Famous no-shows.

Komodo99 said:
My nomination is the Giant Anteater because of when I ever go to a zoo that has them I can never see them at all.It was only this year when I finally saw one.
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They do tend to be naturally quite lethargic because of their low basal metabolism (both in the wild and captivity) so there are lots of intervals that are spent resting and hiding.

You may just need a bit of luck in being there at the right moment when they decide to move around.
 
I'm not sure I've ever had much trouble finding anteater active if I'm honest. Giant ones anyway, lessers are a much different story.

~Thylo
 
For me, a tie between aye-aye (Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and sort of Cleveland Zoos) and brown kiwi (Bronx, National Zoos). I say "sort of Cleveland" because I was there for a class trip and my group and I didn't have time to get to where the aye-aye lived. As for kiwis, I believe they're all either dozing off in some corner or out in "plain sight". Either way, I can never find them no matter how long my eyes have adjusted.
 
The King Cheetah at Taronga Western Plains Zoo. I've been twice to try and see them but they were off exhibit both times. (I also tried to see the one at the National Zoo in Canberra, but found out it had recently died.) I still haven't seen one :(
 
So North Carolina Zoo has there 40 acre African plains. Problem is that all species except for the rhino have access to 4 acres of off exhibit yards generally (well on top of the problem of finding animals in a 40 acre exhibit). Which is where the trio of bongo, small group of Lechwe, and sitatunga hide. Apparently the zoo has 17 sitatunga, although the maximum I have ever seen at once in 2 :rolleyes: Ironically the Thomson's Gazelles are often the easiest to spot and most active species. Which is funny considering I grew up going to the Bronx Zoo where all 40 of their gazelles always hide in the back corner of their multi-acre exhibit.
 
Siamangs, typically ... maybe it is I visit the wrong time of year, but for some reason when I visit the siamang enclosure they have a tendency to be hiding somewhere !
 
I never had problems with antelopes (except maybe the Nyala that may be very shy in some exhibits) nor siamangs. But much more with anteaters (both the Giant and Tamandua species), bettongs, armadillos and pangolins, not to count some frog species.
 
Aardvarks know how to avoid me well. I've never seen aardvarks out at any zoo I've been to that has them, and the last zoo I visited that I thought still had them sent the last one away not too long ago. Just missed it. A couple of tree frog species also like to give me a hard time. Every zoo I've been to that has coquis, I didn't see them. Also the zoo near me just got crowned tree frogs and the last few times I've been I never saw them.
 
Kalaw said:
I have visited London Zoo 20 times in my life, and never once have I seen the Lesser Hedgehog Tenrecs in Night Life.
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I recall in 2021, the tenrec was literally right there in the enclosure ! Usually I see them sleeping under whatever.
 
Here's an unexpected one - until very recently, asian elephants!

...purely because the only zoo I regularly visited with them was Longleat. Never had an issue spotting them at Whipsnade or Berlin, oddly enough.

I second (perhaps tenth, given the replies) mentions of armadillos. They always seem to elude me. Same with Pallas' cat.
 
cerperal said:
I second (perhaps tenth, given the replies) mentions of armadillos. They always seem to elude me. Same with Pallas' cat.
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Strangely with armadillos in my experience I don't have much problem - though I recall in Berkshire's Living Rainforest there was one six-banded armadillo who was something of a reliable animal - in that they would always put themselves on-show. I recall on one visit, however, they could not be found. At Berlin Zoo their three-banded Armadillos were very much active, and visitors seemed to enjoy looking at them. Iirc though, the Six-banded Armadillo in the nocturne area I don't think I saw ... nor did I with the aardvark in their enclosure somehow. But with armadillos in my experience they tend to show themselves.
Pallas' Cat I have had some good luck with - mainly a result of persistence. I have had such times at Berlin Tierpark and Cotswolds Wildlife Park where the key was waiting for a bit - and the cat showed itself eventually.
 
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dillotest0 said:
At Berlin Zoo their three-banded Armadillos were very much active, and visitors seemed to enjoy looking at them. Iirc though, the Yellow Armadillo in the nocturne area I don't think I saw ... nor did I with the aardvark in their enclosure somehow
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If I'm remembering right, we managed to get the smallest glimpse of the armadillo at Berlin. It was hiding under the small cover in the sanitary part of the exhibit, but if I didn't know there was an armadillo in there it would be impossible to tell.

Funnily enough we did see the yellow armadillo zooming around the nocturnal exhibit, as well as all(?) 3 aardvarks doing similar - one being particularly interested in getting frisky with the others and eventually succeeding. That's something most people don't see! I've been lucky with aardvarks, they're easy to see at Longleat and now at Whipsnade.
 
The Margay at Korkeasaari (Helsinki) zoo. Last year I visited the zoo more than 12 times, sometimes more than once a month, and I never saw the elusive Margay, no matter how hard I tried. It honestly felt like it never existed. Sadly the Margay left a few months ago and I never got the chance to see it.
 
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