animals you want to see

1. African elephants. I know of a small handful of zoos in the UK that do have them, I've just never been to any of them. There's one in particular, Noah's Ark Zoo, that I intend on visiting either next year or the year after.
2. Brown bears. Again, I've never been to a zoo that has them, but I know of some that I intend on visiting one day.
3. Dolphins. I'm personally against keeping most types of cetaceans, namely orca, in captivity, but I am semi-tempted to visit somewhere like Sea World that keeps dolphins, mainly because I've never seen one before, either captive or wild.
 
1. Salmon Snailfish
2. Pacific Baza (specifically in the wild - I have seen this species in captivity)
3. Regent Bowerbird
4. Mirror Dory
5. any frigatebird species
5. Peppermint Angelfish
6. any flapjack octopus species
7. Vampire Squid
8. Speartooth Shark
9. Rainbow Cale
10. Longsnout Boarfish (specifically in the wild - I have seen this species in captivity)
11. Giant Cuttlefish (specifically in the wild - I have seen this species in captivity)
12. Ornate Cowfish (specifically in the wild - I have seen this species in captivity)
13. Dugong
14. Giant Pacific Octopus
15. any nautilus species
16. Pheasant Coucal
17. any pygmy seahorse species
18. Horseshoe Leatherjacket (specifically in the wild - I have seen this species in captivity)
19. Whale Shark (specifically in the wild - I have seen this species in captivity)
20. any manta ray species
21. Ornate Eagle Ray
22. Bloody Belly Comb Jelly
 
Platapus

Any Balien whale

Sumatruan/Javan Rhino

Oarfish

To name a few
Probably the hardest one to see here is the Oarfish! Platypus are not all that hard to see wild here in Australia if you know where and when to look (plus they're currently on display at San Diego Zoo if that's closer for you), and whalewatching is a good way to see baleen whales (it is time dependent though, whales are migratory so they won't be in an area all year). I do believe Sumatran and Javan Rhino are present in zoos, although I don't know how common they are or which zoos have them.

Oarfish is the hard one though! Sightings of oarfish, both alive and dead, are incredibly rare. So rare in fact, that they usually make the news! If you want to see one, you just have to be incredibly lucky and hope one washes up near you! Several aquariums in Japan have tried to keep oarfish that washed up, but to nobody's surprise, all died in a matter of hours.
 
Javan Rhino are only present in one reserve at the far west of Java; a dedicated tour did have sightings pre COVID. Sumatran Rhino is in captivity in Sumatra, but only in conservation centres with no public access.
 
Moose
Saiga
Hartebeest
Cape Buffalo
Mountain Anoa
Musk Ox
Duiker (any species except Maxwell's that I've already seen)
Warthog
Babyrusa
Dugong
Narwhal
Kiang
Andean Tapir
Baird's Tapir
Civets (any species)
Wolverine
Honey Badger
Striped Skunk
Dhole
Dingo
Aardwolf
Brown Hyaena
Iberian Lynx
Bobcat
Canadian Lynx
Marbled Cat
Rusty Cat
African Golden Cat
Temminck's Cat
Bengal Tiger
Walrus
Monk Seals (both Mediterranean and Hawaiian)
Arctic Seals (any species)
Babakoto
Gelada
Proboscis Monkey
Drill
Giant Armadillo
Tenrec (any species)
Honey Possum
American Opossum
Echidna
Platypus
Indian Gharial
Orinoco Crocodile
Kiwi
Californian Condor
Martial Eagle
Shoebill
Emperor Penguin
Adélie Penguin
Magellanic Penguin
Galapagos Penguin
Blue-footed Booby
Inca Tern
Crested Fireback
Horned Guan
Spix's Macaw
Kākā
Kakapo
Puna/James's Flamingo
Whooping Crane
Black-necked Crane
Goliath Heron
Blakiston's Fishing Owl
Hummingbird (any species)
Resplendent Quetzal
Thorny Devil
Marine Iguana
Leatherback Turtle
Sunfish
Coelacanth
Whale Shark
Basking Shark
Leafy Dragons
Giant Squid
 
Last edited:
Three of these are easier than you might expect in the wild; Moose and Wolverine in Finland (dedicated hide for the latter) and Iberian Lynx in Spain.
Seeing Babakoto (Indri) in the wild is one of my top experiences as is Shoebill.
 
Moose: 6 ZTL collections in France
Saiga 2 ZTL collections: Kazakhstan and Ukraine
Hartebeest: Cape hartebeest in Wroclaw
Cape Buffalo: 1 ZTL collection in France
Mountain Anoa: Krefeld
Musk Ox: Mulhouse
Duiker: Red duiker (5 ZTL collections in Germany etc); western blue duiker (2 ZTL collections in France), yellow-backed duiker (Beuval)
Warthog: 3 ZTL collections in France
Babyrusa: Lisieux
Kiang: Sigean
Baird's Tapir: 2 ZTL collections in Germany
Civets: Many species in ZTL collections
Wolverine: 6 ZTL collections in France
Honey Badger: 1 ZTL collection in Germany, 2 in UK
Striped Skunk: 5 ZTL collections in France
Dhole: 7 ZTL collections in France
Dingo: 4 ZTL collections in France
Aardwolf: 2 ZTL collections in UK
Brown Hyaena: 2 ZTL collections (Prague and Germany)
Iberian Lynx: Mervent
Bobcat: 2 ZTL collections in France
Canadian Lynx: 2 ZTL collections in France
Marbled Cat: 1 ZTL collection in Russia
Rusty-spotted Cat: 2 ZTL collections in France
Temminck's Cat: 1 ZTL collection in France
Walrus: 3 ZTL collections (Belgium, Germany and Netherlands)
Arctic Seals: Arctic ringed and bearded seals (Brest), harp seal (2 ZTL collections in Russia)
Gelada: 9 ZTL collections in France
Drill: 1 ZTL collection in France
Tenrec: Greater hedgehog tenrec (1 ZTL collection in Czechia, 1 in Germany, 6 in UK), lesser hedgehog tenrec (Thoiry), tailless tenrec (1 ZTL collection in Denmark, 1 in Ireland, 5 in UK)
American Opossum: Common opossum (Plzen), Virginian opossum (1 ZTL collection in Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, 3 in UK)
Echidna: Short-beaked echidna (several ZTL collections in Europe)
 
Kiwi: Brown kiwi (1 ZTL collection in Czechia, 3 in Germany, 1 in Netherlands and 1 in UK)
Martial EagleL Sciez
Shoebill: 1 ZTL collection in Belgium, Czechia, Germany and UK
Adélie Penguin: Madrid Faunia
Magellanic Penguin: 3 ZTL collections in Germany and Spain, 2 in Italy, 1 in Portugal and UK
Inca Tern: 6 ZTL collections in France
Crested Fireback: Sanary sur Mer, Amiens, Cleres
Horned Guan: Walsrode
Spix's Macaw: Pairi Daiza
Kākā: Stuttgart
Puna/James's Flamingo: Berlin Zoo and Slimbridge
Black-necked Crane: 2 ZTL collections in France
Goliath Heron: 5 ZTL collections in France
Blakiston's fishing owl: 1 ZTL collection in Russia
Hummingbird: Amazilia hummingbird (2 ZTL collections in Germany and Italy, 1 in Netherlands), black-throated mango and crimson topaz (Walsrode), Cuban emerald, purple-throated carib, rufous-tailed hummingbird, velvet-purple coronet, violet-tailed sylph, white-whiskered hermit and green-crowned brilliant (1 in Italy), green-throated carib (Villars les Dombes), ruby topaz (2 in Germany), sparking violetear (1 in Germany and 1 in Italy)
Sunfish: Ocean sunfish: 1 ZTL collection in Denmark and 1 in Portugal
Leafy seadragon: Lisbon Aquarium

In each case, I have prioritised France in front of other European nations and have avoided mentioning ZTL collections from other continents
 
Bengal Tiger
:p

I'd like to see as many species as I can, but here are a few of them:

1. Harbor Porpoise
2. Kodiak Bear
3. Socorro Dove
4. Platypus
5. Long-Beaked Echidna
6. Golden Eagle
7. Wild Boar (Real ones, not just the random feral pigs I sometimes see in India)
8. Wisent
9. Adelie Penguin
10. Troschel's Pampas Snake
11. Reef Skink (I saw this and the species above for sale on Underground Reptiles. Crazy place, also quite questionable. Why continuously import animals if you could just start a breeding program? That's besides the point, though.)
12. Ocean Sunfish
13. Dwarf Cassowary
14. African Leopard
15. Sumatran Rhino
16. Luzon Cloud Rat
17. Ring-Tailed Vontsira
18. Goliath Catfish
19. Mountain Gorilla
20. Marine Iguana

These are a few out of hundreds (more like thousands), and that number is constantly going up as I learn about cool new species.
 
6. Golden Eagle

This one is by far the easiest on your list, though not many zoos in your region with them.

Golden Eagle (40 holders)

ABQ Biopark
African Lion Safari
Alaska
Alberta Bird of Prey Foundation
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (0.1)
Birmingham
Bronx
Calgary
California Raptor Center
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center
CuriOdyssey
Elmwood Park
Folsom
Gabbert Raptor Center
Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center (0.1)
High Desert Museum
Idaho Falls
Indianapolis
John Ball
Lehigh Valley
Lindsay Wildlife Experience
Living Coast Discovery Center
Maine Wildlife Park
Micke Grove
Navajo Nation
Northwest Trek
Orange County
Oregon
O.W.L. Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society
Safari Niagara
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (1.0) (offshow, programs)
San Francisco
Sulphur Creek Nature Center
Topeka
Tracy Aviary
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
World Bird Sanctuary
Zollman
Zoo Montana

And a visit to California might tick off a few others:

1. Harbor Porpoise
Occasionally seen from shore or by whale watching tours

3. Socorro Dove
Fresno, San Diego

4. Platypus
SDZSP

9. Adelie Penguin
SeaWorld SD

12. Ocean Sunfish
Monterey Bay Aquarium

The dove and penguin are at a few other facilities across the US as well. The rest of your list you'd need to travel abroad.
 
Some I'd like to see, even if not common in zoos or in any at all, in the wild at least.

Mountain gorilla
Snow leopard
Asiatic lion
Maned wolf
Indri
Moose
Cape buffalo
Honey badger
Wolverine
Giant forest hog
Baleen whales (especially blue and humpback)
Grizzly bear
Pallas's cat
Bat-eared fox
Andean bear
Sperm whale
Leopard seal
Thorny devil
Musk ox
Narwhal
Asiatic black bear
California condor
Lowland streaked tenrec
Great white shark
African forest elephant
Leatherback sea turtle
Gelada
Mako shark
Black-backed jackal
African fish eagle
Peregrine falcon
Fox squirrel
All billfish
Bull shark
Mud snake
Javan rhinoceros
Sumatran rhinoceros
Dragon snake
Bateleur
Eurasian red squirrel
Pronghorn
Dugong
Emperor penguin
Basking shark
Mountain goat
Ethiopian wolf
Brown hyena
New World tapirs
Ocean sunfish
Tuatara
Blue-ringed octopus
Box jelly
Aardvark
Kakapo
Striped hyena
Aye-aye
Thresher shark
Any loris
Giant salamanders
Tarsier
Aardwolf
Kiwi
 
:p7. Wild Boar (Real ones, not just the random feral pigs I sometimes see in India

Come to think of it, this is another I wouldn't mind seeing. The one zoo I've been to that keeps European wild boar labels them as such in their signage, but they're hybrids of wild boar and a domestic pig breed (specifically Tamworth), and they look more like farm pigs than proper wild boars.
 
Some I'd like to see, even if not common in zoos or in any at all, in the wild at least.

A useful forum for primates in North American zoos is: Gibbons, Geladas, and Guenons Galore! -- Primates in North America
You may also find Prosimians in captivity useful

I would be very surprised if there are any live mountain gorillas, indris, narwhal, great white sharks, Javan rhinos, Sumatran rhinos, kakapos, dugongs or giant forest hogs in North American zoos

Aye-aye: Cincinnati Zoo, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Denver Zoo, Duke Lemur Center,
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, San Diego Zoo (May 2022)

Any loris: Red slender loris: Memphis Zoo (May 2022)
Greater slow loris: Duke Lemur Center (December 2018)
Pygmy slow loris: Akron Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo,
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, El Paso Zoo, Lake Superior Zoo, Lee
Richardson Zoo, Lincoln Park Zoo, Little Rock Zoo, Memphis Zoo,
Mesker Park Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, Moody Gardens, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Pueblo Zoo, Turtle Back Zoo
(May 2022)

Tarsier: Probably none in North America
 
Last edited:
T
Probably the hardest one to see here is the Oarfish! Platypus are not all that hard to see wild here in Australia if you know where and when to look (plus they're currently on display at San Diego Zoo if that's closer for you), and whalewatching is a good way to see baleen whales (it is time dependent though, whales are migratory so they won't be in an area all year). I do believe Sumatran and Javan Rhino are present in zoos, although I don't know how common they are or which zoos have them.

Oarfish is the hard one though! Sightings of oarfish, both alive and dead, are incredibly rare. So rare in fact, that they usually make the news! If you want to see one, you just have to be incredibly lucky and hope one washes up near you! Several aquariums in Japan have tried to keep oarfish that washed up, but to nobody's surprise, all died in a matter of hours.


There are more animals that I do want to see though. I just couldent think of any right now
 
Back
Top