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Columbus - Pallas Cat and Polar Bear
Have you ever visited a zoo for a specific species?
- Thread starter Davdhole
- Start date
A solid majority of the facilities I’ve traveled to were in pursuit of seeing one or more species that are either general rarities, or animals not present in any zoo where I’m from. To condense my options, listed below are some of the most notable:
Bronx Zoo - Black-and-Rufous Sengi
Zoo Atlanta - Drill, Giant Panda, and Western Plantain-Eater
San Diego Zoo Safari Park - Platypus
Duke Lemur Center - Aye-Aye
Honolulu Zoo - Aardvark (the zoo itself is not worth visiting twice)
Tracy Aviary - Kea
Lion Country Safari - Jackson’s Hartebeest*
Fort Worth Zoo - Australian Brush Turkey
*since deceased
Bronx Zoo - Black-and-Rufous Sengi
Zoo Atlanta - Drill, Giant Panda, and Western Plantain-Eater
San Diego Zoo Safari Park - Platypus
Duke Lemur Center - Aye-Aye
Honolulu Zoo - Aardvark (the zoo itself is not worth visiting twice)
Tracy Aviary - Kea
Lion Country Safari - Jackson’s Hartebeest*
Fort Worth Zoo - Australian Brush Turkey
*since deceased
- I did a backstage tour at my local zoo just to see their yellow baboon.
- I also first visited my other local zoo to see their vervets, but an Ashy-headed goose, a Chaco chachalaca and a chestnut-napped imperial pigeon all caught me off-guard.
- I went to São Paulo last month to see the Spix's macaws which had recently gone on display. Their radiate tortoise and their two exotic owl species (Eurasian eagle and snowy) were also lifers for me. Both the alpaca and the bushdog were readditions to my life list (began keeping track on 2021, so any animals I saw before said year were not counted). My two 2022 visits were also filled with readditions.
- My visit to Animália Park was filled with a few desired and some unexpected lifers. My first Nile lechwe, blue-throated piping and wattled guans, masked booby and black lemurs were seen there. I also readded gemsbok, Indian rhino, spotted hyena and white-tailed wildebeest to my life list.
- I visited Itatiba last year to see the silky anteater. Coincidentally, they had put a Brazilian merganser on display too! Other rarities I saw there included the only saddle-billed, marabou and white storks in Brazil plus a few snow geese.
- Took another shot at visiting Sorocaba in 2022. My rewards were their black tamarin, Vieira's titis and Pantanal cat. I was also surprised by my first great curassow in a very long time and by a Swinhoe's pheasant. Their red lories, blue-crowned parakeet and ochre-marked conure also stood out to me.
- Belo Horizonte gave me a full supply of African bush elephants (which I had last seen in 2018), gorillas and many native songbirds. My 2020 visit also included a Nile monitor, which sadly passed away a year later. I also saw two Northern talapoins in 2020, but their last one died days before my second visit, in 2023.
- I visited Sapucaia do Sul for the first time to see their chimango caracara and a few guanacos. Gramadozoo, in the nearby city of Gramado, had my first yellow cardinals, while Pomerode kept my first white-faced ibises.
- Passeio Público, in Curitiba, was responsible for my first spot-billed ducks, gray peacock-pheasant and dusky parrot.
- I also first visited my other local zoo to see their vervets, but an Ashy-headed goose, a Chaco chachalaca and a chestnut-napped imperial pigeon all caught me off-guard.
- I went to São Paulo last month to see the Spix's macaws which had recently gone on display. Their radiate tortoise and their two exotic owl species (Eurasian eagle and snowy) were also lifers for me. Both the alpaca and the bushdog were readditions to my life list (began keeping track on 2021, so any animals I saw before said year were not counted). My two 2022 visits were also filled with readditions.
- My visit to Animália Park was filled with a few desired and some unexpected lifers. My first Nile lechwe, blue-throated piping and wattled guans, masked booby and black lemurs were seen there. I also readded gemsbok, Indian rhino, spotted hyena and white-tailed wildebeest to my life list.
- I visited Itatiba last year to see the silky anteater. Coincidentally, they had put a Brazilian merganser on display too! Other rarities I saw there included the only saddle-billed, marabou and white storks in Brazil plus a few snow geese.
- Took another shot at visiting Sorocaba in 2022. My rewards were their black tamarin, Vieira's titis and Pantanal cat. I was also surprised by my first great curassow in a very long time and by a Swinhoe's pheasant. Their red lories, blue-crowned parakeet and ochre-marked conure also stood out to me.
- Belo Horizonte gave me a full supply of African bush elephants (which I had last seen in 2018), gorillas and many native songbirds. My 2020 visit also included a Nile monitor, which sadly passed away a year later. I also saw two Northern talapoins in 2020, but their last one died days before my second visit, in 2023.
- I visited Sapucaia do Sul for the first time to see their chimango caracara and a few guanacos. Gramadozoo, in the nearby city of Gramado, had my first yellow cardinals, while Pomerode kept my first white-faced ibises.
- Passeio Público, in Curitiba, was responsible for my first spot-billed ducks, gray peacock-pheasant and dusky parrot.
ToucanFan
Member
Nr. 1) I visited Zoo Opole for two reasons: 1. It's very close to me 2. This zoo was the first in Poland to have the Green Billed Toucan (Ramphastos Dicolorus).
Nr. 2) My visit to Zlin Zoo was based around my desire to see every species of the Ramphastos Genus (idk why i just enjoy toucans). They have the Channel Billed Toucan (Ramphastos Vitellinus) which at the time i have not yet seen at a zoo.
Nr.3) I visited Zoo Heidelberg to see the Keel Billed Toucan this year. Unfortunately only after i had already arrived i learned that the toucan was no longer there.
Nr. 2) My visit to Zlin Zoo was based around my desire to see every species of the Ramphastos Genus (idk why i just enjoy toucans). They have the Channel Billed Toucan (Ramphastos Vitellinus) which at the time i have not yet seen at a zoo.
Nr.3) I visited Zoo Heidelberg to see the Keel Billed Toucan this year. Unfortunately only after i had already arrived i learned that the toucan was no longer there.
Local_Shark
Well-Known Member
I'd say my species-specific visits at zoos and aquaria (in which I actually saw the animals I intended to) are as follows:
Monterey Bay Aquarium (2006) - great white shark, ocean sunfish
Georgia Aquarium (2009) - whale shark, giant oceanic manta, reef manta, great hammerhead shark
San Diego Safari Park (2024) - platypus
Monterey Bay Aquarium (2006) - great white shark, ocean sunfish
Georgia Aquarium (2009) - whale shark, giant oceanic manta, reef manta, great hammerhead shark
San Diego Safari Park (2024) - platypus
wayne williams
Member
MClaeys
Well-Known Member
Pairi Daiza: Giant Panda, Walrus, Spix’s Ara, Clouded Leopard
Zoo Planckendael: Giant Anteater, Snow Leopard, Asiatic Lion, Somalian Wild Ass
Zoo Antwerp: Mandrill, Komodo Dragon, Jaguar, Markhor, Rhino Iguana
Zoo Olmen / Pakawi Park: White Tiger, White Lion, Giant Heron, Arctic Wolf
Safaripark Beekse Bergen: Black Rhino, African Wild Dog, Stripes Hyena, Nile Crocodile, Gemsbok, African Elephant
DierenPark Amersfoort: Indian Rhino, White Tiger,
Zoo Planckendael: Giant Anteater, Snow Leopard, Asiatic Lion, Somalian Wild Ass
Zoo Antwerp: Mandrill, Komodo Dragon, Jaguar, Markhor, Rhino Iguana
Zoo Olmen / Pakawi Park: White Tiger, White Lion, Giant Heron, Arctic Wolf
Safaripark Beekse Bergen: Black Rhino, African Wild Dog, Stripes Hyena, Nile Crocodile, Gemsbok, African Elephant
DierenPark Amersfoort: Indian Rhino, White Tiger,