Rare Animals
- Thread starter MOG2012
- Start date
You should look up the Census of Rare Animals, published almost every year by the International Zoo Yearbook. I am not sure if they still do it, though.
Any animal from Australia, Ecuador (especially from the Galapagos), Ethiopia or Madagascar should be hard to obtain. So, geladas, giant tortoises and lemurs would be on the list.
Any animal from Australia, Ecuador (especially from the Galapagos), Ethiopia or Madagascar should be hard to obtain. So, geladas, giant tortoises and lemurs would be on the list.
Panda_Fan
Well-Known Member
I'll add that any species that is in a phase-out process should be hard to obtain. Ex: visayan warty pig.
Brazil has also de facto banned the keeping of cetaceans in captivity. This means we will not see any native dolphins leave the country in the near future.
I beleve we will not see any hairy or lesser-one-horned rhinos outside Indonesia anytime soon either. Their numbers are just too low at the moment (no captive Javan rhinos at all) and the keeping of Sumatran rhinoceroses in captivity has proven to be a hassle. Zoos have chosen to fund in situ conservation efforts for both species instead. The same works for the Superagüi lion tamarin, whose conservation projects are solely in situ.
Most zoos are not keen on acquiring their animals from the wild, so many animals with no captive populations at the moment would be very difficult to obtain, especially if they are too endangered (or too common), and so protected under current legislation in their native countries. That's why Araripe manakins and banded cotingas are not in captivity.
Some of these, however, are used are weaponized by their native countries' governments to impose their influence. Pandas are the main example.
Many other animals are present at zoos in their native range, but their numbers are very low, so no collections are not interested in moving their valuable residents elsewhere. Southern muriquis are an example of such species.
A few, like the black lion tamarin, are found at only a single zoo outside their native range (Jersey zoo, very far from Brazil) and for a handful or reasons (e.g. a low number of individuals, the desire to maintain exclusivity over breeding of a species, a decision from the wider WAZA) they won't give their animals away.
Others, such as the African forest elephant, already have endangered cousins with well-estabilished populations under human care, so they are not of much interest. The same goes goes for Southern giraffes. Elephants under human care are a very controversial subject, so importing more (especially from the wild and under current CITES legislation) would be a plain headache. Same thing for the giraffes, as they are animal rights activists' favorites.
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MOG2012
Well-Known Member
I mean animals more commonly found in AZA captivity
AndyJ08
Well-Known Member
For whatever reason, there are a TON of species that are usually/only kept outside of AZA zoos. Here are a few:
Geoffroy's Cat (only ever seen at non-AZA zoos)
Black-footed cat (becoming more common in the AZA)
Gaur (mostly at “Safari park” drive-throughs)
Scimitar-horned Oryx (a few AZA zoos kept and breed this species)
Addax (ditto)
Fallow deer/red deer/axis deer (“)
Many, MANY parrot species.
Again, many, many pheasant species
Many reptile species commonly kept as pets (Leopard geckos, crested geckos, water dragons, Greek and Russian tortoises, etc.)
Most of the species listed are generally Least Concern, and thus, not of breeding importance to the AZA. However, some rare species are generally ignored, *cough*cough*hoofstock*cough*cough*, but I don’t see why they aren’t more popular in the AZA.
Geoffroy's Cat (only ever seen at non-AZA zoos)
Black-footed cat (becoming more common in the AZA)
Gaur (mostly at “Safari park” drive-throughs)
Scimitar-horned Oryx (a few AZA zoos kept and breed this species)
Addax (ditto)
Fallow deer/red deer/axis deer (“)
Many, MANY parrot species.
Again, many, many pheasant species
Many reptile species commonly kept as pets (Leopard geckos, crested geckos, water dragons, Greek and Russian tortoises, etc.)
Most of the species listed are generally Least Concern, and thus, not of breeding importance to the AZA. However, some rare species are generally ignored, *cough*cough*hoofstock*cough*cough*, but I don’t see why they aren’t more popular in the AZA.
The International Zoo Yearbook stopped printing the Census of Rare Animals several years. The Yearbook stopped publication a few years ago
While some of these are indeed more common outside the AZA than in it, not all of these are. Can you name a single non-AZA zoo with Gaur or Black-footed Cat? I certainly can't. And if you can, can you do it more than once?
MOG2012
Well-Known Member
Where can I find it?
USZOOfan42
Well-Known Member
I know this may be a dumb comment but you might be referring to animals like Wolverine, Shoebill, and Three Toed Sloth which you can easily use Zootierliste.
Tapirus Lar
Well-Known Member
Phase out? Aren't visayan warty pigs growing in popularity?
Panda_Fan
Well-Known Member
I've been told that the captive population, mainly in the U.S, have a lot of elderly individuals, so they're being phase-out for more common species of suidae.
AndyJ08
Well-Known Member
I can.
Gaur: Wild Animal Safari, North Florida Wildlife Park, a wildlife auction in northern Florida, Alabama Safari Park
Black-footed Cat: Seen multiple for sale online, a wildlife auction in northern Florida, West Florida Exotics (owned by the owner, as a personal pet), etc.
So, you can't name a non-AZA zoo with Black-footed Cat. Just because the species is in private collections doesn't mean they're in non-AZA zoos.
And don't all those supposed Gaur holders just have Gayal?
AndyJ08
Well-Known Member
I would have to assume that Black-footed cats are in non-AZA collections, because if they are in the private trade, then it’s a matter of sooner or later as to will they become commonplace in non-AZA zoos just like Geoffroy’s cats did.
As for the Gaurs, they were signed as such, and didn’t appear to be pure Gayals. Could they be hybrids?
There might be a few pure Gaurs around, but most will be Gayals or hybrids I would think.
Not every species in the private trade is in zoos, and not all will enter zoos eventually, either. Black-footed Cat might become more common in the future, but it also might not.
I forgot to mention many species are rare or absent in captivity because they are just too picky when it comes to the minimum standards of living you have to provide.
Indris and mountain gorillas are picky eaters and they are absent from captivity outside Africa partly because of their strict diet (however, due to knowledge acquired from keeping both gorilla species in captivity, I guess they would fare better now).
Pelagic fish struggle in captivity because many end up crashing into walls due to their never-ending swimming behaviour. White sharks are one of the more well-known example.
Deep sea fish (with a few exceptions) do not do well in aquaria because they die under lower levels of water pressure. That's why almost no blobfish are in captivity.
Other animals travel HUGE distances and face several challenges when kept in a zoo. That is why elephants are being phased out by so many places. Polar bears are also loosing ground because of their wide ranges (also because they struggle in warmer climates.
Baleen whales are just too big, while animals like narwhals and tarsiers are prone to stress. Many gazelle species are also vulnerable to disease when held in inappropriate environments.
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