ZTL lists zoos with 3 short-tailed spotted cuscuses: ZootierlisteHomepage
Native Mammals in Australian Zoos
- Thread starter zooboy28
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Perth zoo had at least one in the nocturnal house in the 1980s I think it was. I remember breaking out in hives when I came into contact with it and was told that one of the keepers had to take antihistamines regularly in order to work with it
Since they are of least concern status perhaps our zoos could try and display them again for the public as most people would not even know they exist
@Goura
Thanks for sharing your memories (sorry about your hives experience, they're unpleasant hey). I think one was still there in the early '90 in Perth Zoo's Noc' House. Although personally in that era only have memory of Slow Loris, Bushbaby, Dorocouli and the Brushtail or Ringtail Possum who shared an exhibit with the Hairy Armadillo. But remember some of the signage think near the entry still said Cuscus albeit could of not been updated for a few years.
Thanks for sharing your memories (sorry about your hives experience, they're unpleasant hey). I think one was still there in the early '90 in Perth Zoo's Noc' House. Although personally in that era only have memory of Slow Loris, Bushbaby, Dorocouli and the Brushtail or Ringtail Possum who shared an exhibit with the Hairy Armadillo. But remember some of the signage think near the entry still said Cuscus albeit could of not been updated for a few years.
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They’re CITES II, so you would still need regional support to acquire them. The avenues for sourcing them from captive facilities are extremely limited, so it’s really a non-starter.
JM01
Well-Known Member
Cuscus are one of my absolute favourite animals so I'd love to see them one day. If I do end up studying zoology (which I plan to) one of my top picks to study for my postgraduate degree is the Common Spotted Cuscus.
Completely unrelated but does Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas still have Striped Possums or not? This list says they are no longer there but the website lists that they are.
Completely unrelated but does Wildlife Habitat Port Douglas still have Striped Possums or not? This list says they are no longer there but the website lists that they are.
Well your memory's better than mine - I certainly don't remember Douracouli or Hairy Armadillo, but I do remember the others
Douroucouli shared the exhibit with hairy armadillo.
@tetrapod
Oh right right that makes so much sense (both South American species, one arboreal and one ground and underground dweller; so much more sense than co-hanitating with an Australian possum species). I reckon on an earlier visit a relative must of seen the Dorocouli too and thought it was some kind of Possum hahaha. I take it too later on when the Hairy Armadillo had passed that the Dorocouli was still there for a year or so, basing that of memory later on of seeing the Dorocouli and the information sign but didnt see the Hairy Armadillo sign that time from memory (actually when seeing the Armadillo in the early '90s doing its charismatic little shuffle around the ground of the exhibit am pretty certain was a family member reading the signage aloud that first identified it, don't remember being able to read the lit up signs yet at that stage just that they had photos of each species next to them which was different to the sketched style picture signage of the rest of the zoo at the time.) Remember too the voice track sound system at the entry of the Noc' House during that era greeting visitors upon entering.
Oh right right that makes so much sense (both South American species, one arboreal and one ground and underground dweller; so much more sense than co-hanitating with an Australian possum species). I reckon on an earlier visit a relative must of seen the Dorocouli too and thought it was some kind of Possum hahaha. I take it too later on when the Hairy Armadillo had passed that the Dorocouli was still there for a year or so, basing that of memory later on of seeing the Dorocouli and the information sign but didnt see the Hairy Armadillo sign that time from memory (actually when seeing the Armadillo in the early '90s doing its charismatic little shuffle around the ground of the exhibit am pretty certain was a family member reading the signage aloud that first identified it, don't remember being able to read the lit up signs yet at that stage just that they had photos of each species next to them which was different to the sketched style picture signage of the rest of the zoo at the time.) Remember too the voice track sound system at the entry of the Noc' House during that era greeting visitors upon entering.
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Osedax
Well-Known Member
As reported by @DaLilFishie, Perth Zoo no longer holds Northern Quoll.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Sorry, I meant Western Quoll / Chuditch.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
Taronga I believe no longer has any of the above species.
What might be factors that Spotted Cuscuses are so rare in captivity, they are not picky on diet, so probably easy to get stressed? Difficult to breed? Or something else?
1. Difficulty in obtaining from the wild.
2. Lack of interest from zoos.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
I don't think so. They haven't been on display since 2019.
Osedax
Well-Known Member
As reported by @WhistlingKite24 in the Aussie Ark thread, that facility has acquired Broad-toothed Rat (Mastacomys fuscus), a new species for the list!