Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Former Species

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CleZooMan

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
Hi,

I am a local ZooChatter interested in the past species in Cleveland Zoo. I began visiting the zoo in the mid 2000s (2005-06) when the Zoo held several species it doesn't now and vice versa. From my own memories, older resources, home videos on YouTube (especially from the late 1990s) I have compiled this list of former species, but I am sure I am missing quite a few! Does anyone have anything to add? I'm especially interested in species from the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s, but even older as well! Thanks.

African Savanna

Secretary bird (1980s-90s?)

Kori bustard (2000s)

Slender-horned and Thomson’s gazelles (2000s)

Rock hyrax (2000s)

Klipspringer (2000s)

Grant’s zebra (2010s?)

Persian leopard (2000s and 2010s)

Greater flamingo and possibly lesser flamingo (2000s and early 2010s)

East African crowned crane (2000s and 2010s)

African Elephant Crossing

Several bird species in aviary gone by 2022- black-cheeked lovebird, black crake, Eastern crested guineafowl, African gray parrot, Lady Ross’s turaco, Taveta golden weaver, white-crested turaco

Australian Adventure

Cane toad, blue-tongued skink, White’s tree frog, Rodrigues flying fox, carpet python, woma python in Yagga Tree (gone by 2015).

Dusky lory, yellow-streaked lory and Australian rainbow lorikeet in Lorikeet Landing (now Outback Aviary for budgerigars). Dusky and yellow-streaked lories were, I believe, gone by the late 2000s, with the rainbow lorikeets replaced by budgerigars in 2022.

Goodfellow’s tree kangaroo and short-beaked echidna in GumLeaf Hideout (koala building). Possibly brush-tailed bettong, too

Kea in sulphur-crested cockatoo/kookaburra aviary (exhibited briefly in 2020)

New Guinea singing dog in current dingo exhibit (2008-12)

Double-wattled cassowary, Bruijn’s pademelon and a third species (I believe it was a wallaby- until 2008)

Parma wallaby (until mid-2010s?) and swamp wallaby (until early to mid-2010s?)

Australian shelduck and magpie goose in Wallaby Walkabout pond (late 2000s, early 2010s?)

Dromedary camel (until 2020-21?)

Merino sheep in Kookaburra Station contact yard (late 2010s?)

Primate, Cat and Aquatics Building

Chimpanzee (left in 2008)

Hamadryas baboon (left in 2011 or 2012)

Mandrill (left in 2020?)

Pallas’ cat (left in early 2010s?)

Wolf’s guenon (left in early 2010s?)

Several nocturnal species in late 2000s/early 2010s- potto, giant elephant shrew, striped possum, etc.

Various fish species (including several shark species, Banggai cardinalfish, etc.)- unknown

Siamang (I don’t think the zoo has any anymore)

Northern Trek/Wilderness Trek

Bactrian camel (last one died in 2015 or ’16, I believe)

Polar bear (died in 2013)

Kodiak bear (died in mid-2000s)

Several waterfowl species- smew, Aleutian cackling goose, Canada goose, Mandarin duck, etc.

Thorold’s deer (left in 2011 or early ’12- now onager exhibit)

Several fish species (and possibly native turtles, as well), common raven, magpie (not sure what kind) and Lady Amherst’s pheasant in Wolf Wilderness

African penguin (part of Penguin Shores temporary exhibit in 2015)

Pachyderm Building (former) and nearby yards

Malayan tapir, warthog, pygmy hippopotamus, Kirk’s dik-dik (until 2008), red river hog (briefly in 2008 as part of Frogs, Hogs and Dogs temporary exhibit)

Bongo (left in early 2000s, I believe?)

Yellow-flanked duiker, okapi, saddle-billed stork (until 2008, I believe?)

Goliath heron (until 2003?)

Waterfowl Lake

Canvasback (until late 2010s?)

Birds of the World Building (1950-2002- these species lived there in the late 1990s)

Suni antelope

Common crowned pigeon

Black-necked stilt

Waldrapp ibis

Golden-breasted starling

Impeyan pheasant

Greater necklaced laughingthrush

Wattled starling

Emerald starling

Schalow’s turaco

Black-naped oriole

Magnificent ground pigeon

Yellow-crowned bishop

Hottentot teal

King penguin (I believe- and others as well)


The RainForest

Baird’s tapir (until 2003)

Western tarsier (died in 2006, I believe)

Wattled jacana (until late 2010s)

Tamandua (until late 2010s)

Larger Malayan chevrotain

Pacarana (until 2007 or ’08?)

American crocodile (until early 2000s?)

Scarlet macaw (until 2020?)

Indian crested porcupine (until 2018 or ’19?)

Various reptile and amphibian species- namely reticulated python, Vietnamese blue beauty snake, Vietnamese mossy frog, fire-bellied toad, Batagur turtle, giant waxy tree frog, panther chameleon, red-footed tortoise, smooth-sided toad


Children’s Farm (former, 1959-97)

Barn owl

Pot-bellied pig

Prairie dog (I believe)


Education Animals

Sugar glider

Galah

Palm cockatoo

Silkie bantam chicken

Eastern screech owl

Egyptian vulture

Corn snake

Bearded dragon

Some sort of dove (can’t remember which species)

Eurasian eagle owl

White-necked raven

Cheers,
CleZooMan
 
Last edited:
CleZooMan said:
Oh, thank you!!!! I'll fix that. I know that the former mandrill exhibit is now gorilla
Click to expand...
Fixed I believe the gorillas have 3 indoor exhibits now... when the PCA building opened in 1978, one was for gorilla, one for chimpanzee and one for orangutan. The orangutans moved to the Rainforest in 1992 and the chimpanzees moved to Knoxville Zoo in 2008
 
The only animal I can think of missing is Nile Hippo. Blackie went off exhibit in '08 when the Pachyderm Building closed, and then died in 2013.
 
Oh wow!!! I should have thought of Blackie the Nile Hippo (1955-2014). I have no idea why I didn't! I am going to edit this right away. :) I sent you a PM about another zoo-related question.
 
It won't let me edit, but, thanks to the astute eye of CMZMan, there is another notable species I knew about (and saw in person there!) but forgot to include: Nile Hippo in the Pachyderm Building, specifically Blackie (1955-2014).

Pachyderm Building (former) and nearby yards

Malayan tapirs Cruz and Nicole (until 2008). One went to a zoo in Florida and the other to Virginia

Warthog (moved out in early 2008, replaced by red river hogs as part of the "Frogs, Hogs and Dogs" temporary exhibit)

Pygmy hippopotamus (Wolee- a male born in Africa in the mid-1970s- at one time, followed by Mushka- a female who died of pneumonia in 2006)

Kirk's dik-dik (until 2008)

Nile hippopotamus (until 2008). The last Nile hippopotamus at the zoo was Blackie, born in Africa in 1955, captured in 1956 as part of the Zoo's safari to get animals for the new Pachyderm Building (along with rhinos, elephants, giraffes and Aldabra tortoises) and lived in the Pachyderm Building until 2008, when he "retired" to the giraffe barn, where he was off exhibit (except "Hippo Holidays" special viewing in December 2012). Blackie died in January 2014 at age 59.

Bongo (left in early 2000s, I believe?)

Yellow-flanked duiker, okapi, saddle-billed stork (until 2008, I believe?)

Goliath heron (until 2003?)
 
If they had okapi it would be earlier than 2007, which was my first visit and I never saw them.

I also remember a pademelon species my first visit. Would have been in a yard next to cassowary
 
PSO said:
If they had okapi it would be earlier than 2007, which was my first visit and I never saw them.

I also remember a pademelon species my first visit. Would have been in a yard next to cassowary
Click to expand...

Hello,

It could have been 2007 for okapi, but it might have been earlier (2005-06). However, the strange thing about okapi at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is that the Zoo's website does not mention anything about the Zoo having them, but both me and my mom vividly remember that the Zoo did- and definitely not bongo instead! Memory could be faulty, but the strange thing is we both remember them in different places- my mom remembers them in the row of exhibits ("the Crane, Stork and Bongo Yard") between the old elephant exhibit and the entrance to Australian Adventure (near the red-crowned crane, yellow-flanked duiker and saddle-billed stork) but I remember them on the right-hand side of the hill near the giraffes, across the path from the birdcage holding African gray parrots and then white-headed buffalo-weavers (now superb starlings).

I put the pademelon species above (Bruijn's). They were near the double-wattled cassowary and a third species- I am almost 100% sure it was a wallaby (maybe Parma or swamp). Do you remember if there was a wallaby in there?

Do you have any pictures from your 2007 visit to send to me? If so, I'd be really glad to get them.

Thank you,

CleZooMan
 
I too remember the bongo, duiker and crane yards.

That was the species of pademelon. Also remember quite a few wallaby species in that area.

I have the pics on my computer and it may take me a bit to dig them up. At the time of my first they had the most complete bear, primate and macropod collection in the country
 
PSO said:
I too remember the bongo, duiker and crane yards.

That was the species of pademelon. Also remember quite a few wallaby species in that area.

I have the pics on my computer and it may take me a bit to dig them up. At the time of my first they had the most complete bear, primate and macropod collection in the country
Click to expand...

Which wallaby species do you remember in the area? I think it's just Bennett's now, but I know they had Bennett's, Parma and swamp at various times... Parma was in the outdoor koala yard below the koalas at one time.

No hurry about the pics! If you could get them to me, that would be awesome. If you can't attach pics directly through the conversation function here on ZooChat, I'll PM you with my email.

Thank you,

CleZooMan
 
I'll see what I have pics of. Help jog my memory. I recall almost a half dozen wallaby (including pademelon) at the time of my visit as well as grays, reds and possibly wallaroos
 
PSO said:
I'll see what I have pics of. Help jog my memory. I recall almost a half dozen wallaby (including pademelon) at the time of my visit as well as grays, reds and possibly wallaroos
Click to expand...

I know that the macropods the Zoo had in 2007 for sure were-
Bruijn's Pademelon
Wallaroo
Bennett's Wallaby
Parma Wallaby
Swamp Wallaby
Red Kangaroo
Gray Kangaroo
Goodfellow's Tree Kangaroo
Matschie's Tree Kangaroo
Brush-tailed Bettong (labeled as "Brush-tailed Rat Kangaroo")

I could be wrong, but as far as I know/remember, the only wallabies were Bennett's, Parma and swamp wallabies.

Send all the pics you have my way if you can!

Thanks so much,

CleZooMan
 
there is a emerald tree monitor if im correct in one of the c-shape exhibits with the figi banded iguana.
 
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