Gutted!

Brum

Brum

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
At times we've all been to a new zoo and failed to see something, sometimes it can even happen at our local zoo(s). :(
But what about those species that you spend an eternity waiting for, yet you still never see them? I'm thinking things like the tamandau at Colchester, red squirrels pretty much anywhere and any nocturnal species in a diurnal exhibit.
I have a couple of dreaded no shows and I'll detail them first:-
The tomistoma at Paignton, didn't know they had it and was pretty upset when I found an enclosure but couldn't see the croc.
I've never seen the yellow-throated marten at Twycross. As a carnivore man these were always my priority. :(
Geoffroy's cat at Dudley, I've only ever seen hints of a tail or a bit of fur sticking up at the back of the enclosure. Last time I went he was off-show.
The first visit to WMSP this year I failed to spot any dholes as they were lying down towards the far side of the enclosure, managed to go back later in the week and get a much better look though! :)
Wolverine and Pallas cat at Cotswold, spent 20 minutes and 15 minutes respectively at each enclosure (on a very rushed visit) and failed to see both. Also did not see the clouded leopards on the same visit but then found out they were off-show at the time. :o
On my last visit to Bristol (2010) the whole Twilight World was closed from about 2pm onwards, we arrived at 2.30. :mad:
And one last big let down... On a visit to Chester with friends about 3 years ago we missed out the whole far corner of the zoo and therefore failed to see:- bush dog, yellow mongoose, bongo, kangaroo, otter and red panda amongst others. All because two of our party were "tired" (you can imagine my frustration!).

Anybody else got any horror stories to share?
 
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I missed the entire small mammal house at wilhelma(gundis, sloths,plantain squirrels, plains visacha, tailless tenrecs and worst of all cuban hutias:()

In the nocturnal house the mouse lemurs, malayan mousedeer, sugar gliders and african dormice were all no shows.

To add to the wilhelma zoo list I also missed maned wolves, andean bears and giant anteaters. Three of the animals I was looking forward to seeing:(:(

missed for to mch at edinburgh

patagonian sea lions(not sure if still at the zoo), african hunting dog(imminent birth), kirk's dik-dik(no show), lemurs, hedehog tenrec, north luzon cloud rat, long nosed potoroo, marbled polecat, wolverine, armadillo, moholi bushbabies, javan banteng, lesser kudu, nyala
but worst of all margays and clouded leopards.

:(:(:(
 
Not quite in the same animal league but when I went to sydney's Taronga zoo I walked past an are netted off on my way to the wollemi pines aviary. the netted are contained one of the first if not the first collection of the now world famous fossil pines discovered in a gorge in the blue mountains.
Within a year or two they where world wide news. I even see them in our local garden centre now, but as a gardener but I missed out on being one of the first to see them in there native land.:o
 
At the Smithsonian National Zoo I missed the Addra Gazelles, the Japanese Giant Salamander, and the Freshwater Crocodiles! All of which I waited anxiously to see. Also, until about 2 months before my visit I was under the impression that the zoo still had Pygmy Hippos and American Trails was going to be open. Imagine my horror when I discovered the opposite:mad: Because of closed exhibits I missed the Siamangs, Sulawesi Crested Macaques, Andean Bears, Mexican Wolves (later found out they replaced them:mad:), American Beaver, Grey Seals, Maned Wolves, and Grey-Cheeked Mangabeys!!:mad::(

When I went to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Rhode Island, much of the zoo exhibits were closed so I missed some species I really wanted to see like King Vultures, most of what was suppose to be inside the Tropical America building, Burmese Brown Tortoises, Giant Anteaters (only saw glimpse of the tail inside the sleeping area), Binturongs (I wanted to see this species most of all), and along with most of the stuff on that sort trail behind the Australasia exhibit.:(

At the Central Park Zoo I missed the junglefowl, tamandua (I don't think they have them anymore), and the Harbor Seal. I also missed the ZooGallery (closed) but I don't know what it is so if anyone can tell me that'd be great since I don't know if I should be mad at that or not.

I've never been able to see a Reindeer because every zoo I've gone to that says they have them only display them during the winter!

I'm terrified that I'm going to go to the Cincinnati Zoo over the summer and the Sumatran Rhinos are going to be off-exhibit.:(

When I was younger I went to the Bronx Zoo several times a year but never saw the Sumatran Rhino nor the Proboscis Monkeys.
 
I went to Colchester Zoo yesterday. I didn't see the tamandua and have yet to see the Kirk#s dik-diks. I went on the Lost Madagascar train, but the only lemurs on show were black-and-white ruffed lemurs. The train driver said that the red-bellied lemurs are really only on show in the early morning and late afternoon. I had a nice view of the Philippine spotted deer and the male kept sticking his muzzle through the mesh.
 
I feel all of your collective pain and frustration. But to be honest I wasn't expecting plants to feature on the list... dean! :p
This thread was inspired by the Colchester tamandau and a particular photo where several members mentioned failing to see the species. So you are not alone Dassie Rat, many others have missed them to!
 
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Brum said:
I feel all of your collective pain and frustration. But to be honest I wasn't expecting plants to feature on the list... dean! :p
This thread was inspired by the Colchester tamandau and a particular photo where several members mentioned failing to see the species. So you are not alone Dassie Rat, many others have missed them to!
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Post a link to this photo.

Also for the Smith. National Zoo I thought they still had Capybaras (a species that has always avaded my eyes) but in Amazonia so I was upset there too.
 
Thanks Brum

I must admit that the animals I would have liked to have seen when I have visited zoos are as follows:

1. The hairy-eared dwarf lemur in the nocturnal lemur house at Paris Vincennes Zoo. I visited the zoo on two occasions and, despite frequent return visits to that enclosure, I never saw the occupant.
2. The marbled cat that was off show on my first visit to Howletts Zoo.
3. I visited Madagascar's Tsimbaza Zoo in 1987. After I returned from Berenty, my guide dropped me off at a hotel and two people I'd met in Berenty made a visit to the zoo. One of them said that he'd seen a monkey that had been caught in the wild. He said it definitely wasn't a monkey. My notes suggest some kind of macaque, but I wish I'd visited the zoo to make sure.
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Post a link to this photo.

Also for the Smith. National Zoo I thought they still had Capybaras (a species that has always avaded my eyes) but in Amazonia so I was upset there too.
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http://www.zoochat.com/57/male-long-tailed-tamandua-87916/ There you go! :D

Capybara are so common over here that I've lost count of the amount I've seen but you get to see polar bears at loads of local places, in fact you get to see so many North American animals that I'm pretty envious of! :p
 
My most memorable miss is Mhorr Gazelle at Twycross, I looked at every paddock in the zoo without success. Finally found a keeper and asked her about the gazelles. She told me they were no longer kept. Later found out they were in the Children's Farm area. They had left the zoo by the time I next visited.
 
ThylacineAlive said:
I'm terrified that I'm going to go to the Cincinnati Zoo over the summer and the Sumatran Rhinos are going to be off-exhibit.:(
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Haha believe it or not I think of this when people want to visit Cincinnati and see the rhinos. Just go on a mild/humid day but not too hot and they will most likely be out. Or to the left there is a private yard that is very visible.:)
 
At my visit to the Louisville Zoo I was disappointed to find that the tapirs were not out during the exhibit's (Islands) rotation.
 
Brum said:
http://www.zoochat.com/57/male-long-tailed-tamandua-87916/ There you go! :D

Capybara are so common over here that I've lost count of the amount I've seen but you get to see polar bears at loads of local places, in fact you get to see so many North American animals that I'm pretty envious of! :p
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It's my understanding that in Europe you guys have lots of North American species in captivity while here in the U.S. we barely have anything!! You should check out the 'What Animals Would You Exchange?' by BeardsleyZooFan, that's where we talked about North American/European species in zoos within the two continents. Besides, you have European Bison, Iberian Lynx (not that the public can view them), Iberian Wolves, European Beavers, Baikal Seals, and Syrian Brown Bears along with many exotic species like Asiatic Lions, Northern Cheetahs, Orinoco River Dolphins, Javan Leopards, and Sumatran Elephants. I am envious of you. I think everyone is envious of Australia and New Zealand (especially of Chlidonias who has seen Kakapo and Platypus but never a skunk... Lucky bastard!!:D)
 
Moebelle said:
Haha believe it or not I think of this when people want to visit Cincinnati and see the rhinos. Just go on a mild/humid day but not too hot and they will most likely be out. Or to the left there is a private yard that is very visible.:)
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I think I'm visiting (if I do get to go) either two or three days in a row so I guess my chances are pretty good there (well unless the world ends in 12 days of course;))
 
blospz said:
You should go to the Buffalo Zoo. The reindeer are out all year round.
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I've always wanted to. Beardsely miracle Ocelot cub was sent there. I'd like to see there Golden Bengal Tigers (are Goldens more pure than Whites or less?) and according to this website The Online Zoo they have quite the sea bird collection (I think that was Buffalo at least).
 
Animal said:
Both as impure as it gets. To get a golden one you need at least one white parent or ancestor.
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So are Golden Tigers an example of incomplete dominance (genetics term) with the White Tigers having the recessive genes and the normal colored Bengals haveing the complete dominant genes?
 
The one animal that always eludes me is the 2 oncillas at hamerton zoo! One day I will see them!!
 
I was really upset when I went to Zoo Miami and their giant otters and sloth bears weren't on exhibit. It also sucked when I couldn't find the tamandua at the Buffalo Zoo and I still haven't seen the new brush tailed bettongs at the Toronto Zoo.
 
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