarely see the kiwi at Franklin Park Zoo, and the tawny frogmouth they live with could apply as well. I suppose it’s fitting since it’s a nocturnal exhibit.

Another animal that often isn’t out is the Steller’s sea-eagle, which is a shame because they’re one of the more interesting animals at the zoo.
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For me at Franklin Park Zoo, only a couple of species are hard to find. Every visit I'm there, I've seen the kiwi, frogmouth, and sea-eagle. Surprisingly, I haven't seen spotted hyena, Blue baboon tarantula, Kenya crested guineafowl, and hooded crane yet despite going there for the past 9 years
 
In all the times I’ve been to Brookfield Zoo, there are two animals I’ve ever seen once: the clouded leopard and the pangolin. The clouded leopard in particular because the exhibit has so many hiding spots for it which makes it very difficult to find.
 
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