Known zoo animals that are off-exhibit

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PAKMan

Well-Known Member
I was thinking the other day about how, at zoos, generally most of their animals are on-exhibit for public viewing. But occasionally, there are zoo animals that are kept behind-the-scenes and off-exhibit for a variety of reasons.

Lincoln Park Zoo, for example, has an entire chimpanzee troop that lives off-exhibit. Most of the chimps in that troop were raised in atypical environments (Cookie was born in a lab and lived for several years at a private zoo where the owners walked her on a leash like a dog; brothers Zachary and Patrick spent much of their lives in an unaccredited zoo). Sisters Magadi and Kibali were actually both born at Lincoln Park Zoo. Kibali is the oldest chimp at Lincoln Park Zoo; she will turn 41 in August. She's the last surviving member of the zoo's geriatric chimp troop, which included now-deceased Keo and Vicky. Magadi was hand-raised by keepers and later lived at the Henry Vilas Zoo. The zoo is actually in the process of introducing the chimps to the on-exhibit troop and they're hoping the two will bond enough where some of the off-exhibit chimps can spend some time on-exhibit.

Are there any other known zoo animals that are living off-exhibit?
 
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Brookfield keeps a group of the until recently believed extinct togo slippery frog. They have a substantial number of them behind the scenes. There are long term plans to construct an exhibit for them.

Indianapolis has a troop of chimps off exhibit as well, until the new chimp complex which will be constructed in the near future.

Milwaukee keeps a pair of tayra off exhibit in the cat building. They were moved from the small mammal house with the intent for them to breed, but nothing has resulted of it.

Omaha's sister facility Wildlife Safari keeps a herd of gaur off exhibit.

San Diego keeps an eye watering list of rarities behind the scenes, pangolin, royal antelope (may have died), mishmi takin, several other species of hoofstock, plus an unfathomable about of reptiles and birds.
 
Great idea for a thread! West Palm Beach Zoo keeps a Pondicherry vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
off exhibit which is the last of it's species in North America. He came from the Jacksonville Zoo in 2008 I believe. I got to go off exhibit to see and photograph this animal. This was back in 2018. I am not allowed to share the photographs here.
 
pachyderm pro said:
Brookfield keeps a group of the until recently believed extinct togo slippery frog. They have a substantial number of them behind the scenes. There are long term plans to construct an exhibit for them.

Indianapolis has a troop of chimps off exhibit as well, until the new chimp complex which will be constructed in the near future.

Milwaukee keeps a pair of tayra off exhibit in the cat building. They were moved from the small mammal house with the intent for them to breed, but nothing has resulted of it.

Omaha's sister facility Wildlife Safari keeps a herd of gaur off exhibit.

San Diego keeps an eye watering list of rarities behind the scenes, pangolin, royal antelope (may have died), mishmi takin, several other species of hoofstock, plus an unfathomable about of reptiles and birds.
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How did you find out about the Mishmi takin (Budorcas taxicolor) off exhibit at San Diego Zoo?
 
pachyderm pro said:
San Diego keeps an eye watering list of rarities behind the scenes, pangolin, royal antelope (may have died), mishmi takin, several other species of hoofstock, plus an unfathomable about of reptiles and birds.
Click to expand...
Sichuan Takin, Barbary Deer, Gibbons at the Safari Park, and some hog species are the ones I know for sure without the Asian Savvana species.
 
Westcoastperson said:
Sichuan Takin, Barbary Deer, Gibbons at the Safari Park, and some hog species are the ones I know for sure without the Asian Savvana species.
Click to expand...

There are also or at least were North Indian muntjac, Sichuan bharal, and Indian sambar off exhibit at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
 
In Beauval Zoo (France) there's a facility to keep a lot of animals off-exhibit, including a pool for old aged Californian Sea Lions, an old Matschie's Tree Kangaroo (survivor of a pair formerly displayed in the Australian Pavilion for many years, I don't know if it's still alive now) and a lot of birds and reptiles (including, for many years, 2 young Komodo Dragons now displayed to the public in the new Tropical Dome).
 
For a long time Singapore Zoo also kept Chinese goral (Naemorhedus griseus) off-exhibit. Those animals if memory serves me right were imported from China and were originally intended to be kept on display at the Night Safari, but we're never exhibited there. There is reference to this elsewhere in the forum.
 
pachyderm pro said:
Omaha's sister facility Wildlife Safari keeps a herd of gaur off exhibit.
Click to expand...

Wildlife Safari keeps a bunch of animals! They have one of the largest cheetah breeding centers in the USA, along with a new tiger breeding facility. They keep a lot of species where individuals might not get along with the ones at the zoo, or where they're rotating by sex to prevent breeding. They also are the winter home for some of Omaha's species. Wildcat, collared peccary, both hyrax species, chinese goral, sable, pere david's deer, scimitar oryx are all regulars, along with an assortment of birds species.
 
The last time I was at the Phoenix Zoo, or at least one of the last few times, they had a Chacoan peccary (Catagonus wagneri) off exhibit. They used to keep them on public display, but not anymore. In their multi-species conservation support center, they keep several native species and subspecies off exhibit including Black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes), Mount Graham red squirrel (Tamiasciurus fremonti grahamensis) and Chiricahua leopard frog (Lithobates chiricahuensis) amongst others.
 
The LA Zoo keeps a number of California Condors off-exhibit, some are rescues and get re-released, others I believe are permanent residents. They also keep a number of Southern Mountain Yellow-Legged frogs off-exhibit for breeding purposes, as well as some other reptile and amphibian species.
 
Shellheart said:
The LA Zoo keeps a number of California Condors off-exhibit, some are rescues and get re-released, others I believe are permanent residents. They also keep a number of Southern Mountain Yellow-Legged frogs off-exhibit for breeding purposes, as well as some other reptile and amphibian species.
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In a partnership with the US Geological Survey (USGS), Santa Ana Zoo at Prentice Park also has Mountain yellow-legged frog (Rana muscosa) in their own trailer building off exhibit. Over the years they have had other fascinating taxa off exhibit including Rubber boa (Charina bottae), Red junglefowl (Gallus gallus), Burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) Northern greater bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii) etc.
 
What happened to the Jackson's Hartebeests and Topis that are/were at San Antonio? Are they still behind the scenes or were they sent to other facilities?
 
UngulateNerd92 said:
Great idea for a thread! West Palm Beach Zoo keeps a Pondicherry vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
off exhibit which is the last of it's species in North America. He came from the Jacksonville Zoo in 2008 I believe. I got to go off exhibit to see and photograph this animal. This was back in 2018. I am not allowed to share the photographs here.
Click to expand...
Brahma has moved to the World Bird Sanctuary near St. Louis.
 
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