Are any zoos adding mammal species never/very rarely displayed

[SusScrofa]

It seems the day of zoos with highly variable and different collections from each other are dying due to rules and regulations and a stronger focus on breeding only.

With that said, are there any mammal species that have never or rarely been displayed that are being added to any collections? It can be any species, big or small, and it can be region-specific (ie mammals common in European zoos but extremely rare/absent in USA now starting to be brought over to USA)

 

[Zoofan15]

It seems the day of zoos with highly variable and different collections from each other are dying due to rules and regulations and a stronger focus on breeding only.

With that said, are there any mammal species that have never or rarely been displayed that are being added to any collections? It can be any species, big or small, and it can be region-specific (ie mammals common in European zoos but extremely rare/absent in USA now starting to be brought over to USA)

The usual trend seems to be the reverse. A population that’s held across several zoos dwindles to a handful of elderly animals that are phased out due to a lack of interest in holding the species.

However, within Australasia, we’ve had some exciting additions in recent years:

Sri Lankan leopard (2019) - our first new big cat species since 1983! A population of 4.2 is held across two zoos, with more facilities planning to join the breeding programme, which is part of the European breeding programme.

Caracal (2014) - Wellington Zoo imported this species in 2014 and four Australian zoos have since followed, with litters bred at two families to date. It should be noted that these are the South African subspecies of Caracal; with the Asiatic subspecies formerly held in the region.

Sumatran elephants (2019) - Australia Zoo imported four cows of this subspecies (the first in Australasia) three years ago. They’ve stated an intention to import Sumatran bulls and breed; though the Australasian region doesn’t officially manage Asian elephant at the subspecies level. A Sri Lankan cow imported 2015 (also the first in the region) will soon be bred with an Indian bull.