Snowleopard's Mammals: A Lifetime List of Species Mammalian and Non-Mammalian

[cerperal]

I've never heard of the population in Patagonia? Do you have any places with more info? All I can see is some casual references on some hunting sites, and while it's unclear it sounds like they're just talking about hunting ranches.

I'd originally read about the population a few years ago, I can't remember where but from what I recall they were originally a hunting population that have since gotten out of hand. The videos and information from @Enzo is much appreciated, I would imagine nilgai are poorly adapted to the Patagonian climate so perhaps that's why, or just because nobody's thought to introduce them. I suspect oryx wouldn't have a great time down there either

 

[snowleopard]

At one time, seeing an Arabian Oryx in captivity would have been jaw-dropping for a zoo nerd. This species has had a precarious past, yet it was literally saved by zoos and it's an example of a wonderful success story. These days, this type of oryx is in close to 50 zoos worldwide, an astonishing example of an animal that was declared extinct in the wild and yet was reintroduced in the 1980s and has thrived in many areas ever since.

I have seen Arabian Oryx at 16 zoos (10 USA, 4 Europe, 2 Asia) and that's the same exact total for several other species on my Bovidae list: Gaur, Lesser Kudu, Muskox and Springbok.

1- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – Arabian Oryx – 2003
2- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2006
3- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
4- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
5- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
6- Zoo Miami (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
7- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2010
8- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2011
9- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2011
10- Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2015
11- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2015
12- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
13- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
14- Serengeti-Park (Germany) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
15- Faunaland Ancol (Indonesia) – Arabian Oryx – 2024
16- Fauna Indonesia: Wildlife Breeding Centre (Indonesia) – Arabian Oryx – 2024

Arabian Oryx can have long, thin horns with very sharp ends.

@Fresco3

The very first time I saw Arabian Oryx was more than 20 years ago at Zurich Zoo (Switzerland). It would be interesting to note if the Oryx House in these next two photos is the same one I entered in 2003. Or has the species shifted its location in the zoo?

Both images via @Gil

Here's the rather nondescript Arabian Oryx paddock back then:

@Baldur

A long time ago, Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) had Arabian Oryx:

@Baldur

Perhaps no other zoo in the world is more closely associated with Arabian Oryx than Phoenix Zoo (USA). The desert-like setting of Arizona was deemed perfect for Operation Oryx in the early 1960s and the link below has a wealth of information about saving this mammal from extinction.

Saving Species: Arabian Oryx - Phoenix Zoo

My photo from last year shows the Arabian Oryx statue and informational signs about Operation Oryx at Phoenix Zoo (USA):

@Ituri

Zoo Miami (USA) has maintained Arabian Oryx for many years, in one of those typical Miami cookie-cutter moats that are found all over the zoo.

@Austin the Sengi

There's 6 Arabian Oryx in this photo from my 2008 visit:

A zoo full of rarities was the case (and that idea still exists a little today) at Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) in southern Texas. When I visited in 2010 I saw Arabian Oryx, Beisa Oryx, Gaur, Red Brocket Deer, Jentink's Duiker and Bornean Bearded Pig!

At Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA), it's possible to take the Sky Ride over the Arabian Oryx paddock.

I trudged around Living Desert Zoo (USA) last summer and on the day of my visit it was 45 degrees Celsius/113 Fahrenheit, which is normal for July in the desert. The Arabian Oryx were in their element!

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) had Arabian Oryx around a decade ago, seen via the drive-through area.

@jbnbsn99

The other big Texas zoo that is seen almost entirely via a drive-through section is Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA), and there used to be a big herd of Arabian Oryx there as well.

@jbnbsn99

In my review of Planckendael Zoo (Belgium), I wrote "that was a surprise!" when mentioning the Arabian Oryx I saw there in 2019. The zoo used to have Slender-horned Gazelles and Arabian Oryx together...two real zoological rarities! I'm not sure that Planckendael has either species these days and if that's the case then it's a real shame.

@KevinB

Herd of ungulates? Check. Green fence? Check. It must be Berlin Tierpark (Germany) as the next zoo on my list with Arabian Oryx.

@Patrick87

I saw Arabian Oryx twice while in Indonesia. Once was a private evening tour of Fauna Indonesia: Wildlife Breeding Centre (more on that place when I begin my Asian zoo trip thread in 2025) and my photo below shows the entire exhibit for two Arabian Oryx at Faunaland Ancol (Indonesia), a small establishment with a crazy number of rarities. @twilighter and I actually visited twice in the same day as it doesn't take long to tour, but while there we saw these oryx, an albino Siamang (my favourite animal of the entire Asia trip), a Grizzled Tree Kangaroo, Proboscis Monkeys, a troop of albino Crab-eating Macaques, a Spectral Tarsier, Sumatran Dholes, Asiatic Golden Cats and the only Bornean subspecies of Sunda Clouded Leopard in captivity anywhere. It's an extraordinary place for zoo nerds, but this Arabian Oryx yard is dismal and in fact most of the exhibits at the zoo are disappointing. Bittersweet.

Family Bovidae: 49 species so far

American Bison - 104 zoos
Bongo - 58 zoos
Common Eland - 58 zoos
Greater Kudu - 51 zoos
Blackbuck - 45 zoos
Scimitar-horned Oryx - 43 zoos
Waterbuck - 43 zoos
Nilgai - 40 zoos
Impala - 38 zoos
Addax - 36 zoos
Dama Gazelle - 36 zoos
Sable Antelope - 32 zoos
Sitatunga - 29 zoos
Banteng - 27 zoos
Yak - 26 zoos
Nyala - 25 zoos
Southern Lechwe - 22 zoos
Cape Buffalo - 21 zoos (including 7 with African Forest Buffalo)
Kirk's Dik-dik - 21 zoos
Gerenuk - 19 zoos
Lowland Anoa - 18 zoos
Thomson's Gazelle - 18 zoos
Asian Water Buffalo - 17 zoos
Arabian Oryx - 16 zoos
Gaur - 16 zoos
Lesser Kudu - 16 zoos
Muskox - 16 zoos
Springbok - 16 zoos
Wisent - 15 zoos
Roan Antelope - 14 zoos
Nile Lechwe - 12 zoos
Grant's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Speke's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Slender-horned Gazelle - 9 zoos
Guenther's Dik-dik - 7 zoos
Cuvier's Gazelle - 6 zoos
Giant Eland - 5 zoos
Goitered Gazelle - 5 zoos
Soemmerring's Gazelle - 5 zoos
Steenbok - 3 zoos
Cavendish's Dik-dik - 2 zoos
Dorcas Gazelle - 2 zoos
Mountain Anoa - 2 zoos
Royal Antelope - 2 zoos
Mountain Reedbuck - 1 zoo (Berlin Tierpark - Germany)
Northern Bushbuck - 1 zoo (Gladys Porter Zoo - USA)
Red-fronted Gazelle - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo Safari Park - USA)
Rhebok - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo)
Saiga - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)

Bonus species: (similar to my New Guinea Singing Dog example)

Gayal - 2 zoos

 

[KevinB]

Its good news, especially as Banjoko only arrived in mid December last year. I know from reports of the zoo that he was introduced to the females (Chama and M'Fugaji ) very sooner after- on the day after his arrival. But with an eight and a half month gestation, conception must still have occurred very early on.

At one time, seeing an Arabian Oryx in captivity would have been jaw-dropping for a zoo nerd. This species has had a precarious past, yet it was literally saved by zoos and it's an example of a wonderful success story. These days, this type of oryx is in close to 50 zoos worldwide, an astonishing example of an animal that was declared extinct in the wild and yet was reintroduced in the 1980s and has thrived in many areas ever since.

I have seen Arabian Oryx at 16 zoos (10 USA, 4 Europe, 2 Asia) and that's the same exact total for several other species on my Bovidae list: Gaur, Lesser Kudu, Muskox and Springbok.

1- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – Arabian Oryx – 2003
2- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2006
3- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
4- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
5- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
6- Zoo Miami (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
7- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2010
8- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2011
9- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2011
10- Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2015
11- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2015
12- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
13- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
14- Serengeti-Park (Germany) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
15- Faunaland Ancol (Indonesia) – Arabian Oryx – 2024
16- Fauna Indonesia: Wildlife Breeding Centre (Indonesia) – Arabian Oryx – 2024

Arabian Oryx can have long, thin horns with very sharp ends.

@Fresco3

The very first time I saw Arabian Oryx was more than 20 years ago at Zurich Zoo (Switzerland). It would be interesting to note if the Oryx House in these next two photos is the same one I entered in 2003. Or has the species shifted its location in the zoo?

Both images via @Gil

Here's the rather nondescript Arabian Oryx paddock back then:

@Baldur

A long time ago, Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) had Arabian Oryx:

@Baldur

Perhaps no other zoo in the world is more closely associated with Arabian Oryx than Phoenix Zoo (USA). The desert-like setting of Arizona was deemed perfect for Operation Oryx in the early 1960s and the link below has a wealth of information about saving this mammal from extinction.

Saving Species: Arabian Oryx - Phoenix Zoo

My photo from last year shows the Arabian Oryx statue and informational signs about Operation Oryx at Phoenix Zoo (USA):

@Ituri

Zoo Miami (USA) has maintained Arabian Oryx for many years, in one of those typical Miami cookie-cutter moats that are found all over the zoo.

@Austin the Sengi

There's 6 Arabian Oryx in this photo from my 2008 visit:

A zoo full of rarities was the case (and that idea still exists a little today) at Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) in southern Texas. When I visited in 2010 I saw Arabian Oryx, Beisa Oryx, Gaur, Red Brocket Deer, Jentink's Duiker and Bornean Bearded Pig!

At Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA), it's possible to take the Sky Ride over the Arabian Oryx paddock.

I trudged around Living Desert Zoo (USA) last summer and on the day of my visit it was 45 degrees Celsius/113 Fahrenheit, which is normal for July in the desert. The Arabian Oryx were in their element!

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) had Arabian Oryx around a decade ago, seen via the drive-through area.

@jbnbsn99

The other big Texas zoo that is seen almost entirely via a drive-through section is Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA), and there used to be a big herd of Arabian Oryx there as well.

@jbnbsn99

In my review of Planckendael Zoo (Belgium), I wrote "that was a surprise!" when mentioning the Arabian Oryx I saw there in 2019. The zoo used to have Slender-horned Gazelles and Arabian Oryx together...two real zoological rarities! I'm not sure that Planckendael has either species these days and if that's the case then it's a real shame.

@KevinB

Herd of ungulates? Check. Green fence? Check. It must be Berlin Tierpark (Germany) as the next zoo on my list with Arabian Oryx.

@Patrick87

I saw Arabian Oryx twice while in Indonesia. Once was a private evening tour of Fauna Indonesia: Wildlife Breeding Centre (more on that place when I write my Asian thread reports in 2025) and my photo below shows the entire exhibit for two Arabian Oryx at Faunaland Ancol (Indonesia), a small establishment with a crazy number of rarities. @twilighter and I actually visited twice in the same day as it doesn't take long to tour, but while there we saw these oryx, an albino Siamang (my favourite animal of the entire Asia trip), a Grizzled Tree Kangaroo, Proboscis Monkeys, a troop of albino Crab-eating Macaques, a Spectral Tarsier, Sumatran Dholes, Asiatic Golden Cats and the only Bornean subspecies of Sunda Clouded Leopard in captivity anywhere. It's an extraordinary place for zoo nerds, but this Arabian Oryx yard is dismal and in fact most of the exhibits at the zoo are disappointing. Bittersweet.

Family Bovidae: 49 species so far

American Bison - 104 zoos
Bongo - 58 zoos
Common Eland - 58 zoos
Greater Kudu - 51 zoos
Blackbuck - 45 zoos
Scimitar-horned Oryx - 43 zoos
Waterbuck - 43 zoos
Nilgai - 40 zoos
Impala - 38 zoos
Addax - 36 zoos
Dama Gazelle - 36 zoos
Sable Antelope - 32 zoos
Sitatunga - 29 zoos
Banteng - 27 zoos
Yak - 26 zoos
Nyala - 25 zoos
Southern Lechwe - 22 zoos
Cape Buffalo - 21 zoos (including 7 with African Forest Buffalo)
Kirk's Dik-dik - 21 zoos
Gerenuk - 19 zoos
Lowland Anoa - 18 zoos
Thomson's Gazelle - 18 zoos
Asian Water Buffalo - 17 zoos
Arabian Oryx - 16 zoos
Gaur - 16 zoos
Lesser Kudu - 16 zoos
Muskox - 16 zoos
Springbok - 16 zoos
Wisent - 15 zoos
Roan Antelope - 14 zoos
Nile Lechwe - 12 zoos
Grant's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Speke's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Slender-horned Gazelle - 9 zoos
Guenther's Dik-dik - 7 zoos
Cuvier's Gazelle - 6 zoos
Giant Eland - 5 zoos
Goitered Gazelle - 5 zoos
Soemmerring's Gazelle - 5 zoos
Steenbok - 3 zoos
Cavendish's Dik-dik - 2 zoos
Dorcas Gazelle - 2 zoos
Mountain Anoa - 2 zoos
Royal Antelope - 2 zoos
Mountain Reedbuck - 1 zoo (Berlin Tierpark - Germany)
Northern Bushbuck - 1 zoo (Gladys Porter Zoo - USA)
Red-fronted Gazelle - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo Safari Park - USA)
Rhebok - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo)
Saiga - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)

Bonus species: (similar to my New Guinea Singing Dog example)

Gayal - 2 zoos

Planckendael no longer keeps either slender-horned gazelle (the very last one in Europe died there not too long ago) and the last Arabian oryx at Planckendael has also since died.

There are still Arabian oryxes in European zoos, but they are not that common sadly.

 

[Austin the Sengi]

At this point, if anyone were to ask me every time @snowleopard mentions my media for his lifetime list of species thread, I’d have eight nickels.

On a more serious note, zoos in the Southeastern United States have often struggled to maintain most desert ungulates thanks to the region’s humidity. Which, consequently, is why it took me as long as this past April to finally see one in person at my all-time favorite zoo.

 

[Enzo]

I'd originally read about the population a few years ago, I can't remember where but from what I recall they were originally a hunting population that have since gotten out of hand. The videos and information from @Enzo is much appreciated, I would imagine nilgai are poorly adapted to the Patagonian climate so perhaps that's why, or just because nobody's thought to introduce them. I suspect oryx wouldn't have a great time down there either

I am quite sure nilgai are not invasive to Argentina (or anywhere else in South America) because thankfully, nobody tried releasing them. I reckon they would fare very well, especially in Argentina, despite the cold.

 

[Enzo]

At one time, seeing an Arabian Oryx in captivity would have been jaw-dropping for a zoo nerd. This species has had a precarious past, yet it was literally saved by zoos and it's an example of a wonderful success story. These days, this type of oryx is in close to 50 zoos worldwide, an astonishing example of an animal that was declared extinct in the wild and yet was reintroduced in the 1980s and has thrived in many areas ever since.

I have seen Arabian Oryx at 16 zoos (10 USA, 4 Europe, 2 Asia) and that's the same exact total for several other species on my Bovidae list: Gaur, Lesser Kudu, Muskox and Springbok.

1- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – Arabian Oryx – 2003
2- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2006
3- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
4- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
5- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
6- Zoo Miami (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2008
7- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2010
8- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2011
9- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2011
10- Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2015
11- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA) – Arabian Oryx – 2015
12- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
13- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
14- Serengeti-Park (Germany) – Arabian Oryx – 2019
15- Faunaland Ancol (Indonesia) – Arabian Oryx – 2024
16- Fauna Indonesia: Wildlife Breeding Centre (Indonesia) – Arabian Oryx – 2024

Arabian Oryx can have long, thin horns with very sharp ends.

@Fresco3

The very first time I saw Arabian Oryx was more than 20 years ago at Zurich Zoo (Switzerland). It would be interesting to note if the Oryx House in these next two photos is the same one I entered in 2003. Or has the species shifted its location in the zoo?

Both images via @Gil

Here's the rather nondescript Arabian Oryx paddock back then:

@Baldur

A long time ago, Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) had Arabian Oryx:

@Baldur

Perhaps no other zoo in the world is more closely associated with Arabian Oryx than Phoenix Zoo (USA). The desert-like setting of Arizona was deemed perfect for Operation Oryx in the early 1960s and the link below has a wealth of information about saving this mammal from extinction.

Saving Species: Arabian Oryx - Phoenix Zoo

My photo from last year shows the Arabian Oryx statue and informational signs about Operation Oryx at Phoenix Zoo (USA):

@Ituri

Zoo Miami (USA) has maintained Arabian Oryx for many years, in one of those typical Miami cookie-cutter moats that are found all over the zoo.

@Austin the Sengi

There's 6 Arabian Oryx in this photo from my 2008 visit:

A zoo full of rarities was the case (and that idea still exists a little today) at Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) in southern Texas. When I visited in 2010 I saw Arabian Oryx, Beisa Oryx, Gaur, Red Brocket Deer, Jentink's Duiker and Bornean Bearded Pig!

At Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA), it's possible to take the Sky Ride over the Arabian Oryx paddock.

I trudged around Living Desert Zoo (USA) last summer and on the day of my visit it was 45 degrees Celsius/113 Fahrenheit, which is normal for July in the desert. The Arabian Oryx were in their element!

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) had Arabian Oryx around a decade ago, seen via the drive-through area.

@jbnbsn99

The other big Texas zoo that is seen almost entirely via a drive-through section is Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA), and there used to be a big herd of Arabian Oryx there as well.

@jbnbsn99

In my review of Planckendael Zoo (Belgium), I wrote "that was a surprise!" when mentioning the Arabian Oryx I saw there in 2019. The zoo used to have Slender-horned Gazelles and Arabian Oryx together...two real zoological rarities! I'm not sure that Planckendael has either species these days and if that's the case then it's a real shame.

@KevinB

Herd of ungulates? Check. Green fence? Check. It must be Berlin Tierpark (Germany) as the next zoo on my list with Arabian Oryx.

@Patrick87

I saw Arabian Oryx twice while in Indonesia. Once was a private evening tour of Fauna Indonesia: Wildlife Breeding Centre (more on that place when I begin my Asian zoo trip thread in 2025) and my photo below shows the entire exhibit for two Arabian Oryx at Faunaland Ancol (Indonesia), a small establishment with a crazy number of rarities. @twilighter and I actually visited twice in the same day as it doesn't take long to tour, but while there we saw these oryx, an albino Siamang (my favourite animal of the entire Asia trip), a Grizzled Tree Kangaroo, Proboscis Monkeys, a troop of albino Crab-eating Macaques, a Spectral Tarsier, Sumatran Dholes, Asiatic Golden Cats and the only Bornean subspecies of Sunda Clouded Leopard in captivity anywhere. It's an extraordinary place for zoo nerds, but this Arabian Oryx yard is dismal and in fact most of the exhibits at the zoo are disappointing. Bittersweet.

Family Bovidae: 49 species so far

American Bison - 104 zoos
Bongo - 58 zoos
Common Eland - 58 zoos
Greater Kudu - 51 zoos
Blackbuck - 45 zoos
Scimitar-horned Oryx - 43 zoos
Waterbuck - 43 zoos
Nilgai - 40 zoos
Impala - 38 zoos
Addax - 36 zoos
Dama Gazelle - 36 zoos
Sable Antelope - 32 zoos
Sitatunga - 29 zoos
Banteng - 27 zoos
Yak - 26 zoos
Nyala - 25 zoos
Southern Lechwe - 22 zoos
Cape Buffalo - 21 zoos (including 7 with African Forest Buffalo)
Kirk's Dik-dik - 21 zoos
Gerenuk - 19 zoos
Lowland Anoa - 18 zoos
Thomson's Gazelle - 18 zoos
Asian Water Buffalo - 17 zoos
Arabian Oryx - 16 zoos
Gaur - 16 zoos
Lesser Kudu - 16 zoos
Muskox - 16 zoos
Springbok - 16 zoos
Wisent - 15 zoos
Roan Antelope - 14 zoos
Nile Lechwe - 12 zoos
Grant's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Speke's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Slender-horned Gazelle - 9 zoos
Guenther's Dik-dik - 7 zoos
Cuvier's Gazelle - 6 zoos
Giant Eland - 5 zoos
Goitered Gazelle - 5 zoos
Soemmerring's Gazelle - 5 zoos
Steenbok - 3 zoos
Cavendish's Dik-dik - 2 zoos
Dorcas Gazelle - 2 zoos
Mountain Anoa - 2 zoos
Royal Antelope - 2 zoos
Mountain Reedbuck - 1 zoo (Berlin Tierpark - Germany)
Northern Bushbuck - 1 zoo (Gladys Porter Zoo - USA)
Red-fronted Gazelle - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo Safari Park - USA)
Rhebok - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo)
Saiga - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)

Bonus species: (similar to my New Guinea Singing Dog example)

Gayal - 2 zoos

I missed them by a few years in Lisbon.

No records of Arabian oryx in Brazil, unless the Antilope arabica I previously mentioned was actually an oryx instead of a gazelle.

 

[Chlidonias]

No records of Arabian oryx in Brazil, unless the Antilope arabica I previously mentioned was actually an oryx instead of a gazelle.

Antilope arabica is a synonym of Gazella arabica.

 

[Enzo]

Antilope arabica is a synonym of Gazella arabica.

Indeed. Thus, no Arabian oryx in Brazil.

 

[snowleopard]

Found at close to 70 zoos worldwide, according to Zootierliste, Gemsbok are striking mammals with fantastic colouration. Unfortunately, you can count on one hand the number of AZA zoos that still maintain the species, as they've been phased out of multiple accredited zoos in the last 15 years. Also, I only saw Gemsbok at 6 zoos out of 120 in Europe, but surprisingly came across them 3 times in Asia. Both @Enzo and @Nix might have seen the species in Brazilian and South African zoos, respectively, but it would appear that Gemsbok are not a zoological rarity and yet the species is also not very common as well. They are one of those animals that I delight to see, whenever they pop up in a zoo.

I've seen Gemsbok at 20 zoos:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Gemsbok – 1975
2- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Gemsbok – 2006
3- Zoo Miami (USA) – Gemsbok – 2008
4- Wildlife Safari (USA) – Gemsbok – 2010
5- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Gemsbok – 2010
6- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – Gemsbok – 2010
7- Dallas Zoo (USA) – Gemsbok – 2010
8- Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) – Gemsbok – 2015
9- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA) – Gemsbok – 2015
10- Out of Africa (USA) – Gemsbok – 2015
11- Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA) – Gemsbok – 2017
12- Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) – Gemsbok – 2019
13- Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – Gemsbok – 2019
14- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Gemsbok – 2019
15- Serengeti-Park (Germany) – Gemsbok – 2019
16- Givskud Zoo (Denmark) – Gemsbok – 2022
17- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Gemsbok – 2022
18- Khao Kheow Zoo (Thailand) – Gemsbok – 2024
19- Safari World Bangkok (Thailand) – Gemsbok – 2024
20- Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia) – Gemsbok – 2024

Of the members in the Genus ORYX, Gemsbok have the darkest legs and flanks. Rather than the pure white hindquarters of Scimitar-horned Oryx and Arabian Oryx, Gemsbok have a darker, more beige-like appearance and then some striking black-and-white dashes of colour.

@Ding Lingwei

San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) is a facility that seems to have had just about every single type of Bovidae that I've ever seen at one point or another.

@Julio C Castro

I saw Gemsbok at Zoo Miami (USA) in 2008, but the most recent ZooChat photos of this species in Miami is from 2012 and so it would seem that Gemsbok are gone from the zoo. At one time, Lowland Anoa were held in this paddock in the post-Gemsbok era.

@geomorph

Wildlife Safari (USA) used to have Gemsbok in their big drive-through African zone, alongside the likes of Giraffe, Plains Zebra and Watusi.

When I toured Buffalo Zoo (USA) in 2010, the zoo had two fairly small paddocks for Gemsbok and with a holding building with a different looking stone exterior. Here are my photos:

The massive, absolutely gargantuan African Savanna at North Carolina Zoo (USA) held Gemsbok during my visit in 2010.

You can see a couple of Gemsbok, an Ostrich and what appears to be an Addax all together in this exhibit at Dallas Zoo (USA). This enclosure could only be seen via the now defunct monorail ride. Those were the days...

@Baldur

Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch (USA) has held Gemsbok in the past.

@Pleistohorse

My 2015 photo from Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA) shows a huge herd of around 25 Gemsbok. Like many African antelope, this species thrives in the Texas heat.

Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) has a very small, mainly cement paddock for Gemsbok. My photo from 2019 shows some Plains Zebras in with a couple of goats (!!) next door.

Safaripark Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) has a nice array of hoofstock, including Gemsbok:

@vogelcommando

At that Dutch zoo, there's a massive area for many ungulates to roam in a drive-through section, as well as Gemsbok artwork on a wall!

@KevinB

Berlin Zoo (Germany) has maintained Gemsbok for a very long time, shifting the species around in the park at various times.

@Jogy

Here's where the Gemsbok were 20 years ago...what stunning architecture!

@Baldur

The vast African Savanna (one of two!) at Givskud Zoo (Denmark) has been home to Gemsbok for a long time.

@Anton

They are tricky to spot, but while riding the gondola at Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) it is possible to see Gemsbok below.

@Dormitator

The jaw-dropping African Savanna at Khao Kheow Open Range Zoo (Thailand) includes Gemsbok and a number of other ungulates.

Batu Secret Zoo (Indonesia) has Gemsbok in one of the African Savanna exhibits.

Family Bovidae: 50 species so far

American Bison - 104 zoos
Bongo - 58 zoos
Common Eland - 58 zoos
Greater Kudu - 51 zoos
Blackbuck - 45 zoos
Scimitar-horned Oryx - 43 zoos
Waterbuck - 43 zoos
Nilgai - 40 zoos
Impala - 38 zoos
Addax - 36 zoos
Dama Gazelle - 36 zoos
Sable Antelope - 32 zoos
Sitatunga - 29 zoos
Banteng - 27 zoos
Yak - 26 zoos
Nyala - 25 zoos
Southern Lechwe - 22 zoos
Cape Buffalo - 21 zoos (including 7 with African Forest Buffalo)
Kirk's Dik-dik - 21 zoos
Gemsbok - 20 zoos
Gerenuk - 19 zoos
Lowland Anoa - 18 zoos
Thomson's Gazelle - 18 zoos
Asian Water Buffalo - 17 zoos
Arabian Oryx - 16 zoos
Gaur - 16 zoos
Lesser Kudu - 16 zoos
Muskox - 16 zoos
Springbok - 16 zoos
Wisent - 15 zoos
Roan Antelope - 14 zoos
Nile Lechwe - 12 zoos
Grant's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Speke's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Slender-horned Gazelle - 9 zoos
Guenther's Dik-dik - 7 zoos
Cuvier's Gazelle - 6 zoos
Giant Eland - 5 zoos
Goitered Gazelle - 5 zoos
Soemmerring's Gazelle - 5 zoos
Steenbok - 3 zoos
Cavendish's Dik-dik - 2 zoos
Dorcas Gazelle - 2 zoos
Mountain Anoa - 2 zoos
Royal Antelope - 2 zoos
Mountain Reedbuck - 1 zoo (Berlin Tierpark - Germany)
Northern Bushbuck - 1 zoo (Gladys Porter Zoo - USA)
Red-fronted Gazelle - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo Safari Park - USA)
Rhebok - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo)
Saiga - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)

Bonus species: (similar to my New Guinea Singing Dog example)

Gayal - 2 zoos

 

[NNM.]

Wildlife Safari (USA) used to have Gemsbok in their big drive-through African zone, alongside the likes of Giraffe, Plains Zebra and Watusi.

This picture makes it look like it's raining and everyone is trying to crowd themselves into the same shelter.

 

[Enzo]

Ah, gemsbok, my favourite antelope!

Indeed, I have seen gemsbok in Brazil.

My first time seeing one was at the São Paulo zoo, way back in 2013. I was filled with joy because it was already one of my favourites at the time. Notice it was in the same enclosure I had seen an addax a few months earlier.

The next time I saw an oryx was in 2015, at Beto Carrero World. The park's zoo, named Mundo Animal, was closed this year, but the oryx I saw there had already been moved elsewhere, but where was it sent to?

(Sorry, I can't find the picture of the gemsbok my mother took)

Then, three years later, I would across gemsbok, this time in way bigger numbers, at the Lisbon zoo. This was my first time seeing more than a single gemsbok at once.

(Sorry once again, I don't have the hard drive with me)

Two years later, I would see two oryx in Belo Horizonte. I saw them again in 2023, but sadly, they currently have no plans of breeding the species.

(It seems I cannot load the picture of the gemsbok I saw in Belo Horizonte in 2020. I did not photograph them in 2023 because they were in their shelters).

And, answering the question above, the oryx from Beto Carrero was sent to Animália Park, where I saw it this year! It has come to my knowledge it is a male named Romeu.

Taking a look at SISCITES, it is noticeable Animália Park wants to import a few gemsbok from Czechia.

Other former gemsbok holders in South America include:

- Araras;
- Bauru;
- Brasília;
- Curitiba;
- Itatiba;
- Simba Safari;
- Sorocaba;
- Temaikèn Bioparc.

Gil Alencar appears to have a few gemsbok in his property as well. The species was also present at Hacienda Nápoles in the 1970s.

 

[Jana]

Taking a look at SISCITES, it is noticeable Animália Park wants to import a few gemsbok from Czechia.

Most probable source of the animals is zoo Olomouc.

Olomouc has a large gemsbok herd and mixes male with the herd only in late spring each year to have all births happen within a short time-window in winter when they are all kept in stables. They bred 2.9 calves in 2023/2024 winter and now comes time to disperse them, first 2.1 went to Philippines few days ago and all others are also reserved. Just my fingers crossed that novel bluetongue outbreak that engulfed Czechia in last few months wont stop this export - our country lost its official free-of-bluetongue status last week, and many foreign countries now refuse CZ hoofstock imports even after vaccinations, quarantine and repeated testing.

 

[Enzo]

Most probable source of the animals is zoo Olomouc.

Olomouc has a large gemsbok herd and mixes male with the herd only in late spring each year to have all births happen within a short time-window in winter when they are all kept in stables. They bred 2.9 calves in 2023/2024 winter and now comes time to disperse them, first 2.1 went to Philippines few days ago and all others are also reserved. Just my fingers crossed that novel bluetongue outbreak that engulfed Czechia in last few months wont stop this export - our country lost its official free-of-bluetongue status last week, and many foreign countries now refuse CZ hoofstock imports even after vaccinations, quarantine and repeated testing.

Hmmm... I find it weird those gemsbok were not sent to Baluarte (Vigan City), the zoo with the most antelope species in the Philippines, but to Cebu City instead.

Baluarte holds bontebok, impala, sable antelope, springbok and probably a few more that I cannot remember right now.

I also have my fingers crossed. We need new blood in Brazil, as all of our zoo population of gemsbok (a whopping 2.1 individuals) is related.

 

[cerperal]

For such a charismatic and prominent background character for Southern Africa (I've always felt that they're far too often ignored by documentaries despite featuring on camera a lot), it is rather strange that Gemsbok are so uncommon in captivity. I've only seen them in Berlin, certainly nice to contrast the Gemsbok of the Zoo with the Beisa oryx of the Tierpark, and naturally at Whipsnade - also the UK's only holder of the species.

It wasn't too long ago that Marwell held Gemsbok, Beisa and Arabian oryx simultaneously, although the latter 2 still remain (in far diminished numbers, unfortunately). For many Zoochatters from the south of England Whipsnade and Marwell probably form the basis of our hoofstock lifetime list, and it's a shame that such a species at Gemsbok has been reduced to just 4 individuals in the UK

 

[Enzo]

For such a charismatic and prominent background character for Southern Africa (I've always felt that they're far too often ignored by documentaries despite featuring on camera a lot), it is rather strange that Gemsbok are so uncommon in captivity. I've only seen them in Berlin, certainly nice to contrast the Gemsbok of the Zoo with the Beisa oryx of the Tierpark, and naturally at Whipsnade - also the UK's only holder of the species.

It wasn't too long ago that Marwell held Gemsbok, Beisa and Arabian oryx simultaneously, although the latter 2 still remain (in far diminished numbers, unfortunately). For many Zoochatters from the south of England Whipsnade and Marwell probably form the basis of our hoofstock lifetime list, and it's a shame that such a species at Gemsbok has been reduced to just 4 individuals in the UK

You Brits are still lucky. South America is down to two species of Hippotraginae (addax and gemsbok).

 

[Osedax]

You Brits are still lucky. South America is down to two species of Hippotraginae (addax and gemsbok).

Australia is also down to two, those being Addax and Scimitar-horned Oryx, and New Zealand only has Addax.

However, Gemsbok were kept in Australia in the past. In 1987-8, 1.4 individuals were imported from Marwell (UK) to Pearl Coast Zoo in Broome, Western Australia (several other ungulates were imported from the UK at the same time - Grevy's Zebra, Sitatunga, Greater Kudu, Red Lechwe - all of which are now extinct in the Australasian region). Pearl Coast closed in 1991, and the animals went to Tipperary Wildlife Sanctuary, a cattle station in the Northern Territory that was bought by an entrepreneur named Warren Anderson in the '80s and used to keep various exotic species, mainly ungulates. I say they were "kept" there, but really they were just left to fend for themselves (which resulted in the infamous case of an escaped Pygmy Hippo living feral in the bush for a few years until it was accidentally shot by a pig hunter in 2009, as well as the less well known escape of a lechwe into Kakadu National Park...). When Tipperary stopped holding exotic animals (or at least trying to hold them) and went back to being a cattle station in 2004, the animals were sold to Mary River Station, which I suppose Americans would call a "hunting ranch". Most of the species at Mary River have died out, but there should still be some deer and Scimitar-horned Oryx, and possibly Australasia's last Nilgai might be still alive as well.

 

[nczoofan]

I will point out with regards to Dallas Zoo that the zoo should be breaking ground next year or so on the monorail replacement. The zoo was awarded $27.5 million as part of the city’s latest bond package. The plan is to build a second walking trail to access the existing habitats, some of the trail will be on the old track. It’ll restore access to a bunch of species that have been kept off display for years (many of which they still keep in large numbers) like somali wild ass, bongo, and gerenuk, speke’s gazelle. The zoo will also be bringing in white rhino and moving species like the cheetah, wild dogs, and vultures over to new exhibits. So the hoofstock will be back and viewable year round once this is completed.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Dallas/comments/1am21qi/dallas_zoos_proposed_plan_for_repurposing_former/

 

[snowleopard]

Thanks @Osedax for the truly fascinating historical information from Australia in regards to some hoofstock in the region. I spent one very long day in Kakadu National Park in 2007 and the number of birds there is extraordinary, but I certainly didn't know about an escape lechwe!

And thank you @nczoofan for posting that map about Dallas Zoo's future African walking track in the old monorail area. I've been on road trips through Texas in 2008, 2010 and 2015, and I have always ranked my top 3 Texas zoos as Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth, in that order. With Houston and Fort Worth having spent an absolute fortune on new exhibits in the past decade, they've risen in everyone's eyes, but Dallas now has a genuine opportunity to be the #1 again as the Safari Trail would be a substantial area with a lot of large mammals back on show to the public. One could make a strong case that Texas is the #1 U.S. state for zoos as the overall quality there is very strong.

In today's post, I will look at TWO very rare species.

East African Oryx, also called Beisa Oryx or Fringe-eared Oryx depending on the subspecies, are rarer in zoos than one might think. According to Zootierliste, there's only 3 AZA accredited zoos in North America with the species (North Carolina, SDZSP, The Wilds) as they've been phased out everywhere else. Total zoos in the world with Beisa Oryx numbers maybe only 25 and of the last 200 new zoos I've visited, I have seen the species only once.

These days, seeing a Hartebeest in captivity would almost be a mythical event as they are gone from close to every zoo in the world. Yet, when I was an extremely young child I saw Hartebeest at Alberta Game Farm in Edmonton, Canada. That zoo actually bred the species and the establishment was the first (and maybe only?) zoo in Canada to achieve that feat.

** If one wishes to gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about Hartebeests in European zoos, then you can purchase Issue 70, Spring 2024 of Zoo Grapevine & International Zoo News. In that particular magazine there's 7 pages of text and photos all about the history of Hartebeest in European zoos and it's a wealth of information.

I've seen Beisa Oryx at 10 zoos:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Beisa Oryx – 1975
2- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – (Fringe-eared) Beisa Oryx – 2006
3- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – (Fringe-eared) Beisa Oryx – 2008
4- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – (Fringe-eared) Beisa Oryx – 2010
5- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2010
6- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2011
7- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2014
8- Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2014
9- Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2018
10- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Beisa Oryx – 2019

AND...

I've seen Hartebeest at 1 zoo:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Hartebeest (listed as Cape) – 1975

Beisa Oryx look a lot like Gemsbok, especially the distinctive faces. It's the darker flanks and legs that set Gemsbok apart. Here's a Beisa Oryx at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA):

@Julio C Castro

It's amazing that San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) has had many desert antelope species that look alike. Addax, Scimitar-horned Oryx, Arabian Oryx, Gemsbok AND Beisa Oryx have all been at the park at various times. I wonder if SDZSP had all 5 species at once? It seems likely and once again any zoo nerd who lives in southern California is very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit this zoo on a regular basis.

@Valentinoamor

Back in the late 2000s/early 2010s, Woodland Park Zoo (USA) had Beisa Oryx on their African Savanna.

@Ituri

Here's a single White Rhino and more than a dozen Beisa Oryx at North Carolina Zoo (USA) roaming the Watani Grasslands plains.

@Astrotom3000

That zoo nerd rarity bonanza known as Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) had Beisa Oryx back when I visited in 2010.

Both photos via @Baldur

There's at least 5 Beisa Oryx resting in the shade in my 2023 photo from Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA). Aside from SDZSP, this zoo might be America's premier hoofstock destination.

That Arizona zoo, famed for its ungulates, has had Beisa Oryx for many years.

@Giant Eland

This enclosure for Beisa Oryx is as simple as it gets. Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) had the species when I toured the zoo in 2014 and it was quite a surprise to see them in a region that receives a ton of snow every winter. Someone mentioned earlier on this thread that the antelope at Hemker Park & Zoo are crated and moved south in the colder months.

That same summer, I toured Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) and a big, grassy paddock had the following 6 species all together: Beisa Oryx, Scimitar-horned Oryx, Greater Kudu, Common Eland, Nilgai and Yak. Wouldn't hybridization be an issue with the two oryx species? Or would this naff Wisconsin zoo not really care about that?

Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) had a small group of Beisa Oryx when I was there in 2019 and I have no idea if the zoo has had success with breeding or not but they look spectacular in their large exhibit.

Both photos via @KevinB

As for Hartebeest, I was too young to take photos of the Hartebeest I saw back in Canada in the late 1970s (and they were possibly still alive in the early 1980s), but between 2005 and 2013 Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) held Cape Hartebeest according to @KevinB and here is his photo:

Many hardcore zoo nerds are already well aware that the last Hartebeest in a European zoo died at Wroclaw Zoo (Poland). That could be a sad trivia question.

@twilighter

The closest I've come to seeing Hartebeest again, apart from many times in my early childhood, would be at Taiping Zoo (Malaysia) in August, because a big sign of the zoo's map still lists Red Hartebeest on it even though the species has probably been gone for 20 years! I couldn't resist taking a photo:

Family Bovidae: 52 species so far

American Bison - 104 zoos
Bongo - 58 zoos
Common Eland - 58 zoos
Greater Kudu - 51 zoos
Blackbuck - 45 zoos
Scimitar-horned Oryx - 43 zoos
Waterbuck - 43 zoos
Nilgai - 40 zoos
Impala - 38 zoos
Addax - 36 zoos
Dama Gazelle - 36 zoos
Sable Antelope - 32 zoos
Sitatunga - 29 zoos
Banteng - 27 zoos
Yak - 26 zoos
Nyala - 25 zoos
Southern Lechwe - 22 zoos
Cape Buffalo - 21 zoos (including 7 with African Forest Buffalo)
Kirk's Dik-dik - 21 zoos
Gemsbok - 20 zoos
Gerenuk - 19 zoos
Lowland Anoa - 18 zoos
Thomson's Gazelle - 18 zoos
Asian Water Buffalo - 17 zoos
Arabian Oryx - 16 zoos
Gaur - 16 zoos
Lesser Kudu - 16 zoos
Muskox - 16 zoos
Springbok - 16 zoos
Wisent - 15 zoos
Roan Antelope - 14 zoos
Nile Lechwe - 12 zoos
Grant's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Speke's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Beisa Oryx - 10 zoos
Slender-horned Gazelle - 9 zoos
Guenther's Dik-dik - 7 zoos
Cuvier's Gazelle - 6 zoos
Giant Eland - 5 zoos
Goitered Gazelle - 5 zoos
Soemmerring's Gazelle - 5 zoos
Steenbok - 3 zoos
Cavendish's Dik-dik - 2 zoos
Dorcas Gazelle - 2 zoos
Mountain Anoa - 2 zoos
Royal Antelope - 2 zoos
Hartebeest - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)
Mountain Reedbuck - 1 zoo (Berlin Tierpark - Germany)
Northern Bushbuck - 1 zoo (Gladys Porter Zoo - USA)
Red-fronted Gazelle - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo Safari Park - USA)
Rhebok - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo)
Saiga - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)

Bonus species: (similar to my New Guinea Singing Dog example)

Gayal - 2 zoos

 

[Kudu21]

Thanks @Osedax for the truly fascinating historical information from Australia in regards to some hoofstock in the region. I spent one very long day in Kakadu National Park in 2007 and the number of birds there is extraordinary, but I certainly didn't know about an escape lechwe!

And thank you @nczoofan for posting that map about Dallas Zoo's future African walking track in the old monorail area. I've been on road trips through Texas in 2008, 2010 and 2015, and I have always ranked my top 3 Texas zoos as Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth, in that order. With Houston and Fort Worth having spent an absolute fortune on new exhibits in the past decade, they've risen in everyone's eyes, but Dallas now has a genuine opportunity to be the #1 again as the Safari Trail would be a substantial area with a lot of large mammals back on show to the public. One could make a strong case that Texas is the #1 U.S. states for zoos as the overall quality there is very strong.

In today's post, I will look at TWO very rare species.

East African Oryx, also called Beisa Oryx or Fringe-eared Oryx depending on the subspecies, are rarer in zoos than one might think. According to Zootierliste, there's only 3 AZA accredited zoos in North America with the species (North Carolina, SDZSP, The Wilds) as they've been phased out everywhere else. Total zoos in the world with Beisa Oryx numbers maybe only 25 and of the last 200 new zoos I've visited has seen me come across this species only once.

These days, seeing a Hartebeest in captivity would almost be a mythical event as they are gone from close to every zoo in the world. Yet, when I was an extremely young child I saw Hartebeest at Alberta Game Farm in Edmonton, Canada. That zoo actually bred the species and the establishment was the first (and maybe only?) zoo in Canada to achieve the feat.

** If one wishes to gain a tremendous amount of knowledge about Hartebeests in European zoos, then you can purchase Issue 70, Spring 2024 of Zoo Grapevine & International Zoo News. In that particular magazine there's 7 pages of text and photos all about the history of Hartebeest in European zoos and it's a wealth of information.

I've seen Beisa Oryx at 10 zoos:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Beisa Oryx – 1975
2- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – (Fringe-eared) Beisa Oryx – 2006
3- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – (Fringe-eared) Beisa Oryx – 2008
4- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – (Fringe-eared) Beisa Oryx – 2010
5- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2010
6- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2011
7- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2014
8- Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2014
9- Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park (USA) – Beisa Oryx – 2018
10- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Beisa Oryx – 2019

AND...

I've seen Hartebeest at 1 zoo:

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Hartebeest (listed as Cape) – 1975

Beisa Oryx look a lot like Gemsbok, especially the distinctive faces. It's the darker flanks and legs that set Gemsbok apart. Here's a Beisa Oryx at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA):

@Julio C Castro

It's amazing that San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) has had many desert antelope species that look alike. Addax, Scimitar-horned Oryx, Arabian Oryx, Gemsbok AND Beisa Oryx have all been at the park at various times. I wonder if SDZSP had all 5 species at once? It seems likely and once again any zoo nerd who lives in southern California is very fortunate to have had the opportunity to visit this zoo on a regular basis.

@Valentinoamor

Back in the late 2000s/early 2010s, Woodland Park Zoo (USA) had Beisa Oryx on their African Savanna.

@Ituri

Here's a single White Rhino and more than a dozen Beisa Oryx at North Carolina Zoo (USA) roaming the Watani Grasslands plains.

@Astrotom3000

That zoo nerd rarity bonanza known as Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) had Beisa Oryx back when I visited in 2010.

Both photos via @Baldur

There's at least 5 Beisa Oryx resting in the shade in my 2023 photo from Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA). Aside from SDZSP, this zoo might be America's premier hoofstock destination.

That Arizona zoo, famed for its ungulates, has had Beisa Oryx for many years.

@Giant Eland

This enclosure for Beisa Oryx is as simple as it gets. Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) had the species when I toured the zoo in 2014 and it was quite a surprise to see them in a region that receives a ton of snow every winter. Someone mentioned earlier on this thread that the antelope at Hemker Park & Zoo are crated and moved south in the colder months.

That same summer, I toured Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) and a big, grassy paddock had the following 6 species all together: Beisa Oryx, Scimitar-horned Oryx, Greater Kudu, Common Eland, Nilgai and Yak. Wouldn't hybridization be an issue with the two oryx species? Or would this naff Wisconsin zoo not really care about that?

Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) had a small group of Beisa Oryx when I was there in 2019 and I have no idea if the zoo has had success with breeding or not but they look spectacular in their large exhibit.

Both photos via @KevinB

As for Hartebeest, I was too young to take photos of the Hartebeest I saw back in Canada in the late 1970s (and they were possibly still alive in the early 1980s), but between 2005 and 2013 Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) held Cape Hartebeest according to @KevinB and here is his photo:

Many hardcore zoo nerds are already well aware that the last Hartebeest in a European zoo died at Wroclaw Zoo (Poland). That could be a sad trivia question.

@twilighter

The closest I've come to seeing Hartebeest again, apart from many times in my early childhood, would be at Taiping Zoo (Malaysia) in August, because a big sign of the zoo's map still lists Red Hartebeest on it even though the species has probably been gone for 20 years! I couldn't resist taking a photo:

Family Bovidae: 52 species so far

American Bison - 104 zoos
Bongo - 58 zoos
Common Eland - 58 zoos
Greater Kudu - 51 zoos
Blackbuck - 45 zoos
Scimitar-horned Oryx - 43 zoos
Waterbuck - 43 zoos
Nilgai - 40 zoos
Impala - 38 zoos
Addax - 36 zoos
Dama Gazelle - 36 zoos
Sable Antelope - 32 zoos
Sitatunga - 29 zoos
Banteng - 27 zoos
Yak - 26 zoos
Nyala - 25 zoos
Southern Lechwe - 22 zoos
Cape Buffalo - 21 zoos (including 7 with African Forest Buffalo)
Kirk's Dik-dik - 21 zoos
Gemsbok - 20 zoos
Gerenuk - 19 zoos
Lowland Anoa - 18 zoos
Thomson's Gazelle - 18 zoos
Asian Water Buffalo - 17 zoos
Arabian Oryx - 16 zoos
Gaur - 16 zoos
Lesser Kudu - 16 zoos
Muskox - 16 zoos
Springbok - 16 zoos
Wisent - 15 zoos
Roan Antelope - 14 zoos
Nile Lechwe - 12 zoos
Grant's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Speke's Gazelle - 11 zoos
Beisa Oryx - 10 zoos
Slender-horned Gazelle - 9 zoos
Guenther's Dik-dik - 7 zoos
Cuvier's Gazelle - 6 zoos
Giant Eland - 5 zoos
Goitered Gazelle - 5 zoos
Soemmerring's Gazelle - 5 zoos
Steenbok - 3 zoos
Cavendish's Dik-dik - 2 zoos
Dorcas Gazelle - 2 zoos
Mountain Anoa - 2 zoos
Royal Antelope - 2 zoos
Hartebeest - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)
Mountain Reedbuck - 1 zoo (Berlin Tierpark - Germany)
Northern Bushbuck - 1 zoo (Gladys Porter Zoo - USA)
Red-fronted Gazelle - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo Safari Park - USA)
Rhebok - 1 zoo (San Diego Zoo)
Saiga - 1 zoo (Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park - Canada)

Bonus species: (similar to my New Guinea Singing Dog example)

Gayal - 2 zoos

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park currently maintains (and breeds) all four species of oryx as well as addax, and they have done so continuously for decades.

 

[Austin the Sengi]

While I certainly haven’t seen every ungulate in the thread thus far, there is one group of antelope I am very fortunate to have seen all living members. With that being the subfamily Hippotraginae; and for the first time ever on this thread, listed below is my own life list of every seen species:

Oryx - (4-4)
• Gemsbok / O. gazella at the SDZSP (2021), Lion Country Safari (2021), and Wild Florida (2022)

• East African Oryx* / O. beisa callotis at the SDZSP (2021)

• Arabian Oryx / O. leucoryx at Zoo Miami (2024)

• Scimitar-Horned Oryx / O. dammah at various facilities


Hippotragus - (2-2)
• Sable Antelope* / H. n. niger at various facilities; most notably Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Roan Antelope* / H. equinus cottoni at the SDZSP (2021) and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge


Addax - (1-1)
• Addax / A. nasomaculatus at various facilities; most notably Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge


(*Fringe-Eared subspecies, specifically)
(*Southern/Black subspecies, specifically)
(*West African subspecies, specifically)