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

[snowleopard]

I've seen Canada Lynx at 45 zoos. Adding this species together to the 50 zoos with Eurasian Lynx and 128 zoos with Bobcats, it becomes readily apparent that the genus LYNX contains animals I've seen on many occasions at a ton of zoos. (I can add Iberian Lynx to my wish list as I've yet to see that species) Several zoos have multiple LYNX species.

There's 36 American zoos and 9 Canadian zoos on the list, with zero zoos outside of North America as there's very few Canada Lynx in European collections. A fascinating fact is that there's only only 6 zoos (Montgomery, Heritage Park, Sierra Safari, Project Survival, Feline Conservation, Wildlife Learning Center) that would qualify as 'southern zoos', while the remaining 39 zoos are all in northern, colder climates suitable for this species. Even so, there's not many of these exhibits that I would call excellent, which is a shame as this is a feline that's fairly large and able to cover vast distances in the wild.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 1975
2- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 1998
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2005
4- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2006
5- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2008
6- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2008
7- Montreal Biodome (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2008
8- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2008
9- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2010
10- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2010
11- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2010
12- Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2012
13- Pocatello Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2012
14- Cat Tales Zoological Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
15- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
16- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
17- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
18- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
19- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
20- Ochsner Park Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
21- Racine Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
22- Wildlife Prairie Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
23- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
24- Willow Park Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
25- Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
26- Zoo Montana (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
27- Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
28- Sierra Safari Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
29- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
30- Olympic Game Farm (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2016
31- Project Survival’s Cat Haven (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2017
32- Feline Conservation Center (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2017
33- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2017
34- Border City Petting Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2018
35- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2018
36- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2018
37- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
38- MacKenzie Center (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
39- Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
40- Bear Den Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
41- Special Memories Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
42- Wildwood Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
43- Zollman Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
44- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2022
45- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2023

There's several spectacular images of a Canada Lynx in the Hamerton Zoo Park (UK) gallery, an example of this species in a European zoo.

@ro6ca66

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) is famous for its exhibits sliced out of nature, and their Canada Lynx habitat has stood the test of time.

It's not an enormous exhibit, but it's certainly nice to be a visitor looking out over a water moat to see the Lynx.

Montreal Biodome (Canada) opened in 1992 (inside an ex-Olympic velodrome!) and it's a zoo that displays flora and fauna from 4 ecosystems. There's a Canada Lynx exhibit as part of the Laurentian Forest area, entirely indoors but with lots of natural light and even some trees that change with the seasons.

@Newzooboy

When I was at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2010, the zoo had a Canada Lynx exhibit where the current AQUA: Water is Life zone is. There's even a small tire in with this Lynx!

A very disappointing Canada Lynx cage at Cat Tales Zoological Park (USA):

The two exhibits in this photo, one for Bobcats and one for Canada Lynx, are bizarre as they are flat, open enclosures. I took this photo at Bear Country (USA) and there's a steep drop-off and hotwire just below the metal railing.

Two small enclosures, one for Red Fox and the other for Canada Lynx, at Hemker Park Zoo (USA). Very poor indeed.

This is a better Canada Lynx exhibit. Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) has a really nice loop called Wisconsin Trails that's the highlight of the zoo.

Wildlife Prairie Park (USA) is a gem of a zoo in the state of Illinois, similar to Northwest Trek in many ways. Here's the Canada Lynx exhibit there:

It has that dreaded word in the title, and Yellowstone Wildlife 'Sanctuary' (USA) has peeling fences, chain-link yards and a smallish exhibit for Canada Lynx.

Thank goodness this next place closed down. Sierra Safari Zoo (USA), in the Nevada desert, had a Canada Lynx in this abysmal cage in piping hot temperatures.

West Coast Game Park Safari (USA), in southern Oregon, had both Eurasian Lynx and Canada Lynx when I toured the facility in 2015. Here's the Canada Lynx exhibit, with a floor that's all gravel.

Another Canada Lynx exhibit in an American zoo, another junky cage. Wildlife Learning Center (USA) in California:

Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) has a spacious Canada Lynx exhibit, much better than most of the examples on my list. This is probably one of the best Canada Lynx enclosures I've ever come across.

Here's a cement slab and a corn crib cage for a Canada Lynx at Bear Den Zoo (USA). What you see is the entire space for the animal.

This Canada Lynx exhibit at Special Memories Zoo (USA), now thankfully shut down, isn't much better:

Woodland Park Zoo (USA) brought Canada Lynx to the zoo with a new exhibit in 2022, which was actually a repurposed space that once held several owl species and North American Porcupines. This enclosure is in the Living Northwest Trail section, and it's a very open area that offers very little hiding opportunities for the Canada Lynx.

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos

 

[15399]

I've seen Canada Lynx at 45 zoos. Adding this species together to the 50 zoos with Eurasian Lynx and 128 zoos with Bobcats, it becomes readily apparent that the genus LYNX contains animals I've seen on many occasions at a ton of zoos. (I can add Iberian Lynx to my wish list as I've yet to see that species) Several zoos have multiple LYNX species.

There's 36 American zoos and 9 Canadian zoos on the list, with zero zoos outside of North America as there's very few Canada Lynx in European collections. A fascinating fact is that there's only only 6 zoos (Montgomery, Heritage Park, Sierra Safari, Project Survival, Feline Conservation, Wildlife Learning Center) that would qualify as 'southern zoos', while the remaining 39 zoos are all in northern, colder climates suitable for this species. Even so, there's not many of these exhibits that I would call excellent, which is a shame as this is a feline that's fairly large and able to cover vast distances in the wild.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 1975
2- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 1998
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2005
4- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2006
5- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2008
6- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2008
7- Montreal Biodome (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2008
8- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2008
9- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2010
10- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2010
11- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2010
12- Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2012
13- Pocatello Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2012
14- Cat Tales Zoological Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
15- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
16- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
17- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
18- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
19- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
20- Ochsner Park Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
21- Racine Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
22- Wildlife Prairie Park (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
23- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
24- Willow Park Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2014
25- Yellowstone Wildlife Sanctuary (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
26- Zoo Montana (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
27- Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
28- Sierra Safari Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
29- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2015
30- Olympic Game Farm (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2016
31- Project Survival’s Cat Haven (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2017
32- Feline Conservation Center (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2017
33- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2017
34- Border City Petting Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2018
35- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2018
36- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2018
37- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
38- MacKenzie Center (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
39- Wisconsin Big Cat Rescue (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
40- Bear Den Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
41- Special Memories Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
42- Wildwood Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
43- Zollman Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2018
44- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Canada Lynx – 2022
45- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Canada Lynx – 2023

There's several spectacular images of a Canada Lynx in the Hamerton Zoo Park (UK) gallery, an example of this species in a European zoo.

@ro6ca66

Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) is famous for its exhibits sliced out of nature, and their Canada Lynx habitat has stood the test of time.

It's not an enormous exhibit, but it's certainly nice to be a visitor looking out over a water moat to see the Lynx.

Montreal Biodome (Canada) opened in 1992 (inside an ex-Olympic velodrome!) and it's a zoo that displays flora and fauna from 4 ecosystems. There's a Canada Lynx exhibit as part of the Laurentian Forest area, entirely indoors but with lots of natural light and even some trees that change with the seasons.

@Newzooboy

When I was at Philadelphia Zoo (USA) in 2010, the zoo had a Canada Lynx exhibit where the current AQUA: Water is Life zone is. There's even a small tire in with this Lynx!

A very disappointing Canada Lynx cage at Cat Tales Zoological Park (USA):

The two exhibits in this photo, one for Bobcats and one for Canada Lynx, are bizarre as they are flat, open enclosures. I took this photo at Bear Country (USA) and there's a steep drop-off and hotwire just below the metal railing.

Two small enclosures, one for Red Fox and the other for Canada Lynx, at Hemker Park Zoo (USA). Very poor indeed.

This is a better Canada Lynx exhibit. Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) has a really nice loop called Wisconsin Trails that's the highlight of the zoo.

Wildlife Prairie Park (USA) is a gem of a zoo in the state of Illinois, similar to Northwest Trek in many ways. Here's the Canada Lynx exhibit there:

It has that dreaded word in the title, and Yellowstone Wildlife 'Sanctuary' (USA) has peeling fences, chain-link yards and a smallish exhibit for Canada Lynx.

Thank goodness this next place closed down. Sierra Safari Zoo (USA), in the Nevada desert, had a Canada Lynx in this abysmal cage in piping hot temperatures.

West Coast Game Park Safari (USA), in southern Oregon, had both Eurasian Lynx and Canada Lynx when I toured the facility in 2015. Here's the Canada Lynx exhibit, with a floor that's all gravel.

Another Canada Lynx exhibit in an American zoo, another junky cage. Wildlife Learning Center (USA) in California:

Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) has a spacious Canada Lynx exhibit, much better than most of the examples on my list. This is probably one of the best Canada Lynx enclosures I've ever come across.

Here's a cement slab and a corn crib cage for a Canada Lynx at Bear Den Zoo (USA). What you see is the entire space for the animal.

This Canada Lynx exhibit at Special Memories Zoo (USA), now thankfully shut down, isn't much better:

Woodland Park Zoo (USA) brought Canada Lynx to the zoo with a new exhibit in 2022, which was actually a repurposed space that once held several owl species and North American Porcupines. This enclosure is in the Living Northwest Trail section, and it's a very open area that offers very little hiding opportunities for the Canada Lynx.

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos

The Erie Zoo can be added to the list of facilities with excellent Canada lynx exhibits now. This exhibit creatively repurposed an old polar bear grotto, which had the moat filled in, natural substrate added, and netted over. The two shift doors and the general shape of the back rockwork is about the only thing to stay the same. Interestingly, this Canada lynx exhibit is at least twice the size of the zoo's exhibit for jaguars!
My photo of the lynx exhibit, showing probably around 70% of it:

When @snowleopard visited this zoo, the space still held polar bears:

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Mainland Clouded Leopards at 36 zoos. These felines have spectacular coats and they are a treat to see in a zoo. I saw this species at 9 zoos in the summer of 2008 and 7 times in the summer of 2019, with those years being my most successful for zoos having these amazing cats in their collections. Off the top of my head, I'm not sure that there's any open-topped exhibits for this species, which is quite the contrast compared to the many open-topped Cougar enclosures I listed earlier in this thread.

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 1994
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2006
3- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
4- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
5- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
6- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
7- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
8- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
9- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
10- Zoo Atlanta (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
11- Zoo Miami (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2008
12- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2010
13- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2010
14- Nashville Zoo at Grassmere (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2010
15- Houston Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2010
16- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2010
17- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2011
18- ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2012
19- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2012
20- Denver Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2012
21- Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2014
22- Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2014
23- Frank Buck Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2015
24- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2015
25- Ellen Trout Zoo (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2015
26- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2015
27- Feline Conservation Center (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2017
28- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Clouded Leopard – 2019
29- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Clouded Leopard – 2019
30- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Clouded Leopard – 2019
31- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Clouded Leopard – 2019
32- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – Clouded Leopard – 2019
33- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Clouded Leopard – 2019
34- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Clouded Leopard – 2019
35- Parken Zoo (Sweden) – Clouded Leopard – 2022
36- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Clouded Leopard – 2023

Clouded Leopards are gorgeous animals:

@Lafone

Parken Zoo (Sweden) has a huge setup for Clouded Leopards, with a spacious outdoor yard and then a massive indoor area. This exhibit held Giant Pandas back in the 1980s.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (USA) has had an established history with Clouded Leopards for a long time, with a lot of breeding success. Cats of the Canopy opened in 2011:

@Arizona Docent

Nashville Zoo (USA) is another prolific breeder of Clouded Leopards in North America.

@pachyderm pro

And Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) has bred a lot of Clouded Leopards as well. When I visited in 2014, the zoo had 15 of the animals in a behind-the-scenes area.

Denver Zoo (USA) has a really nice Clouded Leopard exhibit in its Toyota Elephant Passage complex, complete with lots of boulders, grass, tree branches and a pool.

Duisburg Zoo (Germany) has an exhibit for Clouded Leopards that is well-furnished with loads of logs in all directions.

@gulogulogulo

The same could be said of Dortmund Zoo (Germany):

@gulogulogulo

I saw Clouded Leopards in this exhibit at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) in 2012, but since then I have noticed that there are now Clouded Leopards in two exhibits attached to the Jacarlene Foundation Animal Care Campus. What now occupies the enclosure in this photo?

Houston Zoo (USA) had Clouded Leopards in this exhibit in 2015:

One of Houston's leopards yawning:

@Moebelle

San Diego Zoo (USA) has had Clouded Leopards in two or three different exhibits over the years, including this small cage in 2011 in the Urban Jungle loop:

San Diego Zoo had a Clouded Leopard in its animal show inside the Amphitheatre in 2003:

@Baldur

I saw a Clouded Leopard at San Antonio Zoo (USA) in 2010 within the Cat Grotto zone:

In general, there seems to be a higher standard of Clouded Leopard exhibits at zoos around the world in comparison to other feline species. However, don't fret, there are some junky ones on my list as well. Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) was practically a brand-new zoo when I visited in 2014 and the Clouded Leopard exhibit looked as if it was 50 years old!

Little Rock Zoo (USA) had a Clouded Leopard exhibit in 2012 that was a very old grotto, with hardly any natural substrate.

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos

 

[pachyderm pro]

I saw Clouded Leopards in this exhibit at ZooTampa at Lowry Park (USA) in 2012, but since then I have noticed that there are now Clouded Leopards in two exhibits attached to the Jacarlene Foundation Animal Care Campus. What now occupies the enclosure in this photo?

Binturongs inhabit this enclosure now and have for the past few years. While the clouded leopards at Tampa are now technically off-show, they can be viewed from a distance if you know where to look (by the waterslide I believe).

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Caracals at 31 zoos. They are more common in European zoos in comparison to North American ones, with almost twice as many in Europe. Being a cat that can leap a substantial distance, it's no surprise that they are found almost entirely within enclosed spaces.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Caracal – 1975
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2006
3- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
4- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Caracal – 2008
5- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
6- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Caracal – 2008
7- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
8- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
9- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
10- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Caracal – 2009
11- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
12- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
13- Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
14- Dallas Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
15- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Caracal – 2011
16- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2012
17- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2014
18- Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) – Caracal – 2014
19- Tiger Safari (USA) – Caracal – 2015
20- Houston Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2015
21- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Caracal – 2015
22- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Caracal – 2015
23- Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA) – Caracal – 2017
24- Monterey Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2017
25- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
26- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Caracal – 2019
27- Dierenpark de Oliemeulen (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
28- De Paay (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
29- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Caracal – 2022
30- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Caracal – 2022
31- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Caracal – 2023

San Diego Zoo (USA) has had Caracals at various times over the years and in different locations. Whether it is Polar Bear Plunge (!!) or the Kopje area near Africa Rocks or the Wildlife Ambassadors zone, Caracals seem to pop up here and there at this zoo.

@Julio C Castro

This exhibit has been home to Amur Leopards, Servals, Caracals, and perhaps even other species over the years. This 2014 photo was when it held Caracals:

@geomorph

When I toured the Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) in 2008, there were Caracals in the Great Cats area in this enclosure. It's another example of an exhibit that has held a variety of felines over the years.

@Baldur

Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) had Caracals in 2008 and there's one having a 'cat nap' in this photo:

When Oregon Zoo (USA) turned their Alaskan exhibits into Predators of the Serengeti in the fall of 2009, there were Caracals as part of that complex. The zoo still maintains African Lions, Cheetahs and African Wild Dogs in the same enclosures, but the Caracals are long gone. They were replaced by those famous Serengeti carnivores...lemurs!

The Caracal exhibit had clear glass tubes running through a few sections, which were tunnels for the Dwarf Mongooses in an adjacent exhibit. I don't know if the Caracals spent five seconds or five hours attempting to capture mongooses, but it was an innovative idea at the time.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) had a weird Caracal exhibit in 2010, as it was basically an old-fashioned, inadequate cage where visitors had to crouch down to see the cats on the ground level.

Dallas Zoo (USA) used to have a monorail ride and visitors would see a variety of ungulates across a large expanse of the zoo. That's all closed down now, but back in the day there was a rock-filled Caracal exhibit that could be seen on the tour.

@geomorph

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) has had Caracals for many years in the North American (!!) section of the zoo. Those African cats complement the Bobcats and Cougars in the same loop.

Right next to the noisy carpark is a tiny cage for a Caracal at DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) in 2014. Maybe an ex-pet?

Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) had two Caracals in a small exhibit that were at times taken out and walked around as they were educational ambassadors.

Houston Zoo (USA) exhibit for Caracals in 2015:

Great Cats World Park (USA) exhibit for Caracals in 2015. There are a couple of tarps being held up as sunshades via some rope, but it seems to me that this is technically an open-topped exhibit. Those type of enclosures are few and far between, and this is the same zoo that has an open-topped Jaguar exhibit. Risky!

Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA), which lost its AZA accreditation a few years ago due to "serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals", had Caracals when I visited in 2017. This place is outrageously priced, with the cheapest ticket currently at $120 U.S. ($164 Canadian) for a 3-hour guided visit. And it's not even AZA accredited!

Here's a basic, functional Caracal enclosure at Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands):

This fairly spacious Caracal exhibit is one I saw at Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark):

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) built this Caracal exhibit a few years ago as part of their Safari Park expansion:

Caracals are remarkable felines, with piercing eyes and large tufts on their ears:

@Stefan Verhoeven

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos
Caracals - 31 zoos

 

[aardvark250]

I've seen Caracals at 31 zoos. They are more common in European zoos in comparison to North American ones, with almost twice as many in Europe. Being a cat that can leap a substantial distance, it's no surprise that they are found almost entirely within enclosed spaces.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Caracal – 1975
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2006
3- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
4- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Caracal – 2008
5- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
6- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Caracal – 2008
7- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
8- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
9- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
10- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Caracal – 2009
11- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
12- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
13- Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
14- Dallas Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
15- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Caracal – 2011
16- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2012
17- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2014
18- Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) – Caracal – 2014
19- Tiger Safari (USA) – Caracal – 2015
20- Houston Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2015
21- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Caracal – 2015
22- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Caracal – 2015
23- Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA) – Caracal – 2017
24- Monterey Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2017
25- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
26- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Caracal – 2019
27- Dierenpark de Oliemeulen (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
28- De Paay (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
29- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Caracal – 2022
30- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Caracal – 2022
31- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Caracal – 2023

San Diego Zoo (USA) has had Caracals at various times over the years and in different locations. Whether it is Polar Bear Plunge (!!) or the Kopje area near Africa Rocks or the Wildlife Ambassadors zone, Caracals seem to pop up here and there at this zoo.

@Julio C Castro

This exhibit has been home to Amur Leopards, Servals, Caracals, and perhaps even other species over the years. This 2014 photo was when it held Caracals:

@geomorph

When I toured the Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) in 2008, there were Caracals in the Great Cats area in this enclosure. It's another example of an exhibit that has held a variety of felines over the years.

@Baldur

Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) had Caracals in 2008 and there's one having a 'cat nap' in this photo:

When Oregon Zoo (USA) turned their Alaskan exhibits into Predators of the Serengeti in the fall of 2009, there were Caracals as part of that complex. The zoo still maintains African Lions, Cheetahs and African Wild Dogs in the same enclosures, but the Caracals are long gone. They were replaced by those famous Serengeti carnivores...lemurs!

The Caracal exhibit had clear glass tubes running through a few sections, which were tunnels for the Dwarf Mongooses in an adjacent exhibit. I don't know if the Caracals spent five seconds or five hours attempting to capture mongooses, but it was an innovative idea at the time.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) had a weird Caracal exhibit in 2010, as it was basically an old-fashioned, inadequate cage where visitors had to crouch down to see the cats on the ground level.

Dallas Zoo (USA) used to have a monorail ride and visitors would see a variety of ungulates across a large expanse of the zoo. That's all closed down now, but back in the day there was a rock-filled Caracal exhibit that could be seen on the tour.

@geomorph

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) has had Caracals for many years in the North American (!!) section of the zoo. Those African cats complement the Bobcats and Cougars in the same loop.

Right next to the noisy carpark is a tiny cage for a Caracal at DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) in 2014. Maybe an ex-pet?

Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) had two Caracals in a small exhibit that were at times taken out and walked around as they were educational ambassadors.

Houston Zoo (USA) exhibit for Caracals in 2015:

Great Cats World Park (USA) exhibit for Caracals in 2015. There are a couple of tarps being held up as sunshades via some rope, but it seems to me that this is technically an open-topped exhibit. Those type of enclosures are few and far between, and this is the same zoo that has an open-topped Jaguar exhibit. Risky!

Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA), which lost its AZA accreditation a few years ago due to "serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals", had Caracals when I visited in 2017. This place is outrageously priced, with the cheapest ticket currently at $120 U.S. ($164 Canadian) for a 3-hour guided visit. And it's not even AZA accredited!

Here's a basic, functional Caracal enclosure at Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands):

This fairly spacious Caracal exhibit is one I saw at Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark):

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) built this Caracal exhibit a few years ago as part of their Safari Park expansion:

Caracals are remarkable felines, with piercing eyes and large tufts on their ears:

@Stefan Verhoeven

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos
Caracals - 31 zoos

Im surprised the number isnt higher consider their somewhat pet status!

 

[Nile Hippo Expert]

I've seen Caracals at 31 zoos. They are more common in European zoos in comparison to North American ones, with almost twice as many in Europe. Being a cat that can leap a substantial distance, it's no surprise that they are found almost entirely within enclosed spaces.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Caracal – 1975
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2006
3- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
4- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Caracal – 2008
5- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
6- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Caracal – 2008
7- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
8- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
9- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2008
10- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Caracal – 2009
11- Oregon Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
12- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
13- Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
14- Dallas Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2010
15- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Caracal – 2011
16- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2012
17- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2014
18- Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) – Caracal – 2014
19- Tiger Safari (USA) – Caracal – 2015
20- Houston Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2015
21- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Caracal – 2015
22- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Caracal – 2015
23- Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA) – Caracal – 2017
24- Monterey Zoo (USA) – Caracal – 2017
25- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
26- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Caracal – 2019
27- Dierenpark de Oliemeulen (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
28- De Paay (Netherlands) – Caracal – 2019
29- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Caracal – 2022
30- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Caracal – 2022
31- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Caracal – 2023

San Diego Zoo (USA) has had Caracals at various times over the years and in different locations. Whether it is Polar Bear Plunge (!!) or the Kopje area near Africa Rocks or the Wildlife Ambassadors zone, Caracals seem to pop up here and there at this zoo.

@Julio C Castro

This exhibit has been home to Amur Leopards, Servals, Caracals, and perhaps even other species over the years. This 2014 photo was when it held Caracals:

@geomorph

When I toured the Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) in 2008, there were Caracals in the Great Cats area in this enclosure. It's another example of an exhibit that has held a variety of felines over the years.

@Baldur

Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) had Caracals in 2008 and there's one having a 'cat nap' in this photo:

When Oregon Zoo (USA) turned their Alaskan exhibits into Predators of the Serengeti in the fall of 2009, there were Caracals as part of that complex. The zoo still maintains African Lions, Cheetahs and African Wild Dogs in the same enclosures, but the Caracals are long gone. They were replaced by those famous Serengeti carnivores...lemurs!

The Caracal exhibit had clear glass tubes running through a few sections, which were tunnels for the Dwarf Mongooses in an adjacent exhibit. I don't know if the Caracals spent five seconds or five hours attempting to capture mongooses, but it was an innovative idea at the time.

BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) had a weird Caracal exhibit in 2010, as it was basically an old-fashioned, inadequate cage where visitors had to crouch down to see the cats on the ground level.

Dallas Zoo (USA) used to have a monorail ride and visitors would see a variety of ungulates across a large expanse of the zoo. That's all closed down now, but back in the day there was a rock-filled Caracal exhibit that could be seen on the tour.

@geomorph

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) has had Caracals for many years in the North American (!!) section of the zoo. Those African cats complement the Bobcats and Cougars in the same loop.

Right next to the noisy carpark is a tiny cage for a Caracal at DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) in 2014. Maybe an ex-pet?

Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) had two Caracals in a small exhibit that were at times taken out and walked around as they were educational ambassadors.

Houston Zoo (USA) exhibit for Caracals in 2015:

Great Cats World Park (USA) exhibit for Caracals in 2015. There are a couple of tarps being held up as sunshades via some rope, but it seems to me that this is technically an open-topped exhibit. Those type of enclosures are few and far between, and this is the same zoo that has an open-topped Jaguar exhibit. Risky!

Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA), which lost its AZA accreditation a few years ago due to "serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals", had Caracals when I visited in 2017. This place is outrageously priced, with the cheapest ticket currently at $120 U.S. ($164 Canadian) for a 3-hour guided visit. And it's not even AZA accredited!

Here's a basic, functional Caracal enclosure at Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands):

This fairly spacious Caracal exhibit is one I saw at Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark):

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) built this Caracal exhibit a few years ago as part of their Safari Park expansion:

Caracals are remarkable felines, with piercing eyes and large tufts on their ears:

@Stefan Verhoeven

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos
Caracals - 31 zoos

Does anyone know what happened to Oregon’s Caracals? They had a breeding pair as of 2017 (I believe they are/were named Cricket and Peggy) but they are no longer there.

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Pallas's Cats at 29 zoos and only 4 of those zoos are outside North America. I've not come across this species at roadside American zoos and they've also been rare for me in Europe. By far and away the best setup for Pallas's Cats is at Nordens Ark (Sweden), which I've highlighted at the bottom of this post.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Pallas’s Cat– 1975
2- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 1996
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2006
4- Denver Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2006
5- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2008
6- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2008
7- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2008
8- Mountain View Conservation Centre (Canada) – Pallas’s Cat – 2008
9- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2010
10- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2010
11- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2010
12- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2010
13- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2012
14- Potter Park Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2012
15- Erie Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2012
16- Topeka Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2012
17- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2014
18- Red River Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2014
19- Lake Superior Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2014
20- Miller Park Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2014
21- Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2014
22- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2014
23- Project Survival’s Cat Haven (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2017
24- Feline Conservation Center (USA) – Pallas’s Cat – 2017
25- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Pallas’s Cat – 2019
26- Lille Zoo (France) – Pallas’s Cat – 2019
27- Zoo Neuwied (Germany) – Pallas’s Cat – 2019
28- Nordens Ark (Sweden) – Pallas’s Cat – 2022
29- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Pallas’s Cat – 2022

Lincoln Park Zoo (USA) used to have Pallas's Cats as part of its collection in the Kovler Lion House, with an outdoor exhibit attached to the historic building.

@geomorph

I think that Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) has had Pallas's Cats in the Asia Quest part of the zoo ever since it opened in 2006. It's an aesthetically pleasing exhibit, nicely landscaped for these small felines.

@Lucas Lang

@Moebelle

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) has kept Pallas's Cats inside their Feline House for decades, although now the building is known as Night Hunters.

@ZooNerd1234

Yet another AZA zoo beginning with the letter 'C', Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) had Pallas's Cats when I was there in 2010. The felines were kept in a cement bunker inside the Primate, Cat & Aquatics building.

Here is the Pallas's Cat exhibit inside the Predators building at Birmingham Zoo (USA) in 2010. Just like at Cleveland, the cats were kept indoors 24/7.

Much better is the Pallas's Cat exhibit within the Asian Highlands area at Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA):

Great Plains Zoo (USA) has had a small enclosure for Pallas's Cats for many years:

I saw this Pallas's Cat exhibit at Potter Park Zoo (USA) in 2012:

And since then the cats have been shifted here:

@Rhino0118

These two small enclosures were at Erie Zoo (USA) in 2012. The one on the left held Black-and-white Ruffed Lemurs and Red Ruffed Lemurs, while the one on the right held Pallas's Cats.

Red River Zoo (USA) had two exhibits for Pallas's Cats when I was there in 2014:

Just like at Cincinnati, Pallas's Cats have been kept inside a Nocturnal House at Lake Superior Zoo (USA):

@Dhole dude

Miller Park Zoo (USA) had Pallas's Cats when I was there in 2014:

I saw Pallas's Cats at Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) in 2014:

Lille Zoo (France) has a long, fairly spacious enclosure for Pallas's Cats and I saw an extremely active feline in this exhibit:

Zoo Neuwied (Germany) has Pallas's Cats in a series of connected enclosures that are not aesthetically pleasing but do allow the cats a large amount of space.

And then there's the world-class set of three Pallas's Cat exhibits at Nordens Ark (Sweden). That zoo has already been showcased on this thread with its Amur Tiger, Amur Leopard and Snow Leopard habitats, and now a 4th time is appropriate. It's remarkable that this zoo not only has three different exhibits for Pallas's Cats, and that @twilighter and I saw animals in all three enclosures, but the first two exhibits are open-topped! Every single other time I've seen a Pallas's Cat enclosure at a zoo, it's been covered with a roof. Nordens Ark has these remarkable open-topped exhibits with panes of glass separating visitors from the cats. I wonder if it's unique in the world of zoos?

Here are the three different exhibits:

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos
Caracals - 31 zoos
Pallas's Cats - 29 zoos

 

[Panda_Fan]

It's great to see that you've been at so many zoos and have seen lots of animals. But what really surprises me, is, that in your sheared photos there are animals in enclosures that are horrible. I don't understand why anti-zoos people go after so many accredited zoos whose goal is to help in conservation and education on wildlife, while the road-side zoos only goal is to make money and nothing else. I haven't seen anti-zoos people at the road-side zoo protesting te release their animals. It's just absurd.
By the way, I'm impressed on how many zoos you have been. How did you managed to do such an incredible thing?

 

[snowleopard]

It's great to see that you've been at so many zoos and have seen lots of animals. But what really surprises me, is, that in your sheared photos there are animals in enclosures that are horrible. I don't understand why anti-zoos people go after so many accredited zoos whose goal is to help in conservation and education on wildlife, while the road-side zoos only goal is to make money and nothing else. I haven't seen anti-zoos people at the road-side zoo protesting te release their animals. It's just absurd.
By the way, I'm impressed on how many zoos you have been. How did you managed to do such an incredible thing?

My guess is that the anti-zoo crowd feels they can get more publicity by campaigning at big, famous zoos that draw a lot of visitors. When I've gone to many roadside, junky American zoos, quite often there's hardly anyone else there. It would be a waste of a campaign at most of those facilities. But you have a good point, and there's still a lot of crappy zoos existing in the year 2024, often with abysmal exhibits, that should be permanently closed. It's bizarre that a nation as wealthy as the United States has so much poverty, homelessness and awful zoos. But just take a look at their upcoming election...haha. In November, it's going to be an 82 year-old political dinosaur versus a 78 year-old lunatic.

I'm very fortunate to be able to visit a ton of zoos and there's many zoo nerds around the world who do the same thing I do. I can name 4 individuals who are at between 940 zoos to something crazy like 1,800 zoos! (I'm talking about @Jonas Livet ) My 551 zoos/aquariums might not even crack the top 10 worldwide.

Most of my zoo trips are ones I've done quite cheaply, back when motels didn't cost much money and I'd sleep in my van on many nights. I've written all about my trips on various threads on this site, and I posted links to those threads at the start of this one. I used to have an AZA membership back in the day, allowing me free or 50% discounts at all accredited zoos. The two European zoo treks were a lot more expensive, but I'm a bit older now (48) and I can afford to splurge once in a while. The main thing for me is that I have an extremely supportive wife and 4 kids who don't mind when I take off solo for a couple of weeks each summer to pursue my passion of visiting zoos. It's a terrific, harmless hobby for most of us on this forum. I'm a teacher at a high school with at-risk kids and I see a LOT of young teenagers these days who don't really have any hobbies beyond doing drugs, playing video games or stealing merchandise at the local mall.

 

[Lori Patton]

My guess is that the anti-zoo crowd feels they can get more publicity by campaigning at big, famous zoos that draw a lot of visitors. When I've gone to many roadside, junky American zoos, quite often there's hardly anyone else there. It would be a waste of a campaign at most of those facilities. But you have a good point, and there's still a lot of crappy zoos existing in the year 2024, often with abysmal exhibits, that should be permanently closed. It's bizarre that a nation as wealthy as the United States has so much poverty, homelessness and awful zoos. But just take a look at their upcoming election...haha. In November, it's going to be an 82 year-old political dinosaur versus a 78 year-old lunatic.

I'm very fortunate to be able to visit a ton of zoos and there's many zoo nerds around the world who do the same thing I do. I can name 4 individuals who are at between 940 zoos to something crazy like 1,800 zoos! (I'm talking about @Jonas Livet ) My 551 zoos/aquariums might not even crack the top 10 worldwide.

Most of my zoo trips are ones I've done quite cheaply, back when motels didn't cost much money and I'd sleep in my van on many nights. I've written all about my trips on various threads on this site, and I posted links to those threads at the start of this one. I used to have an AZA membership back in the day, allowing me free or 50% discounts at all accredited zoos. The two European zoo treks were a lot more expensive, but I'm a bit older now (48) and I can afford to splurge once in a while. The main thing for me is that I have an extremely supportive wife and 4 kids who don't mind when I take off solo for a couple of weeks each summer to pursue my passion of visiting zoos. It's a terrific, harmless hobby for most of us on this forum. I'm a teacher at a high school with at-risk kids and I see a LOT of young teenagers these days who don't really have any hobbies beyond doing drugs, playing video games or stealing merchandise at the local mall.

The nocturnal exhibit for Pallas's cats at Lake Superior Zoo looks really strange with the red lighting. The only nocturnal house I've been in is at the Los Angeles Zoo, which was originally designed for koalas and now houses wombats. The lighting there is blue violet and is much more soothing. That red lighting looks like something out of a horror movie!

Although slightly off-topic, you really hit the nail on the head with your comments about the upcoming presidential election in the U.S. and all the poverty, homelessness, etc. I'm the same age as you and grew up in L.A. and it's mind-boggling how much things have changed here in America. One reason I actually like the L.A. Zoo roundhouses is because they were there when I was a kid and remind me of a simpler time. Going to zoos and observing animals (who are immune from all the world's craziness) helps me to stay centered in an increasingly disturbing society.

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Fishing Cats at 25 zoos. As is typical with small cats in zoos, this species is found almost exclusively in covered exhibits, although I did find one exception right at the end. Just as in the case with Pallas's Cats, a Scandinavian zoo found a way to showcase a small cat in an open-topped environment.

It's interesting to note how many Fishing Cat exhibits I saw between 2006 and 2012, literally 19 out of the 25 entries on my list. Since then, the species has been sparse for me. Zootierliste still has approximately 60 zoos in the world with Fishing Cats, but I've seen very few in North America in the past dozen years and I saw the species at only 5 out of 120 European collections. (France, Czech. Rep. and the U.K. all have at least 5 or more holders and I've yet to explore those nations)

1- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2006
2- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2006
3- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Fishing Cat – 2007
4- Crocodylus Park (Australia) – Fishing Cat – 2007
5- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Fishing Cat – 2007
6- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2008
7- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2008
8- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2008
9- Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2008
10- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2008
11- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2008
12- Mountain View Conservation Centre (Canada) – Fishing Cat – 2008
13- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2010
14- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2010
15- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2010
16- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2010
17- Jackson Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2012
18- Topeka Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2012
19- Denver Zoo (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2012
20- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Fishing Cat – 2015
21- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Fishing Cat – 2019
22- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – Fishing Cat – 2019
23- Skaerup Zoo (Denmark) – Fishing Cat – 2022
24- Ree Park Safari (Denmark) – Fishing Cat – 2022
25- Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) – Fishing Cat – 2022

I didn't see a single Fishing Cat until 2006, the year I turned 31 years of age, and it was at San Francisco Zoo (USA) on a two-week road trip. There's two small underwater viewing windows in this old cage attached to the zoo's Lion House.

I saw a Fishing Cat at San Diego Zoo (USA) on many of my visits, starting in 2006, but when I was at the zoo last summer the exhibit was empty and drained of water.

In May 2007, I saw Fishing Cats at three different Australian zoos, including Taronga Zoo (Australia) in the Wild Asia precinct. ('Precinct' is a common term in Australia for a series of exhibits in zoos) I don't know what the situation is like now for Fishing Cats in Australia, as that nation has had a ton of exotic species phased-out over the last 20 years. I'm sure that @Zoofan15 has more details.

@WhistlingKite24

A darkened, nocturnal hallway inside the Fragile Rain Forest house at Brookfield Zoo (USA) held Fishing Cats during my 2008 visit.

@geomorph

Fishing Cats can be secretive, shy animals and the ZooChat gallery isn't filled with a lot of photos from certain zoos. I saw the species at Minnesota Zoo (USA) in 2008 and yet the gallery has zero photos of those felines. The only single image of Fishing Cats that I could find at Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (USA) is a photo I took of two kittens back in 2008:

The overhead lights are on in this photo taken at Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA), and this Fishing Cat exhibit is located inside the Nocturnal House known as Night Hunters:

@Moebelle

The lineup of feline species at Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) has changed over the years, but I saw Fishing Cats there in 2008. Their exhibit eventually held Tayra, but it seems that the cats are back as of this 2021 photo:

@Coelacanth18

Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) had Fishing Cats in an exhibit with a substantial amount of water when I toured the zoo in 2010. This enclosure is in the RainForest building:

You can see a Fishing Cat up on a ledge (on the right) in this photo I took at Riverbanks Zoo (USA) in 2010. This small exhibit apparently held Cougars when the zoo opened in the 1970s, and has also been home to Clouded Leopards, White-cheeked Gibbons and Fruit Bats according to @Gilgamesh

Jackson Zoo (USA) had Fishing Cats in 2012 and this zoo is now struggling to remain open as the threat of closure seems to increase every year.

Here is the absolute worst Fishing Cat exhibit I've ever seen. The AZA accredited Topeka Zoo (USA) should be embarrassed to have had this enclosure in 2012.

Denver Zoo (USA) opened Toyota Elephant Passage in 2012 and it's a great exhibit complex except for a few issues here and there. One detrimental fact is that the Fishing Cats are kept entirely indoors in a tiny space that is 50% water.

@geomorph

Now this is a grand exhibit for Fishing Cats! Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) is a huge, popular zoo in Rotterdam with a lot of great exhibits.

@Mr Gharial

I crawled into this log when I visited in 2019:

@Mr Gharial

Duisburg Zoo (Germany) has Fishing Cats in an old-fashioned exhibit that at least is well-furnished with logs and branches.

Both photos by @gulogulogulo

I then saw the species at three different zoos in Scandinavia, all in Denmark. If I remember correctly, Skaerup Zoo (Denmark) had a pair of adjoining exhibits for Fishing Cats:

Munkholm Zoo (Denmark):

Ree Park Safari (Denmark) has a spacious, open-topped Fishing Cat exhibit where visitors can peer down on the felines.

Here's another view of the Asian-themed zone that includes a Fishing Cat exhibit:

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos
Caracals - 31 zoos
Pallas's Cats - 29 zoos
Fishing Cats - 25 zoos

 

[Zoofan15]

I don't know what the situation is like now for Fishing Cats in Australia, as that nation has had a ton of exotic species phased-out over the last 20 years. I'm sure that @Zoofan15 has more details.

Many Fishing cat holders have phased out including Perth Zoo, Adelaide Zoo, Melbourne Zoo and Crocodylus Park. To my knowledge only Melbourne Zoo and Taronga Zoo have successfully bred the species.

Fishing cat are currently held at three facilities within Australasia:

Hamilton Zoo:

1.0 Bandula (22/02/2014) Imported 2017 (England)
0.1 Indah (16/06/2013) Imported 2015 (Singapore)
0.1 Sahaja (27/04/2013) Imported 2017 (Czech Republic)

Taronga Zoo:

0.1 Maew (26/03/2012) Imported 2015 (England)

Wild Cat Conservation Centre:

1.0 Finn (Unknown) Imported 2022 (Unknown)

—————————

Hamilton Zoo’s Fishing Cat Exhibits:

These are photos I took of Hamilton Zoo’s three on display exhibits, which are within a complex that also includes off display exhibits. It opened in 2009:

 

[PossumRoach]

Wow. Seeing my favorite cat be underrepresented does blow. I hope the interest towards tropical Asian taxa in Europe helps boost fishing cat numbers.

 

[amur leopard]

A dream of mine has always been to see a Red Colobus, but unfortunately there's currently not a single specimen in captivity that I'm aware of.

Apologies for bringing up old posts, but just as an interesting side note: I've been following someone on Instagram who is attempting to hitchhike from the UK to Cape Town - he is currently in The Gambia and filmed a visit to a Monkey Park there, where Western red colobus (P. badius) appear to be on display in a walkthrough environment. So not entirely absent from captivity but exceedingly rare for sure .

 

[Chlidonias]

Apologies for bringing up old posts, but just as an interesting side note: I've been following someone on Instagram who is attempting to hitchhike from the UK to Cape Town - he is currently in The Gambia and filmed a visit to a Monkey Park there, where Western red colobus (P. badius) appear to be on display in a walkthrough environment. So not entirely absent from captivity but exceedingly rare for sure .

If that's the Bijilo Monkey Park, it isn't a zoo, the monkeys are wild and are just fed by visitors.

 

[snowleopard]

There's a drop-off in numbers as I head down to the next feline on my list. I've seen Black-footed Cats at 16 zoos. It's interesting to note that every single one of these facilities is in the USA, with no sightings in Canadian, Australian or European zoos. This species used to be found in European collections, but it appears that there are zero left these days.

I know that Cincinnati Zoo (USA) has maintained the species over the years, but they weren't there when I toured that zoo in 2008. Also, when I visited Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA) in 2015, there were possibly some Black-footed Cats at that facility but they were behind the scenes and I did not see them. It's nice to see that Greensboro Science Center (USA) has Black-footed Cats in a new exhibit, but I've yet to visit that establishment.

Here's the 16 zoos, with almost all my sightings between 2008 and 2012:

1- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2008
2- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2008
3- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2008
4- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
5- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
6- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
7- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
8- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
9- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
10- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
11- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2011
12- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2011
13- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2012
14- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2017
15- Saginaw Children’s Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2018
16- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2023

Black-footed Cats look a bit like typical house cats and unfortunately most of the zoo exhibits with this species have been terrible.

@Lucas Lang

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) is often hailed by zoo nerds as one of the world's great zoos, but it's only fair to address its shortcomings as well. My 2012 photo shows a pitifully tiny exhibit for Black-footed Cats inside the Desert Dome building. This small cave has held a variety of species over the years, but it's very small and not appropriate for felines.

This narrow, tiny exhibit for Black-footed Cats at Birmingham Zoo (USA) in 2010 is probably smaller than the enclosure in Omaha. It's in the Predators building and it looks like an aquarium tank!

Here's yet another appallingly small exhibit for Black-footed Cats, this time at Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA) in 2010. There was no outdoor access for the felines.

Only slightly better is this mock-rock enclosure for Black-footed Cats at Brookfield Zoo (USA), as part of the Fragile Desert set of exhibits. This photo is from 2010:

@geomorph

A posing Black-footed Cat at Brookfield Zoo (USA):

@Larkspur

Yet another tiny exhibit, this time in the Cat Grotto area of San Antonio Zoo (USA) in 2010. This zone has a lot of textured, fake rock-work.

We all know that Black-footed Cats live in caves, right? There's not too much more to this exhibit than what is shown in my 2010 photo at Kansas City Zoo (USA):

Puny, small, tiny, all indoors. Black-footed Cat exhibit at John Ball Zoo (USA) in 2012:

Ditto for this all-indoors, mock-rock dominated Black-footed Cat exhibit at Riverbanks Zoo (USA) in 2010:

At least this enclosure is outdoors, but it's not very impressive and I can't remember if it even exists these days. It's at Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) and held Black-footed Cats in 2011.

Compared to the junk that I've shown you so far, Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) had a decent exhibit for Black-footed Cats when I visited that zoo in 2011. I think it's home to Meerkats now, judging by the current zoo map.

I saw a Black-footed Cat at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) in a small, glass-fronted exhibit in 2017:

@twilighter

Saginaw Children’s Zoo (USA) had breeding Black-footed Cats in 2018:

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos
Caracals - 31 zoos
Pallas's Cats - 29 zoos
Fishing Cats - 25 zoos
Black-footed Cats - 16 zoos

 

[pachyderm pro]

Only slightly better is this mock-rock enclosure for Black-footed Cats at Brookfield Zoo (USA), as part of the Fragile Desert set of exhibits.

Brookfield actually sent out their remaining black-footed cat last year and now a sand cat inhabits this space. It’s also worth noting that the photo only shows half of the exhibit, although the other half looks very similar to this.

 

[15399]

There's a drop-off in numbers as I head down to the next feline on my list. I've seen Black-footed Cats at 16 zoos. It's interesting to note that every single one of these facilities is in the USA, with no sightings in Canadian, Australian or European zoos. This species used to be found in European collections, but it appears that there are zero left these days.

I know that Cincinnati Zoo (USA) has maintained the species over the years, but they weren't there when I toured that zoo in 2008. Also, when I visited Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (USA) in 2015, there were possibly some Black-footed Cats at that facility but they were behind the scenes and I did not see them. It's nice to see that Greensboro Science Center (USA) has Black-footed Cats in a new exhibit, but I've yet to visit that establishment.

Here's the 16 zoos, with almost all my sightings between 2008 and 2012:

1- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2008
2- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2008
3- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2008
4- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
5- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
6- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
7- Riverbanks Zoo & Garden (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
8- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
9- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
10- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2010
11- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2011
12- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2011
13- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2012
14- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2017
15- Saginaw Children’s Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2018
16- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Black-footed Cat – 2023

Black-footed Cats look a bit like typical house cats and unfortunately most of the zoo exhibits with this species have been terrible.

@Lucas Lang

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) is often hailed by zoo nerds as one of the world's great zoos, but it's only fair to address its shortcomings as well. My 2012 photo shows a pitifully tiny exhibit for Black-footed Cats inside the Desert Dome building. This small cave has held a variety of species over the years, but it's very small and not appropriate for felines.

This narrow, tiny exhibit for Black-footed Cats at Birmingham Zoo (USA) in 2010 is probably smaller than the enclosure in Omaha. It's in the Predators building and it looks like an aquarium tank!

Here's yet another appallingly small exhibit for Black-footed Cats, this time at Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA) in 2010. There was no outdoor access for the felines.

Only slightly better is this mock-rock enclosure for Black-footed Cats at Brookfield Zoo (USA), as part of the Fragile Desert set of exhibits.

@geomorph

A posing Black-footed Cat at Brookfield Zoo (USA):

@Larkspur

Yet another tiny exhibit, this time in the Cat Grotto area of San Antonio Zoo (USA) in 2010. This zone has a lot of textured, fake rock-work.

We all know that Black-footed Cats live in caves, right? There's not too much more to this exhibit than what is shown in my 2010 photo at Kansas City Zoo (USA):

Puny, small, tiny, all indoors. Black-footed Cat exhibit at John Ball Zoo (USA) in 2012:

Ditto for this all-indoors, mock-rock dominated Black-footed Cat exhibit at Riverbanks Zoo (USA) in 2010:

At least this enclosure is outdoors, but it's not very impressive and I can't remember if it even exists these days. It's at Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) and held Black-footed Cats in 2011.

Compared to the junk that I've shown you so far, Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) had a decent exhibit for Black-footed Cats when I visited that zoo in 2011. I think it's home to Meerkats now, judging by the current zoo map.

I saw a Black-footed Cat at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) in a small, glass-fronted exhibit in 2017:

@twilighter

Saginaw Children’s Zoo (USA) had breeding Black-footed Cats in 2018:

Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos
Eurasian Lynx - 50 zoos
Ocelots - 49 zoos
Canada Lynx - 45 zoos
Clouded Leopards - 36 zoos
Caracals - 31 zoos
Pallas's Cats - 29 zoos
Fishing Cats - 25 zoos
Black-footed Cats - 16 zoos

None of those exhibits you mention seem bad to me. I haven't seen this species before, so have nothing to compare them to, but black-footed cats are tiny, so don't need the same amount of space stuff like servals or caracals would. Some of the exhibits in your photos seem to make great use of verticality, too, maximizing the amount of space for the cats to access.

 

[amur leopard]

None of those exhibits you mention seem bad to me. I haven't seen this species before, so have nothing to compare them to, but black-footed cats are tiny, so don't need the same amount of space stuff like servals or caracals would. Some of the exhibits in your photos seem to make great use of verticality, too, maximizing the amount of space for the cats to access.

I don't agree. The actual accessible surface area of half of these exhibits alone is appalling - if you can spare thousands of square metres for tigers and lions, why not give smaller cats just ten or twenty more? They have proportionally higher metabolisms yet are held in enclosures that, if scaled up, would be the size of a small backyard for a big cat. Your point about vertical space is moot as Black footed cats are one of the least arboreal cats and are actually (relatively to other cats) poor climbers. Beyond that the sheer lack of privacy for one of the shyest of the wild cats isn't great either.