Animals you miss from your hometown zoo

[ThylacineAlive]

One thing I miss from my local aquarium is the loss of the walruses, you can probably deduce which aquarium that is

To be fair, the enclosure isn't really suitable for them and they were sent off for breeding which is desperately needed. That said, I miss them, too..

~Thylo

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I live in Napoli, Italy.
We used to have black rhinos, Spix's macaws, dibatags, Vesuvian goats and many other interesting animals.
In particular,I miss the birds of prey.

When were the Spix's macaws kept there?

 

[Hipporex]

Six Flags DK

• Cheetah
• Killer whale (although it's for the best)

Sacramento Zoo

• Coati
• Hippo (although once again it's for the best)
• King vulture
• Rhinoceros hornbill
• Toucan
• Turaco

Oakland Zoo

• Tule elk

SF Zoo

• Capybara
• Tapir

 

[TeaLovingDave]

When were the Spix's macaws kept there?

Between the 1950s and the mid-1980s I believe - between this and the fact they said they miss the Dibatag which was held at the collection until 1962, I think Luca is either a LOT older than I thought they were, or "misses" them in the theoretical sense only

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

Between the 1950s and the mid-1980s I believe - between this and the fact they said they miss the Dibatag which was held at the collection until 1962, I think Luca is either a LOT older than I thought they were, or "misses" them in the theoretical sense only

Thanks for the information Dave , much appreciated.

Quite incredible really , I never knew these macaws had been kept until fairly recently in Europe in anything other than private collections or behind the scenes in a select few zoos.

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Thanks for the information Dave , much appreciated.

Quite incredible really , I never knew these macaws had been kept until fairly recently in Europe in anything other than private collections or behind the scenes in a select few zoos.

In the early 20th century, there was even a European zoo with a truly full set of blue macaws - including Glaucous!

 

[Ebirah766]

In the early 20th century, there was even a European zoo with a truly full set of blue macaws - including Glaucous!

Now that would have been a sight to see...

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

In the early 20th century, there was even a European zoo with a truly full set of blue macaws - including Glaucous!

It would be truly amazing to be able to see all of the Anodorhynchus species and the Spix together.

I think I remember reading of this collection in Tony Juniper's excellent "Spix's Macaw: The Race to Save the World's Rarest Bird". I've got this book on my bookshelf (it is one of the best books on species conservation I've ever read) but I just cannot remember which zoo this was so will have to have a look tomorrow.

 

[Dylan]

From Edinburgh:
Moholi bushbaby - Never understood why these left as they successfully bred. That being said that were hard to spot

Barbary macaque - These had a fantastic new enclosure (where another of my list once lived) and suddenly they left for GaiaZoo (?). The group of 20+ has been replaced in a vast enclosure by 4 L-hoest's guenon

European souslik, Gambian pouched rat, Southern and Northern Luzon cloud rat and north American porcupine - An interesting host of small mammals replaced by meerkats, tamarins (I do like these) and red panda

Marbled polecat - Such a stunning species. Regret never getting to appreciate them.

Steller's sea-eagle - A stunning species I haven't seen since they left ~2016

Andean cock-of-the-rock - Left before I could appreciate it

 

[ThylacineAlive]

From Edinburgh:
Moholi bushbaby - Never understood why these left as they successfully bred. That being said that were hard to spot

Barbary macaque - These had a fantastic new enclosure (where another of my list once lived) and suddenly they left for GaiaZoo (?). The group of 20+ has been replaced in a vast enclosure by 4 L-hoest's guenon

European souslik, Gambian pouched rat, Southern and Northern Luzon cloud rat and north American porcupine - An interesting host of small mammals replaced by meerkats, tamarins (I do like these) and red panda

Marbled polecat - Such a stunning species. Regret never getting to appreciate them.

Steller's sea-eagle - A stunning species I haven't seen since they left ~2016

Andean cock-of-the-rock - Left before I could appreciate it

Bawean Deer as well!

~Thylo

 

[Luca Bronzi]

When were the Spix's macaws kept there?

I think in the 70's for like two or three years.

 

[amur leopard]

Marbled polecat - Such a stunning species. Regret never getting to appreciate them.

Oh yes - so colourful and patterned. It is such an exception in the UK, a country with pretty much only has drab species. I suspect this is why TLD dreams about them

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I think in the 70's for like two or three years.

As noted above, they were kept for several decades

Oh yes - so colourful and patterned. It is such an exception in the UK, a country with pretty much only has drab species. I suspect this is why TLD dreams about them

Cheeky little oik

And I can name quite a few UK native species which are anything but drab!

 

[amur leopard]

And I can name quite a few UK native species which are anything but drab!

I wish any of them really were. It would make walks so much more exciting

 

[Luca Bronzi]

Between the 1950s and the mid-1980s I believe - between this and the fact they said they miss the Dibatag which was held at the collection until 1962, I think Luca is either a LOT older than I thought they were, or "misses" them in the theoretical sense only

Nope, I'm not that old, I know these things because other people told me them.
There was a fb page which talked a lot about that zoo and from it I've discover a lot of informations about the old collection.



The species I actually saw which now I miss are the fur seals, the binturong (which stayed at the zoo for some years, like in 2015-2017 befor dying) and the bears.

 

[amur leopard]

Cheeky little oik

I just realised you may have interpreted my comment the wrong way. Just in case, I meant you dream about the polecats rather than the drab species (of which there are lots - too many)

 

[Dylan]

Bawean Deer as well!

~Thylo

The reason I didn't include these is I thought they returned to Poznan for breeding which is a good thing. But I can't find evidence for this. Does anyone know where they went?

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I just realised you may have interpreted my comment the wrong way. Just in case, I meant you dream about the polecats rather than the drab species (of which there are lots - too many)

No, I knew what you meant my point is that there are plenty of colourful UK native species; Kingfisher, Goldfinch and Jay for a start!

The reason I didn't include these is I thought they returned to Poznan for breeding which is a good thing. But I can't find evidence for this. Does anyone know where they went?

I'll send you a PM

 

[Yoshistar888]

At Melbourne zoo I miss

Bongo
Mandrill
Emerald Tree Boa
Green Basilisk
Binturong
Razor Billed Cussarow (even though I never actually got to see it)
Brazilian Tapir
Syrian Brown Bear

 

[Anniella]

Wait I didn't know Oakland had half of these species. What other species did Oakland have in the past? I've heard that the zoo had dolphins at one point but I'm not so sure how true that is.

Raccoon dog, Eastern rosella, princess parrot, American kestrel, Prevost's squirrel, laughing kookaburra, spider monkey, greater kudu, lappet-faced vulture, various American ducks, bobcat, and ocelot are some of the animals that spring to mind.

The raccoon dog was where the wreathed hornbills are now. The Australian parrots and kookaburra were in some tiny aviaries near where the baboons and warthog are now. The squirrels and geladas and spider monkeys were where the squirrel monkeys are now. The bobcat and North American birds were in the old Children's Zoo. The kudu and vulture were in the African Veldt exhibit. Ocelot was where coatis are now.

Furthermore, tule elk shared the hillside with bison. Roan lived where the camels now live.

The African aviaries are now over twenty years old, and their collection has changed a lot. On my last visit, I do not recall buff-crested bustard, Lady Ross turacos, Hottentot teals, and other species that have lived there over the years. Where the elderly green monkey in Africa now lives originally housed rock hyrax.