Caprines in North American Zoos

birdsandbats

birdsandbats

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Reading the discussion on this thread, I though about how infrequently non-domestic caprines are in zoos in the US and Canada, especially when you consider that there are several native species (and a few more introduced).

Here I have attempted to make a complete list of Caprines found in North American collections. I have decided not to include Domestic Sheep or Domestic Goats in this thread. To keep this thread current, only information from 2016 onwards has been used in this thread. Information about missing holders or species, or information about populations and subspecies welcome.

There are disappointingly few zoos keeping these species. The most common species are: Bighorn Sheep (14 holders), Aoudad (16 holders), and Takin (17 holders).

Takin (17 holders)
Assiniboine Park Zoo (tibetana)
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens (tibetana)
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (tibetana)
Edmonton Valley Zoo (tibetana)
Lincoln Park Zoo (tibetana)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (tibetana)
Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden (tibetana)
Metro Richmond Zoo (bedfordi)
Minnesota Zoo (tibetana)
Parc Safari (tibetana)
Peoria Zoo (tibetana)
Riverview Park and Zoo (tibetana)
Roger Williams Park Zoo (tibetana)
Saint Louis Zoo (tibetana)
San Diego Zoo (tibetana)
Tennessee Safari Park (tibetana)
The Wilds (tibetana)

Musk Ox (8 holders)
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Alaska Zoo
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Minnesota Zoo
Musk Ox Farm
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien

Aoudad (16 holders)
African Lion Safari
Dallas Zoo (blainei)
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (blainei)
Fresco Chaffee Zoo
High Park Zoo
Lehigh Valley Zoo
Roger Williams Park Zoo (blainei)
Safari Wilderness
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Shalom Wildlife Zoo
Southwick's Zoo
Special Memories Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park
Toronto Zoo
Wilderness Trails Zoo
York's Wild Kingdom

West Caucasian Tur (1 holder)
Racine Zoo

Markhor (8 holders)
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Bronx Zoo (heptneri)
Calgary Zoo
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (heptneri)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Stone Zoo (heptneri)
Utah's Hogle Zoo (heptneri)

Alpine Ibex (2 holders)
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo

Nubian Ibex (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Fort Worth Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Siberian Ibex (1 holder)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien

Himalayan Tahr (3 holders)
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Metro Richmond Zoo

Bighorn Sheep (14 holders)
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (nelsoni)
Calgary Zoo
California Living Museum (nelsoni)
Denver Zoo
Edmonton Valley Zoo
Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (canadensis)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (canadensis)
Phoenix Zoo
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (nelsoni)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (nelsoni)

Dall Sheep (7 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Denver Zoo
Lynnwood Park Zoo
Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo
Shalom Wildlife Zoo

European Mouflon (4 holders)
Animal Haven Zoo
DeYoung Family Zoo
Lupa Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo

Wild Sheep (5 holders)
Metro Richmond Zoo (gmelini)
Minnesota Zoo (arkal)
Saint Louis Zoo (arkal)
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Utica Zoo

Japanese Serow (2 holders)
Calgary Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Chinese Goral (4 holders)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (arnouxianus)
Oglebay's Good Zoo (arnouxianus)
Saint Louis Zoo (arnouxianus)
The Wilds (arnouxianus)

Mountain Goat (6 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Oregon Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo

Chamois (1 holder)
Toronto Zoo
 
I'll have to double check, but that seems like a sizeable undercount for Takin holders. Maybe for Nubian Ibex and Markhor as well, although institutions have largely been phasing those out while Takin are largely getting phased in.
 
African Lion Safari holds Takin, Markhor, Tahr and Aoudad.

The Yukon Wildlife Preserve houses Muskox, Mountain Goat, Dall's Sheep and Stone Sheep.

Greater Vancouver Zoo holds Aoudad, Muskox and Mountain Goat

Toronto houses West Caucasian Tur (and a rather large breeding group, at that)
 
Update:

Takin (18 holders)
African Lion Safari
Assiniboine Park Zoo (tibetana)
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Gardens (tibetana)
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (tibetana)
Edmonton Valley Zoo (tibetana)
Lincoln Park Zoo (tibetana)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (tibetana)
Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden (tibetana)
Metro Richmond Zoo (bedfordi)
Minnesota Zoo (tibetana)
Parc Safari (tibetana)
Peoria Zoo (tibetana)
Riverview Park and Zoo (tibetana)
Roger Williams Park Zoo (tibetana)
Saint Louis Zoo (tibetana)
San Diego Zoo (tibetana)
Tennessee Safari Park (tibetana)
The Wilds (tibetana)

Musk Ox (11 holders)
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Alaska Zoo
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
Minnesota Zoo
Musk Ox Farm
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Safari Niagra
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien
Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Aoudad (17 holders)
African Lion Safari
Dallas Zoo (blainei)
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (blainei)
Fresco Chaffee Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
High Park Zoo
Lehigh Valley Zoo
Roger Williams Park Zoo (blainei)
Safari Wilderness
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Shalom Wildlife Zoo
Southwick's Zoo
Special Memories Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park
Toronto Zoo
Wilderness Trails Zoo
York's Wild Kingdom

West Caucasian Tur (2 holders)
Racine Zoo
Toronto Zoo

Markhor (9 holders)
African Lion Safari
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Bronx Zoo (heptneri)
Calgary Zoo
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (heptneri)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Stone Zoo (heptneri)
Utah's Hogle Zoo (heptneri)

Alpine Ibex (2 holders)
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo

Nubian Ibex (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo
Fort Worth Zoo
San Diego Zoo

Siberian Ibex (1 holder)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien

Himalayan Tahr (4 holders)
African Lion Safari
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Metro Richmond Zoo

Bighorn Sheep (14 holders)
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (nelsoni)
Calgary Zoo
California Living Museum (nelsoni)
Denver Zoo
Edmonton Valley Zoo
Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (canadensis)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (canadensis)
Phoenix Zoo
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (nelsoni)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (nelsoni)

Dall Sheep (8 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Denver Zoo
Lynnwood Park Zoo
Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo
Shalom Wildlife Zoo
Yukon Wildlife Preserve (dalli, stonei)

European Mouflon (4 holders)
Animal Haven Zoo
DeYoung Family Zoo
Lupa Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo

Wild Sheep (5 holders)
Metro Richmond Zoo (gmelini)
Minnesota Zoo (arkal)
Saint Louis Zoo (arkal)
San Diego Zoo Safari Park
Utica Zoo

Japanese Serow (2 holders)
Calgary Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Chinese Goral (4 holders)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (arnouxianus)
Oglebay's Good Zoo (arnouxianus)
Saint Louis Zoo (arnouxianus)
The Wilds (arnouxianus)

Mountain Goat (8 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Oregon Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo
Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Chamois (1 holder)
Toronto Zoo
 
-More likely than not all the Aoudad you've listed are the same subspecies as that's what the AZA program is for. SDZSP's animals certainly are.
-All the Nubian Ibex are ssp. sinaitica from Israel
-LA has nelsoni Bighorn Sheep. They have/had a single mexicana female but that ssp is synonymous with nelsoni not the nominate afaik
-Urial and Mouflon are not the same species but in either case SDZSP has both gmelini and arkal
-Trevor Zoo keeps Japanese Serow, unless their last animal died recently. I know they lost their other five individuals in about a year span somehow, leaving only the oldest.

~Thylo
 
It's odd no one has noticed that Cincinnati no longer keeps Takin.... but yeah, they left for the master plan.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
I'll have to double check, but that seems like a sizeable undercount for Takin holders.
Click to expand...

Add for Takin:
- Rosamond Gifford Zoo (Syracuse, NY)
- Pueblo Zoo (Pueblo, CO)
- Rolling Hills Zoo (Salina, KS)
- Hemker Wildlife Park (Freeport, MN)
- Red River Zoo (Fargo, ND)
- Lee Richardson Zoo (Garden City, KS)
- Zoo Montana (Billings, MT)
 
  • High Park Zoo in Toronto keeps Mouflon.
  • Magnetic Hill in Moncton keeps Aoudad (subspecies unknown)
  • The now-closed Bowmanville Zoo held Aoudad (subspecies unknown)
 
Last edited:
ThylacineAlive said:
They've been being split and lumped constantly for a long time now, but I've never considered them the same species. You can read about their taxonomy on @lintworm's thread.

~Thylo
Click to expand...
I think I will keep them lumped for the purposes of this thread.

Update:

Takin (23 holders)
African Lion Safari
Assiniboine Park Zoo (tibetana)
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (tibetana)
Edmonton Valley Zoo (tibetana)
Hemker Wildlife Park (tibetana)
Lee Richardson Zoo (tibetana)
Lincoln Park Zoo (tibetana)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (tibetana)
Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden (tibetana)
Metro Richmond Zoo (bedfordi)
Minnesota Zoo (tibetana)
Parc Safari (tibetana)
Peoria Zoo (tibetana)
Potawatomi Zoo (tibetana)
Pueblo Zoo (tibetana)
Red River Zoo (tibetana)
Riverview Park and Zoo (tibetana)
Roger Williams Park Zoo (tibetana)
Rolling Hills Zoo (tibetana)
Rosamond Gifford Zoo (tibetana)
Saint Louis Zoo (tibetana)
San Diego Zoo (tibetana)
Tennessee Safari Park (tibetana)
The Wilds (tibetana)
Zoo Montana (tibetana)

Musk Ox (11 holders)
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Alaska Zoo
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
Minnesota Zoo
Musk Ox Farm
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Safari Niagra
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien
Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Aoudad (19 holders)
African Lion Safari
Dallas Zoo (blainei)
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (blainei)
Fresco Chaffee Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
High Park Zoo
Lehigh Valley Zoo
Magnetic Hill Zoo
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
Roger Williams Park Zoo (blainei)
Safari Wilderness
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (blainei)
Shalom Wildlife Zoo
Southwick's Zoo
Special Memories Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park
Toronto Zoo
Wilderness Trails Zoo
York's Wild Kingdom

West Caucasian Tur (2 holders)
Racine Zoo
Toronto Zoo

Markhor (9 holders)
African Lion Safari
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Bronx Zoo (heptneri)
Calgary Zoo
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (heptneri)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Stone Zoo (heptneri)
Utah's Hogle Zoo (heptneri)

Alpine Ibex (3 holders)
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Parc Omega

Nubian Ibex (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo (sinaitica)
Fort Worth Zoo (sinaitica)
San Diego Zoo (sinaitica)

Siberian Ibex (1 holder)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien

Himalayan Tahr (4 holders)
African Lion Safari
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Metro Richmond Zoo

Bighorn Sheep (14 holders)
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (nelsoni)
Calgary Zoo
California Living Museum (nelsoni)
Denver Zoo
Edmonton Valley Zoo
Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (nelsoni)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (canadensis)
Phoenix Zoo
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (nelsoni)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (nelsoni)

Dall Sheep (8 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Denver Zoo
Lynnwood Park Zoo
Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo
Shalom Wildlife Zoo
Yukon Wildlife Preserve (dalli, stonei)

European Mouflon (4 holders)
Animal Haven Zoo
DeYoung Family Zoo
Lupa Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo

Wild Sheep (6 holders)
High Park Zoo
Metro Richmond Zoo (gmelini)
Minnesota Zoo (arkal)
Saint Louis Zoo (arkal)
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (gmelini, arkal)
Utica Zoo

Japanese Serow (2 holders)
Calgary Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Chinese Goral (4 holders)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (arnouxianus)
Oglebay's Good Zoo (arnouxianus)
Saint Louis Zoo (arnouxianus)
The Wilds (arnouxianus)

Mountain Goat (8 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Oregon Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo
Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Chamois (1 holder)
Toronto Zoo
 
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo holds Mountain goats
 
Update of my own:

Takin (23 holders)
African Lion Safari
Assiniboine Park Zoo (tibetana)
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (tibetana)
Edmonton Valley Zoo (tibetana)
Hemker Wildlife Park (tibetana)
Lee Richardson Zoo (tibetana)
Lincoln Park Zoo (tibetana)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (tibetana)
Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden (tibetana)
Metro Richmond Zoo (bedfordi)
Minnesota Zoo (tibetana)
Parc Safari (tibetana)
Peoria Zoo (tibetana)
Potawatomi Zoo (tibetana)
Pueblo Zoo (tibetana)
Red River Zoo (tibetana)
Riverview Park and Zoo (tibetana)
Roger Williams Park Zoo (tibetana)
Rolling Hills Zoo (tibetana)
Rosamond Gifford Zoo (tibetana)
Saint Louis Zoo (tibetana)
San Diego Zoo (tibetana)
Tennessee Safari Park (tibetana)
The Wilds (tibetana)
Zoo Montana (tibetana)

Musk Ox (11 holders)
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Alaska Zoo
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
Minnesota Zoo
Musk Ox Farm
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Safari Niagra
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien
Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Aoudad (19 holders)
African Lion Safari
Dallas Zoo (blainei)
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (blainei)
Fresco Chaffee Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
High Park Zoo
Lehigh Valley Zoo
Magnetic Hill Zoo
Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
Roger Williams Park Zoo (blainei)
Safari Wilderness
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (blainei)
Shalom Wildlife Zoo
Southwick's Zoo
Special Memories Zoo
Timbavati Wildlife Park
Toronto Zoo
Wilderness Trails Zoo
York's Wild Kingdom

West Caucasian Tur (2 holders)
Racine Zoo
Toronto Zoo

Markhor (9 holders)
African Lion Safari
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Bronx Zoo (heptneri)
Calgary Zoo
Columbus Zoo & Aquarium
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (heptneri)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Stone Zoo (heptneri)
Utah's Hogle Zoo (heptneri)

Alpine Ibex (3 holders)
Assiniboine Park Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Parc Omega

Nubian Ibex (3 holders)
Bronx Zoo (sinaitica)
Fort Worth Zoo (sinaitica)
San Diego Zoo (sinaitica)

Siberian Ibex (1 holder)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien

Himalayan Tahr (5 holders)
African Lion Safari
Akron Zoo
Bronx Zoo
Granby Zoo
Metro Richmond Zoo

Bighorn Sheep (14 holders)
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (nelsoni)
Calgary Zoo
California Living Museum (nelsoni)
Denver Zoo
Edmonton Valley Zoo
Great Plains Zoo and Delbridge Museum of Natural History
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (nelsoni)
Metro Richmond Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (canadensis)
Phoenix Zoo
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (nelsoni)
Sauvage Zoo of Saint-Felicien
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (nelsoni)

Dall Sheep (8 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Como Park Zoo and Conservatory
Denver Zoo
Lynnwood Park Zoo
Manitowoc Lincoln Park Zoo
Shalom Wildlife Zoo
Yukon Wildlife Preserve (dalli, stonei)

European Mouflon (4 holders)
Animal Haven Zoo
DeYoung Family Zoo
Lupa Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo

Wild Sheep (6 holders)
High Park Zoo
Metro Richmond Zoo (gmelini)
Minnesota Zoo (arkal)
Saint Louis Zoo (arkal)
San Diego Zoo Safari Park (gmelini, arkal)
Utica Zoo

Japanese Serow (3 holders)
Calgary Zoo
Granby Zoo
Trevor Zoo

Chinese Goral (4 holders)
Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens (arnouxianus)
Oglebay's Good Zoo (arnouxianus)
Saint Louis Zoo (arnouxianus)
The Wilds (arnouxianus)

Mountain Goat (10 holders)
Alaska Zoo
Calgary Zoo
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Great Vancouver Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Oregon Zoo
Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo
Woodland Park Zoo
Yukon Wildlife Preserve

Chamois (1 holder)
Toronto Zoo
 
This is a really surprising list; the group in general seems as if it used to be fairly common but is suffering from a significant number of phase-out species. I know Brookfield here's held two species (Siberian ibex, Dall sheep) and considered holding two more (Mountain Goats, Takin) but currently has nothing but domestics. Milwaukee used to have Dall sheep as well. Sounds like Takin will soon be the premiere member of this group in zoos.
 
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