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

[snowleopard]

After Red Foxes (75 zoos) and Arctic Foxes (49 zoos), I was a little surprised to have seen Fennec Foxes at 44 zoos. It's a bit more than I would have estimated, and I have seen the species in 8 different countries. But on the other hand, I saw Fennec Foxes only 3 times out of the 83 combined Dutch and German zoos I visited in 2019. They are rare there!

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Fennec Fox – 1975
2- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 1996
3- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Fennec Fox – 2001
4- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Fennec Fox – 2007
5- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Fennec Fox – 2007
6- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2008
7- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2008
8- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2008
9- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2008
10- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2010
11- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2010
12- Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2011
13- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2011
14- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2011
15- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2011
16- Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2012
17- Virginia Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2012
18- Palm Beach Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2012
19- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2012
20- Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2014
21- Niabi Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2014
22- Lincoln Children’s Zoo - Nebraska (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2014
23- Tiger Safari (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2015
24- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2015
25- Gone Wild Safari (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2015
26- Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2015
27- Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2017
28- Monterey Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2017
29- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2017
30- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2017
31- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2017
32- Sacramento Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2017
33- Roscommon Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2018
34- Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2018
35- Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2018
36- Washington Park Zoo (USA) –Fennec Fox – 2018
37- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Fennec Fox – 2018
38- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – Fennec Fox – 2019
39- Avonturia de Vogelkelder (Netherlands) – Fennec Fox – 2019
40- Lille Zoo (France) – Fennec Fox – 2019
41- Maubeuge Zoo (France) – Fennec Fox – 2019
42- Harry Malter Familiepark (Belgium) – Fennec Fox – 2019
43- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – Fennec Fox – 2019
44- Skaerup Zoo (Denmark) – Fennec Fox – 2022

@Fat-tailed dwarf lemur

Phoenix Zoo (USA) has a viewing window into their Fennec Fox exhibit, as well as a side window into the small den area.

In the old Children's Zoo, now closed down for renovation, Saint Louis Zoo (USA) had an ultra-tiny Fennec Fox exhibit.

In the nocturnal wing of the Small Mammal House, and bathed in blue light, was a Fennec Fox exhibit at Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) in 2010.

Here's an image from 2017 that shows the exact same exhibit but in red light. Another zoo with Fennec Foxes in a nocturnal wing is Rosamond Gifford Zoo (USA).

@Moebelle

If one takes a glance through the San Diego Zoo (USA) gallery, one can see that the zoo has had 3 different Fennec Fox exhibits in the last 13 years. The newest one is the biggest and the best, especially with its height and varied terrain. This might be my favourite Fennec Fox exhibit anywhere.

@IndianRhino

You can see a Fennec Fox resting on a little raised ledge inside this exhibit at Palm Beach Zoo (USA):

Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) had two Fennec Foxes inside this moving 'crate' on wheels in 2014. This 4-foot box was the entire space for the animals:

A small, all-indoor exhibit for Fennec Foxes at Niabi Zoo (USA):

Here's a 3-foot cage for a Fennec Fox at Tiger Safari (USA). Perhaps this animal was a pet that was let out once a day? I hope so!

Another roadside American zoo, another tiny Fennec Fox enclosure. This one is at Gone Wild Safari (USA):

Hopefully Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo (USA) doesn't still keep Fennec Foxes the way they did when I toured the zoo in 2015.

This one is a bit better, at Wildlife Learning Center (USA):

Just hammer some plywood together and toss a Fennec Fox in there...yee-haw! I took this photo at Roscommon Zoo (USA) and the sign is nicer than the cage.

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park (USA) kept Fennec Foxes when I was there in 2018:

Is this the strangest Fennec Fox exhibit in the zoo world? You can see two foxes at Avonturia de Vogelkelder (Netherlands) in an Egyptian-themed, all-indoor enclosure.

An above average Fennec Fox exhibit can be found at Lille Zoo (France):

And what appears to be a rather old-fashioned, historic Fennec Fox exhibit is at Maubeuge Zoo (France). I remember standing there and taking a moment to clue in that there's 3 kid-sized viewing windows at the very bottom of the enclosure. It looks a bit odd to me.

Here's a great shot of a Fennec Fox at Frankfurt Zoo (Germany):

@twilighter

Canidae:

Grey Wolves - 129 zoos (maybe Eastern Wolves as well?)
Red Foxes - 75 zoos
Arctic Foxes - 49 zoos
Coyotes - 49 zoos
Fennec Foxes - 44 zoos
Maned Wolves - 38 zoos
Red Wolves - 22 zoos

AND...

Not included as part of my Canidae list, but interesting to track nonetheless:

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

What will be the next fox species on my list?

 

[JVM]

Whenever you finish Canidae, I'd be really curious to know which zoos held more canids in comparison. I always find it interesting that while some zoos have been dense with several cat species, and many long ago had extensive Cat Houses, no US zoo I've visited has held more than two canids on display at once so far, some only had one (Denver, Saint Louis, Milwaukee) at all. I'm hesitant to generalize on the UK but some of the collections there did follow this model.

The Fennec at Milwaukee currently have access to two adjacent enclosures including the one pictured. Most inhabitants of that nocturnal house have two or three enclosures they can move between at will now which is as much improvement as possible in the current space, though there has been talk of renovating the building soon; I think it would be the first new small mammal building in some years in the US.

Neat to see Saint Louis' old Fennec exhibit. I visited after the closure of the children's zoo and while it doesn't look like I missed much exhibit-wise, still interesting to see what was once there. Learning the history of a facility is so much more exciting to me once I've been there, and that's part of the fun of this thread for me -- seeing places snowleopard has been that aren't there anymore or have changed, more so than comparing the best and worst exhibits.

Lincoln Park Zoo has not kept Sand Cat in a good few years. The 'cave' section of Small Mammal-Reptile House currently has bats, bush baby and an exhibit for prehensile-tailed porcupine/armadillo. I believe the latter is the former cat enclosure but I might be incorrect; it is now mostly used for armadillo zoomies. I also believe it's a little more sandy than it looks in photos, though not terribly much. I only saw the cat as a smaller child and not during any of my later visits. I was a little shocked to find out they were phased out so recently!

I'm not having a go at American zoos here - in many respects they outstrip their European counterparts - but I'm just genuinely intrigued why space is at such a premium for their small cats.

Hoping that small felids have a bright future in zoos. They’re a good investment, but don’t appear common. As you’ve demonstrated good exhibits for them can be surprising hard to find. Perhaps soon the tides will shift and trend away from cramped cages for small cats.

Sorry to revive but this was such an interesting discussion! I think the easy and boring answer is investment. Very few American zoos have much interest in small mammals outside of a chosen handful of popular species (meerkat, porcupine, otter, red panda, etc.) and so the zoos that are modernizing are often phasing these animals out of their collections entirely, and use the saved space and cost to build better habitats for more popular mammals - or in some cases, birds or reptiles. Once you're spending x amount of dollars to make a great enclosure for an obscure and lesser known species, you're getting closer to the x amount of dollars it will cost to display a more popular species, and many zoos will just trade up the difference in the end for a bigger boost in attendance. I believe this is also why so many monkeys are being phased out while a lot of money is still being sank to create better, more immersive ape habitats. I think the same can be said for small and big cats.

The number of bad exhibits we see for these groups are because better ones aren't even really being built, in short.

In addition, while a lot of European zoos are built in the countryside, allowing for a lot of expansion and ownership of undeveloped land, a great many American zoos are built inside cities and constrained on all sides. Every new exhibit has to replace something and almost always multiple species will be lost to increase the welfare for one. This really stood out to me on my own visit to the UK, as nearly every zoo I visited there was surrounded by large fields and owned land that was not in any current use, but there for future expansion, while even larger zoos with unused space here like Brookfield and Milwaukee are still for many reasons largely restricted to building over existing developments, which is why American zoos are forced to constantly phase out species and become homogenized while Europe can continue to expand and experiment.

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.

We can't all be as lucky as Canada, which has had some very admirable leadership. Sadly, there is also poverty and homelessness in the UK I've seen, despite a youthful 44-year-old prime minister and a 61-year-old opposition leader... but I definitely can't say I found any awful zoos over there myself! Of course, I'm nowhere near on your level for trip planning right now and had to be picky. Here's hoping someday I'll be half as skilled a traveler!

 

[Laboratory 7]

The UK has more than it's fair share of poor zoo's @JVM you were just very fortunate enough not to have visited any on your UK visit, but believe me when I say that they are out there very often hiding in plain site because they look pretty or have species that are unusual, so are given a free pass by those that worship odd species.

 

[Osedax]

The UK has more than it's fair share of poor zoo's @JVM you were just very fortunate enough not to have visited any on your UK visit, but believe me when I say that they are out there very often hiding in plain site because they look pretty or have species that are unusual, so are given a free pass by those that worship odd species.

But surely they can't be as bad as some of the roadside filth in the US?

 

[Aardwolf]

I've always felt that the best thing about American society is also the worst thing about American society. There's a long cultural history of independence, which can certainly lead to entrepreneurship and innovation. Unfortunately, at the same time, it can also lead to a somewhat juvenile mindset of "YOU can't tell ME what to do!," in which people respond to any critique of how they are doing... well, anything as a dire communist-fascist infringement upon on all of their rights and everything they hold dear. I've seen a lot of discussions about animal welfare devolve rapidly, steering away from what's best for the animal and more towards the "principle" of being allowed to care for them/house them in the manner that they choose. One sees the same arguments in the context of children as well, with people sticking up for their rights... their rights to be bad parents.

 

[Laboratory 7]

But surely they can't be as bad as some of the roadside filth in the US?

Crap zoo's are not exclusive to the USA, unless you are going to tell me all zoo's elsewhere without visiting them aren't bad,I have visited over 400 collections not just in the UK and believe me some of them would give a roadside zoo in the USA a run for it's money in being crap.

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Grey Foxes, specifically Northern Grey Foxes, at 35 zoos. Every single one of the zoos is an American one, as I've never seen this species in my other travels. Also, less than 25% of these zoos are AZA-accredited, meaning that a LOT of obscure, privately-owned zoos are the ones with Grey Foxes. And that means I've really struggled to find any half-decent exhibits for this species, so brace yourselves for more junky fox cages.

I saw the most Grey Foxes in 2015 = 11 zoos (when I toured many zoos throughout the southern United States)

1- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Grey Fox – 2008
2- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2010
3- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – Grey Fox – 2011
4- CALM (California Living Museum) (USA) – Grey Fox – 2011
5- Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2012
6- Brevard Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2012
7- Busch Wildlife Sanctuary (USA) – Grey Fox – 2012
8- Red River Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2014
9- Irvine Park & Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2014
10- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – Grey Fox – 2014
11- Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA) – Grey Fox – 2014
12- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
13- San Angelo Nature Center (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
14- Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
15- The Texas Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
16- Austin Nature & Science Center (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
17- Spring River Park & Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
18- Wildlife West Nature Park (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
19- Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
20- Bearizona (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
21- Springs Preserve (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
22- Turtle Bay Exploration Park (USA) – Grey Fox – 2015
23- Sulphur Creek Nature Center (USA) – Grey Fox – 2017
24- Applegate Park Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2017
25- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Grey Fox – 2017
26- Wilderness Walk Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2018
27- Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2018
28- Howell Nature Center: Wild Wonders Wildlife Park (USA) – Grey Fox – 2018
29- Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park (USA) – Grey Fox – 2018
30- Jo-Don Farms (USA) – Grey Fox – 2018
31- Wildwood Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2018
32- Zollman Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2018
33- Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center (USA) – Grey Fox – 2023
34- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Grey Fox – 2023
35- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – Grey Fox – 2023

@Arizona Docent

Wilderness Walk Zoo (USA) had a chain-link cage with a swinging tire for its Grey Foxes. Let's go for a ride!

And the situation isn't much different at the similarly-named Wilderness Trails Zoo (USA):

Grey Fox exhibit at Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA):

The entire space available for these two Grey Foxes at Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA):

Grey Fox exhibit at Irvine Park & Zoo (USA):

You can see a Grey Fox at Sulphur Creek Nature Center (USA), and the exhibit also held a Red Fox in this mixed-species enclosure. And there's another swinging tire!

A Red Fox and a Grey Fox were also found together at Turtle Bay Exploration Park (USA) in this exhibit:

Even Audubon Zoo (USA) had a Grey Fox and a Red Fox together. I suppose that inbreeding isn't a concern at these zoos?

Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo (USA) had Grey Foxes here in 2012:

And one was huddled up in a snowstorm at that zoo in 2015:

@BeardsleyZooFan

This is a very poor Grey Fox exhibit at Spring River Park & Zoo (USA):

San Angelo Nature Center (USA) had a Grey Fox in this small enclosure in 2015:

The Texas Zoo (USA) had a little cement grotto that had a Grey Fox and a Raccoon together in 2015.

At Wildlife West Nature Park (USA), there was a Grey Fox in this odd-looking exhibit. The fox only had access to the right-hand side of the enclosure and the mesh was obviously built around a tall tree. Maybe an ex-aviary?

Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) has a brand-new (as of 2020) Grey Fox exhibit that is still way too small for this active mammal.

Grey Foxes are so poorly treated in American zoos that this exhibit, at Red River Zoo (USA), instantly becomes one of the best I've ever seen for the species.

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) has now had Grey Foxes for years in its old Cat Canyon area.

@Coelacanth18

Canidae:

Grey Wolves - 129 zoos (maybe Eastern Wolves as well?)
Red Foxes - 75 zoos
Arctic Foxes - 49 zoos
Coyotes - 49 zoos
Fennec Foxes - 44 zoos
Maned Wolves - 38 zoos
Northern Grey Foxes - 35 zoos
Red Wolves - 22 zoos

AND...

Not included as part of my Canidae list, but interesting to track nonetheless:

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

 

[PossumRoach]

Grey Fox exhibit at Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA):

The entire space available for these two Grey Foxes at Timbavati Wildlife Park (USA):

Grey Fox exhibit at Irvine Park & Zoo (USA):

Brilliant, quite amazing. It could even make a grown man cry.

 

[15399]

I suppose that inbreeding isn't a concern at these zoos?

More likely, I would assume that it is specifically non-breeding individuals. Whether all the individuals in the exhibit are the same-sex, or some/all are spayed or neutered, it's likely no AZA zoos are trying to breed these species which are typically non-releasable rehab animals.

 

[Osedax]

Crap zoo's are not exclusive to the USA, unless you are going to tell me all zoo's elsewhere without visiting them aren't bad,I have visited over 400 collections not just in the UK and believe me some of them would give a roadside zoo in the USA a run for it's money in being crap.

Any specific examples?

 

[turkeyfox]

More likely, I would assume that it is specifically non-breeding individuals. Whether all the individuals in the exhibit are the same-sex, or some/all are spayed or neutered, it's likely no AZA zoos are trying to breed these species which are typically non-releasable rehab animals.

Also gray foxes are extremely distantly related to all other living canids and would most likely not be able to have hybrid offspring with a red fox.

 

[Laboratory 7]

Any specific examples?

Plenty but that's something I will never list on a site like this because you never know who or what is lurking reading things, and don't bother contacting me privately asking either as I don't know you, I was warned by a friend before I joined this site that it would feel very entitled to know everything I know and expected it to be posted that is something I will never do because something's you don't stay in the open,as you don't want this site that become the go to source for born free or PETA

 

[PossumRoach]

Plenty but that's something I will never list on a site like this because you never know who or what is lurking reading things, and don't bother contacting me privately asking either as I don't know you, I was warned by a friend before I joined this site that it would feel very entitled to know everything I know and expected it to be posted that is something I will never do because something's you don't stay in the open, as you don't want this site that become the go to source for born free or PETA

1) Considering that it is already known zoo directors check this site to make sure nothing gets leaked out, it is fair to assume the ilk of BFF and PETA already uses this website to check out “coal” zoos and zoo enclosures around the world.

2) Why insinuate that you know things to correct someone, only to withhold said knowledge when they ask? If you won’t share a “secret”, then don’t say you have a “secret” or say things that will only result in people asking for questions you are predetermined to not answer.

 

[birdsandbats]

And, of course, while I am obviously no fan of Born Free or PETA, it is ultimately a good thing if they do go after legitimately bad zoos.

Also, how is a zoo being a bad a secret? Surely with a little more effort we could easily find the places you're talking about. This isn't some kind of classified information.

 

[oflory]

1) Considering that it is already known zoo directors check this site to make sure nothing gets leaked out, it is fair to assume the ilk of BFF and PETA already uses this website to check out “coal” zoos and zoo enclosures around the world.

2) Why insinuate that you know things to correct someone, only to withhold said knowledge when they ask? If you won’t share a “secret”, then don’t say you have a “secret” or say things that will only result in people asking for questions you are predetermined to not answer.

Agreed. If you have privileged/private information, it is best to keep even the fact that you have it to yourself if it can't be publicly shared.

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Bat-eared Foxes at 25 zoos. The distribution of this species is polar opposite to some of the other foxes I've analyzed. For example, probably 75% of the Northern Grey Foxes I've seen have been at non-accredited, 'roadside' collections in the USA. However, with Bat-eared Foxes, almost every single one of these zoos is either AZA or EAZA. Remarkable.

1- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2006
2- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
3- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
4- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
5- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
6- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
7- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
8- Mountain View Conservation Centre (Canada) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
9- Zoo Miami (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2008
10- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2010
11- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2010
12- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2010
13- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2010
14- Zoo Boise (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2010
15- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Bat-eared Fox – 2011
16- Charles Paddock Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2011
17- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2011
18- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2012
19- Lake Superior Zoo (USA) – Bat-eared Fox – 2014
20- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – Bat-eared Fox – 2019
21- Opel Zoo (Germany) – Bat-eared Fox – 2019
22- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – Bat-eared Fox – 2019
23- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Bat-eared Fox – 2019
24- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Bat-eared Fox – 2019
25- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Bat-eared Fox – 2019

@KevinB

The very first time I ever came across Bat-eared Foxes was at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA), back when it was still called San Diego Wild Animal Park. The name change occurred in 2010, quite a few years ago now. Here's a photo of two Bat-eared Foxes and two Warthogs at the Safari Park:

Brookfield Zoo (USA) keeps Bat-eared Foxes in a very rocky, all-indoor exhibit:

@pachyderm pro

The same could be said for Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA):

Do zoo nerds remember this Bat-eared Fox exhibit at San Diego Zoo (USA)? I took this photo in 2011 and the cage is now long gone.

One of the best U.S. exhibits for Bat-eared Foxes is at Saint Louis Zoo (USA), with the little foxes sharing an enclosure with Red River Hogs. Mixed-species exhibits seem to be at a whole other level above typical single-species zoo enclosures, in my opinion, due to the activity between the animals. Does the zoo still have both these species?

Another really top-notch Bat-eared Fox exhibit can be found at Fort Wayne Children's Zoo (USA), in their African Kopje zone of smaller enclosures near the savanna.

@Moebelle

On the flip side, Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA) used to have a scandalously tiny, all-indoor glass box for a couple of Bat-eared Foxes inside their Small Animal Building. This could be an off-show 'bedroom', but in reality this was the entire space for the foxes.

@Ituri

Zoo Boise (USA) have Bat-eared Foxes in an outdoor exhibit.

@Ituri

Charles Paddock Zoo (USA) kept Bat-eared Foxes in this very tiny exhibit in 2011. It looks more like an off-show holding cage and perhaps they've upgraded the foxes since then.

Back in 2012, I took this photo at Indianapolis Zoo (USA) and the enclosure held Bat-eared Foxes, Yellow-billed Hornbills, Grey Crowned Cranes and Helmeted Guineafowl. Foxes in an aviary!

A really stunning Bat-eared Fox exhibit at GaiaZOO (Netherlands). Wow!! Ya gotta love these European exhibits.

@KevinB

Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) also has a nice outdoor space for Bat-eared Foxes:

@KevinB

Bat-eared Fox exhibit at Krefeld Zoo (Germany):

@Maguari

Berlin Tierpark (Germany) exhibit for Bat-eared Foxes:

@MagpieGoose

Canidae:

Grey Wolves - 129 zoos (maybe Eastern Wolves as well?)
Red Foxes - 75 zoos
Arctic Foxes - 49 zoos
Coyotes - 49 zoos
Fennec Foxes - 44 zoos
Maned Wolves - 38 zoos
Northern Grey Foxes - 35 zoos
Bat-eared Foxes - 25 zoos
Red Wolves - 22 zoos

AND...

Not included as part of my Canidae list, but interesting to track nonetheless:

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

 

[NNM.]

I saw bat-eared foxes at Roger Williams when I last went, sharing a space with dik-dik and a crowned crane. I’m not sure if they’re still in there, though.

 

[Lafone]

Plenty but that's something I will never list on a site like this because you never know who or what is lurking reading things, and don't bother contacting me privately asking either as I don't know you, I was warned by a friend before I joined this site that it would feel very entitled to know everything I know and expected it to be posted that is something I will never do because something's you don't stay in the open,as you don't want this site that become the go to source for born free or PETA

Rather than sharing them on a public forum where indeed nothing is likely to come of them, I hope you've reported concerns and appropriate evidence to the authorities - animal welfare charities, licensing agencies, tax offices and, as required, the Police.

No need to confirm whether you have, or not, but it's the right thing to do if you have evidence of maltreatment, cruelty, bad practice and poor management.

If there is such evidence, perhaps Born Free or Peta would be right to not want that zoo open anyway. Who wants zoos that maltreat and abuse their animals - they give good zoos a bad name. I very much doubt good zoos want crap zoos cluttering up their efforts to maintain a positive stance on conservation and welfare.

 

[pachyderm pro]

One of the best U.S. exhibits for Bat-eared Foxes is at Saint Louis Zoo (USA), with the little foxes sharing an enclosure with Red River Hogs. Mixed-species exhibits seem to be at a whole other level above typical single-species zoo enclosures, in my opinion, due to the activity between the animals. Does the zoo still have both these species?

Chacoan peccaries now inhabit this exhibit and neither the foxes or the hogs are at the zoo anymore. These fox/suid mixes never do seem to work out in the long run as cool as they are; the San Diego Safari Park also discontinued the mix several years ago. Pigs can already be tricky in mixed-species exhibits and I'm sure throwing them in with a small carnivore isn't an ideal set-up.

Back in 2012, I took this photo at Indianapolis Zoo (USA) and the enclosure held Bat-eared Foxes, Yellow-billed Hornbills, Grey Crowned Cranes and Helmeted Guineafowl. Foxes in an aviary!

Now that's a new one. Anybody have an idea how well this worked? I imagine the foxes wouldn't have posed an active threat to to the birds themselves, more so to their eggs.

 

[amur leopard]

Now that's a new one. Anybody have an idea how well this worked? I imagine the foxes wouldn't have posed an active threat to to the birds themselves, more so to their eggs.

I'm assuming the decision was made on the observation that Bat-eared foxes are almost invariably purely insectivorous, but I'm sure they wouldn't necessarily object to bird's eggs - maybe they just didn't have breeding groups of birds in there, or banked on the assumption that the foxes would unilaterally take the insects they are fed over any eggs?