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

[snowleopard]

My best guess is that 9 of the 25 zoos where I've seen Bat-eared Foxes no longer maintain the species, but some zoos have picked them up to balance out the others. It does seem as if the mixed-species exhibits weren't successful, as @pachyderm pro already pointed out San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Saint Louis Zoo not having their mixes any longer and the Indianapolis Zoo's website doesn't list Bat-eared Foxes either. They still have an African Aviary icon on their map, but no sign of any foxes in their listing of animals. I suppose that this species, just like Fennec Foxes, is almost exclusively found alone in zoo exhibits. It's in sharp contrast to the enclosures with Red Foxes and Grey Foxes together that I highlighted earlier on this thread.

I'm not sure if there's any other zoo with THREE fox species in the same space. The now-closed Jo-Don Farms (USA) used to have an enclosure with a Red Fox, Grey Fox and Arctic Fox.

 

[Kudu21]

It does seem as if the mixed-species exhibits weren't successful, as @pachyderm pro already pointed out San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Saint Louis Zoo not having their mixes any longer and the Indianapolis Zoo's website doesn't list Bat-eared Foxes either.

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park does, however, still display bat-eared foxes - they are just no longer mixed with warthogs. The bat-eared foxes are now in a pair of small yards (combined former meerkat/dwarf mongoose and small hoofstock yard) in front of Mombasa Lagoon, where they bred just last spring. The exhibit they formerly shared with warthogs is now home to red river hogs.

 

[15399]

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.

View attachment 704712

The cranes and foxes should both still be in this exhibit. The dik-dik, however, was moved behind the scenes fairly quickly after the exhibit's opening.

 

[Lori Patton]

My best guess is that 9 of the 25 zoos where I've seen Bat-eared Foxes no longer maintain the species, but some zoos have picked them up to balance out the others. It does seem as if the mixed-species exhibits weren't successful, as @pachyderm pro already pointed out San Diego Zoo Safari Park and Saint Louis Zoo not having their mixes any longer and the Indianapolis Zoo's website doesn't list Bat-eared Foxes either. They still have an African Aviary icon on their map, but no sign of any foxes in their listing of animals. I suppose that this species, just like Fennec Foxes, is almost exclusively found alone in zoo exhibits. It's in sharp contrast to the enclosures with Red Foxes and Grey Foxes together that I highlighted earlier on this thread.

I'm not sure if there's any other zoo with THREE fox species in the same space. The now-closed Jo-Don Farms (USA) used to have an enclosure with a Red Fox, Grey Fox and Arctic Fox.

The Los Angeles Zoo no longer has the bat-eared fox -- the last time I saw it was in 2021. However, the zoo has had a fennec fox in a small indoor exhibit for at least the past few years since I've been a member. The California Science Center also has an indoor fennec fox exhibit, but the fox wasn't visible when I visited there last summer -- most likely sleeping in its den. The habitat at the science center is larger and more naturalistic looking, but there is only artificial lighting. It's located in the desert ecosystem with the reptile exhibits and the temperature is uncomfortably warm. While the L.A. Zoo exhibit is arguably too small, there is natural light, enrichment items, and the fox is always visible as there are no hiding spots -- good for visitors, but maybe not so much for the fox.

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Swift Foxes at 19 zoos and none of the zoos are outside North America. What's really enjoyable to see is that these little critters have a substantially higher level of exhibit quality than the other fox species in this thread. Earlier, I've showcased some absolutely ghastly exhibits for foxes at a succession of junky roadside American zoos, but for whatever reason Swift Foxes have been blessed (for the most part) with a series of grassy, half-decent enclosures. I've included photos from almost every establishment on my list and I've always had good luck seeing Swift Foxes in many top-notch exhibits. It's a shame that very few zoos in North America still have this inquisitive species and I'm not sure if any can be found in Europe.

1- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Swift Fox – 2001
2- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Swift Fox – 2006
3- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Swift Fox – 2008
4- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2008
5- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2008
6- Houston Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2010
7- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Swift Fox – 2011
8- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2012
9- Sunset Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2012
10- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2014
11- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2014
12- Endangered Wolf Center (USA) – Swift Fox – 2014
13- Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari (USA) – Swift Fox – 2014
14- Hutchinson Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2014
15- Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2014
16- Pueblo Zoo (USA) – Swift Fox – 2014
17- Riverside Discovery Center (USA) – Swift Fox – 2015
18- Bearizona (USA) – Swift Fox – 2015
19- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Swift Fox – 2018

@Brayden Delashmutt

Here's a grassy knoll for Swift Foxes at Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada):

Calgary Zoo (Canada) had Swift Foxes for years, but by 2012 (when I took this photo) the exhibit was already empty and now the entire structure has been removed from the zoo.

The ground level isn't large, but there is quite a lot of vertical space for the Swift Foxes at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) inside the Desert Dome building.

Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) has had Swift Foxes for at least as long as its Oklahoma Trails complex has been open. The exhibit utilizes a lot of mock-rock on the exterior walls and the foxes are seen via viewing windows.

@geomorph

Houston Zoo (USA) used to have Swift Foxes in their Children's Zoo, but these days this enclosure apparently holds Three-toed Box Turtles. Here's my photo from 2010:

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) consistently has high-quality exhibits across its grounds. Check out the meticulous attention to detail in this Swift Fox habitat, with just enough rock-work, plant life and scattered branches to make it look like a slice of the wild. It's arguably a bit tight on space, but very well done.

Great Plains Zoo (USA) had Swift Foxes when I was there in 2012:

Swift Fox exhibit at Sunset Zoo (USA) in 2012:

What to make of this exhibit? It's certainly got an eye-catching roof, although the space for the Swift Foxes at Bramble Park Zoo (USA) is not the largest on my list.

A large chain-link grassy yard for Swift Foxes at Dakota Zoo (USA) in 2014:

A huge Swift Fox exhibit at Endangered Wolf Center (USA):

A smallish Swift Fox enclosure at Hutchinson Zoo (USA) in 2014:

This is a fairly substantial enclosure for small Swift Foxes, found at Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) in 2014:

Swift Fox exhibit at Pueblo Zoo (USA) in 2014:

Here's a really nice exhibit for Swift Foxes at Riverside Discovery Center (USA) in 2015:

This exhibit, at Bearizona (USA) had a Swift Fox and a Red Fox together at the same time, the only occasion where I've seen Swift Foxes with another species.

The last time I saw the species was 6 years ago, at Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada), in a big yard that must have held a larger canid at one point in time. In 120 visits to European zoos in 2019 and 2022, I never once saw a Swift Fox even though some of those cities (such as Arnhem and Rotterdam) used to contain Swift Foxes in their local zoos.

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
Swift Foxes - 19 zoos

AND...

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

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

 

[ralph]

I think it's worth mentioning that BergZoo Halle in Germany has a walk-through enclosure for bat-eared foxes.
Zie-Zoo no longer keeps the species and their former enclosure has been merged with the banded mongoose enclosure.

There should still be some swift foxes in Spain, but the species has no feature in Europe.

 

[Markhor625]

What a wonderful experience you've had. Worthy of the great explorers.

My obsession with zoos began at a very young age, as my parents regularly took me to the small Edmonton 'Storyland' Valley Zoo in Alberta, Canada. At that time, there was also the Alberta Game Farm in Edmonton and it was the Berlin Tierpark of North America, with approximately 80 ungulate species at one time in the late 1970s. Those two zoos fed my obsession and I began to collect plastic toy zoo animals, guidebooks and paper zoo maps (I now have 3,000 different ones), but by the time I turned 30 years old I had only visited 20 different zoos despite studying those facilities all my life. I had spent my twenties working as a bread delivery driver, making decent money but rarely ever getting a day off.

At that point in my life, things changed dramatically for me in my 30th year. I went back to university, worked hard to obtain my Bachelor of Arts and Master's degrees in education, became a schoolteacher, got married, had 4 kids, and I began touring zoos with regularity on big trips. I've now visited 551 different zoos and aquariums, an astonishing total and one I'm very proud of even though there are a lot of tiny little places included.

However, one thing that I'd never done was add up all the lists of species that I'd made over the years into one grand total. I had many questions from fellow zoo nerds that made me think about the thousands of animals I'd seen over the years. How many zoos had I been to with elephants? 50? 100? Who knows! Had I been to more zoos with gorillas or perhaps orangutans? When was the first time I saw a Crab-eating Macaque? It turns out that zoo #342, the obscure Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary in Folsom, California, was where I first saw that macaque species in 2017. Now I wish that I had known at the time that those monkeys were 'lifers' for me, even though I've seen them a few more times since then.

Several months ago I decided to look back through all 551 zoos and aquariums and spend innumerable evenings (between driving my kids around to their various activities) to figure out exactly what captive animals I've seen in my lifetime. That meant going through all my 'Snowleopard Road Trip' threads on this site, along with my 36,000 photos that I've uploaded here, and also spending a crazy number of hours analyzing zoo maps and books. I have only done mammals, and I didn't even contemplate researching every mouse, rat or domestic creature at all those hundreds of zoos that I've toured. I avoided looking at camels, llamas, alpacas, maras, capybaras and other mammals that are so plentiful that no one will really care if I've seen a million maras in my 48 years on this planet. But I did detail every felid, canid and primate species and each ungulate, along with the rest of the usual ABC megafauna suspects.

This thread is a bit self-indulgent, but hopefully some of my fellow zoo nerds will be interested to see my lists of mammals. I also would like some help once I get deeper into the thread, as there's been many occasions when roadside American zoos I've toured have had a sign that simply says 'gibbon' or 'macaque' with no other information. Perhaps some helpful zoo nerds will lend a hand to allow me to narrow down my focus to a particular species. I foresee this as being a lengthy thread, one that will putter along for well over a year, as I'll post lists of the various mammal species and then comment on some of the highlights via photos and analysis. This will give me a big project to work on during 2024, as there are no new zoo trips for me in the near future as my wife and I are taking our kids to Disneyland for the first time! That means crawling further into debt, but you only live once, right? Also, I'll squeeze in 3 or 4 zoos on the drive from B.C. to California and back.

Here are my last 10 road trip threads with all my reviews. These reports have been a major source of my data:

Snowleopard's 2023 Road Trip (17 zoos in 12 days - California, Arizona, Oregon & Washington):

Snowleopard's 2023 Road Trip: California, Arizona & Oregon

Snowleopard's 2022 Road Trip (24 zoos in 11 days - Denmark, Sweden & Norway):

Snowleopard's 2022 Road Trip: Denmark, Sweden & Norway

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip (95 zoos in 33 days - Netherlands, Belgium, Germany & France):

Snowleopard's 2019 Road Trip: Netherlands, Belgium, France & Germany

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip (50 zoos in 16 days - mainly Michigan and Wisconsin):

Snowleopard's 2018 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip (44 zoos in 17 days - California):

Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip (81 zoos in 24 days - Texas, Arizona and the south):

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip (65 zoos in 20 days - Minnesota, Illinois and the north):

Snowleopard's 2014 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip (50 zoos in 50 days - all over the USA):

Snowleopard's 2012 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2011 Road Trip (24 zoos in 31 days - California & Arizona):

Snowleopard's 2011 Road Trip

Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip (39 zoos in 46 days - all over the USA):

Snowleopard's 2010 Road Trip

 

[Philipine eagle]

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.

That's an absolutely shocking exhibit in what I guess is a fairly decent mid-sized zoo.

 

[MGolka]

Worth noting that the Omaha Zoo no longer houses Swift Fox in that exhibit, it is now home to the African Wildcat.

That Swift Fox exhibit at Bramble Park no longer exists. That exhibit has been demolished and when I visited in 2020 the foxes were in one of the aviary complexes side exhibits which was much larger. I will post a photo here later when I get to my computer with all my zoo photos on it.

 

[snowleopard]

After looking at foxes such as Red, Arctic, Fennec, Northern Grey, Bat-eared and Swift, there's a big drop-off in numbers down to my next selection. I've seen Corsac Foxes at only 6 zoos.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Corsac Fox – 1975
2- Dierentuin Animal Farm (Netherlands) – Corsac Fox – 2019
3- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Corsac Fox – 2019
4- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Corsac Fox – 2019
5- Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – Corsac Fox – 2019
6- De Paay (Netherlands) – Corsac Fox – 2019

Apart from seeing Corsac Foxes multiple times as a young kid visiting the Alberta Game Farm (which became Polar Park) from 1975 to 1986, I saw all my Corsac Foxes in a single month in 2019. This is a species found nowhere in captivity in North America (as far as I know) and yet there's approximately 60 European collections with Corsac Foxes. That includes more than 20 zoos just in Germany. Funnily enough, I saw Corsac Foxes 5 times in Dutch zoos and zero in German zoos!

@vogelcommando

I was overjoyed to visit the very tiny Dierentuin Animal Farm (Netherlands) early on in my 2019 Euro trip, and that zoo had a smallish Corsac Fox exhibit. Note the two hanging baskets on the brick wall...I wonder if the foxes water them daily?

Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) is a mammal-heavy zoo full of excellent exhibits and when I was there they had Asiatic Black Bears in with Corsac Foxes. Those are two species both practically extinct in North American collections and so to see them together was rewarding.

@sooty mangabey

The older section of Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) contains a Corsac Fox exhibit and the species has bred there in recent years. How cute is this fox cub?

@ralph

@KevinB

Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) is a big safari-park style zoo, with a drive-around section and also walking paths that take hours to traverse. One of the highlights of the zoo is the mixed-species exhibit with 3 very different species. Here's a photo I took of two Sloth Bears, one Corsac Fox and one Asian Small-clawed Otter. Note the visitors walking along a netted bridge above a portion of the exhibit.

@Mr Gharial

@KevinB

I often praise the European zoos I've seen, as the overall quality of exhibits is usually so much higher than what is found in North American collections. But there are always exceptions to everything in life and De Paay (Netherlands) is a privately-owned zoo that is the worst I've seen in Europe. I had a stinky (literally!) visit here and was not impressed whatsoever. They had several rarities, including a single Corsac Fox in a bare bones enclosure, but the smell of poop was extremely prominent across the small grounds, with many dirty cages. European roadside zoos do exist!

@vogelcommando

Corsac Foxes are arguably one of the more attractive foxes:

@Fat-tailed dwarf lemur

@TNT

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
Swift Foxes - 19 zoos
Corsac Foxes - 6 zoos

AND...

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

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

 

[ralph]

Yes, de Paay is pretty terrible. BestZoo, also in the Netherlands, isn't much better. Another such place exists in Germany; Tierpark Donnersberg. Both have/had rarities and that's the reason I visited both of those, but I won't revisit them.

Unfortunately both the Asian black bear/corsax fox combo in Dierenrijk and the sloth bear/otter/fox combo in Safaripark Beekse Bergen do no longer exist. Both zoos have gone out of the species.

 

[KevinB]

And Pairi Daiza recently acquired corsac foxes. Corsac foxes have moved into the former raccoon dog exhibit in the Chinese area, after the raccoon dogs moved to the new Japanese islands. Snowleopard may have seen the exhibit.

Raccoon dog exhibit, 2022-09-15 - ZooChat

 

[birdsandbats]

Yes, de Paay is pretty terrible. BestZoo, also in the Netherlands, isn't much better. Another such place exists in Germany; Tierpark Donnersberg. Both have/had rarities and that's the reason I visited both of those, but I won't revisit them.

Unfortunately both the Asian black bear/corsax fox combo in Dierenrijk and the sloth bear/otter/fox combo in Safaripark Beekse Bergen do no longer exist. Both zoos have gone out of the species.

Nonsense, BestZoo is obviously the best zoo. It's literally in the name.

 

[MGolka]

Worth noting that the Omaha Zoo no longer houses Swift Fox in that exhibit, it is now home to the African Wildcat.

That Swift Fox exhibit at Bramble Park no longer exists. That exhibit has been demolished and when I visited in 2020 the foxes were in one of the aviary complexes side exhibits which was much larger. I will post a photo here later when I get to my computer with all my zoo photos on it.

Here is a photo of the now Swift Fox exhibit at Bramble Park.

 

[snowleopard]

I've seen Kit Foxes at 6 zoos and just as in the case with Swift Foxes, all the zoos have been in North America. At least 3 of these facilities (CALM, Orange County, Big Bear) have labeled their foxes as the subspecies known as the San Joaquin Kit Fox. Other than the Edmonton zoo of my childhood, the Kit Foxes I've seen have all been in Arizona and California zoos.

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Kit Fox – 1975
2- Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA) – Kit Fox – 2008
3- CALM (California Living Museum) (USA) – Kit Fox – 2011
4- Orange County Zoo (USA) – Kit Fox – 2017
5- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Kit Fox – 2023
6- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – Kit Fox – 2023

If you go as far back as the 1990s, Los Angeles Zoo (USA) had Kit Foxes:

@Giant Eland

The first time I visited Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (USA), the zoo had Kit Foxes in its Life Underground nocturnal complex. (They also had Kangaroo Rats)

@Coelacanth18

CALM (California Living Museum) (USA) in 2011 had this lineup of 5 species in 5 different exhibits: Coati, Island Fox (San Clemente), Kit Fox (San Joaquin), Northern Grey Fox and Red Fox. I remember being thrilled to see these species all in a glorious couple of minutes, but revisiting the zoo in 2023 it struck me how these exhibits are too small for their inhabitants.

There's some large cacti inside this Kit Fox exhibit at Orange County Zoo (USA):

The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) has a very nice Kit Fox exhibit in its North American loop. There's an opportunity to peer into the fox den.

At Living Desert Zoo, it's possible to see both Kit Foxes (left) and Swift Foxes (right) at the same time. They've also had Island Foxes recently as well.

@Arizona Docent

In 2020, the brand-new Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) opened to the public, a facility filled entirely with rescued North American species (other than Snow Leopards!) that cannot be released back into the wild. I saw one Kit Fox roaming around inside this exhibit (left-side enclosure):

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
Swift Foxes - 19 zoos
Corsac Foxes - 6 zoos
Kit Foxes - 6 zoos

AND...

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

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

 

[snowleopard]

My 9th and final fox species is the Island Fox and I've seen them at 6 zoos. These animals have been labeled as Island Foxes, or Channel Island Foxes, or as San Clemente Island Foxes, on zoo signs. Perusing the gallery, there's been a few comments and conversations about whether Island Foxes are a subspecies of Grey Fox, but in fact they are their own species with a half-dozen subspecies of their own.

1- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Channel Island Fox – 2008
2- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Channel Island Fox – 2010
3- CuriOdyssey (USA) – Channel Island Fox – 2011
4- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – Channel Island Fox – 2011
5- CALM (California Living Museum) (USA) – Channel Island Fox – 2011
6- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Channel Island Fox – 2023

When I visited Los Angeles Zoo (USA) in 2008, that was the first time I'd ever seen this species of fox.

Both photos via @Blackduiker

There aren't any photos of the Channel Island Fox exhibit at Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA), but it was a small, disappointing enclosure inside the zoo's packed Small Animal Building.

CuriOdyssey (USA) had a Channel Island Fox together with a North American Porcupine in 2011. A prickly combination!

Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) has kept Channel Island Foxes for many years, including when I was there in 2011. On a side note, check out the visitor railing, which was once black but has been defecated on hundreds of times by wild birds and there's white poop absolutely everywhere!

@Coelacanth18

Channel Island Fox exhibit at CALM (California Living Museum) (USA):

Last summer, I saw a Channel Island Fox at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA), the same zoo that has had Swift Foxes and Kit Foxes in the past.

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
Swift Foxes - 19 zoos
Corsac Foxes - 6 zoos
Island Foxes - 6 zoos
Kit Foxes - 6 zoos

AND...

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

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

 

[snowleopard]

Now that I've finished up with wolves and foxes, I will turn my attention to an extremely common member of the Canidae group. I've seen African Wild Dogs in 51 zoos in 7 different countries. Essentially, 50% of my sightings occurred in two years, when I visited a lot of AZA accredited zoos.

2008 = 13 different zoos
2010 = 12 different zoos

My best estimate is that at least a dozen of these zoos no longer have African Wild Dogs, and there were a few zoos that phased out the species after a tragedy occurred at the Pittsburgh Zoo (USA) in 2012. A young, two-year old boy fell into the enclosure and sadly did not survive a horrible mauling from the pack. There's a surprisingly lengthy Wikipedia post about the incident that's quite graphic and tragic. For several years, many U.S. zoos grappled with the fact that there was a morbid curiosity about their African Wild Dogs.

1- Perth Zoo (Australia) – African Wild Dog – 1987
2- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2002
3- San Diego Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2006
4- Denver Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2006
5- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – African Wild Dog – 2006
6- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – African Wild Dog – 2007
7- Monarto Zoo (Australia) – African Wild Dog – 2007
8- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
9- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
10- Toledo Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
11- Detroit Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
12- Bronx Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
13- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
14- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
15- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
16- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
17- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
18- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
19- Mountain View Conservation Centre (Canada) – African Wild Dog – 2008
20- Zoo Miami (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2008
21- Oregon Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
22- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
23- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
24- Binder Park Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
25- Roger Williams Park Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
26- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
27- Nashville Zoo at Grassmere (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
28- Audubon Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
29- Houston Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
30- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
31- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
32- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2010
33- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2011
34- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2011
35- Potawatomi Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2012
36- Erie Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2012
37- Franklin Park Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2012
38- Topeka Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2012
39- Henson Robinson Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2014
40- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2014
41- Endangered Wolf Center (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2014
42- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – African Wild Dog – 2018
43- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – African Wild Dog – 2019
44- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – African Wild Dog – 2019
45- Frankfurt Zoo (Germany) – African Wild Dog – 2019
46- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – African Wild Dog – 2019
47- Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – African Wild Dog – 2019
48- ZooParc Overloon (Netherlands) – African Wild Dog – 2019
49- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – African Wild Dog – 2019
50- Ree Park Safari (Denmark) – African Wild Dog – 2022
51- Boras Zoo (Sweden) – African Wild Dog – 2022

@Fallax

@WhistlingKite24

Woodland Park Zoo (USA) had African Wild Dogs in a lush-looking exhibit for many years, before eventually phasing them out in 2012 in favour of Warthogs...who promptly destroyed everything with their hooves.

Is there a single zoo in the world that has shifted animals around more than San Diego Zoo (USA)? In so many examples, from primates to carnivores, there are enclosures in the ZooChat gallery that have had numerous occupants over the decades. A quick look reveals three different enclosures that have all held African Wild Dogs, which were phased out post-2012, including this lush one next to the old escalator:

The Predator Ridge complex at Denver Zoo (USA) used to have African Lions, Spotted Hyenas and African Wild Dogs all rotating through various areas, but now the dogs are gone.

Indianapolis Zoo (USA) was one of several American zoos to phase out African Wild Dogs post-2012, but this is what the exhibit looked like back then:

African Wild Dogs have been a fixture at Phoenix Zoo (USA) for a very long time, in a gorgeous exhibit that separates dogs from visitors via a water moat. One flaw here is that quite often the animals are too far away to properly photograph.

When I had a guided tour of Mountain View Conservation Centre (Canada) in 2008, this now-closed facility had a whopping 32 African Wild Dogs in two adjacent enclosures. I watched them for quite a long time, and the yipping and yapping coming from this area was almost deafening.

Oregon Zoo (USA) opened its Predators of the Serengeti complex in 2010 and the small fence area (inside the enclosure) was added post-2012. This photo is one I took last summer.

When I was at Kansas City Zoo (USA) in 2010, there was a harp/piano wire barrier on the African Wild Dog exhibit.

Nashville Zoo (USA) is yet another American zoo to phase out African Wild Dogs post-2012, and my 3 photos of the exhibit at that time (which eventually became a home for Giant Anteaters for several years) are the only ones in the gallery.

Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) used to have African Wild Dogs in 2011 and this is what the exhibit looked like before the species was phased out.

Several zoos have added African Wild Dogs to their collections in former Cheetah exhibits. One example would be GaiaZOO (Netherlands), where I had the opportunity to see the species up close against glass in a small outdoor cafe area. The enclosure for the dogs is a substantial one and this is just one viewing area.

Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) has some magnificent animal habitats, including this one for a pack of African Wild Dogs. Gorgeous.

@KevinB

Since I took this photo in 2019 the zoo has built a new exhibit for African Wild Dogs, but when I was at ZooParc Overloon (Netherlands) there was a crashed plane for the dogs to inspect!

While at Ree Park Safari (Denmark) in 2022, the most horrible smell emanated from the African Wild Dog exhibit. Sure enough, a whole carcass of a horse was there and the dozen dogs were tearing it apart. Visitors can look down on the animals along the fence line, or directly across at them as there are hills in the habitat.

Boras Zoo (Sweden) had two African Wild Dog exhibits when I visited in 2022. This first one used to be home to Brown Bears:

And the second one is probably bigger than several small zoos I've visited. Scandinavian zoos, and European zoos in general, are happy to give carnivores large spaces to roam.

Canidae:

Grey Wolves - 129 zoos (maybe Eastern Wolves as well?)
Red Foxes - 75 zoos
African Wild Dogs - 51 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
Swift Foxes - 19 zoos
Corsac Foxes - 6 zoos
Island Foxes - 6 zoos
Kit Foxes - 6 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.]

An odd story involving African wild dogs would be that for much of the 2000s, Franklin Park Zoo displayed a trio of them at the very back of the zoo, and they would be the first thing people would see if they used the back entrance. People would always confuse them for hyenas, especially because there were three of them (a la Lion King). Then the zoo would later seemingly lose the dogs, only to move actual hyenas into the exhibit.

Then the zoo tragically lost its tigers and the hyenas were moved to their old exhibit. And what should take back the now-former hyena exhibit but African wild dogs once more. It suits them better than hyenas, anyway.

 

[snowleopard]

If African Wild Dogs have been very common for me (51 zoos), Jackals have been the opposite. One would think that with all the zoos I've been to, and how common Jackals are in the wild, that I'd be racking up sightings of this canid left and right. How hard would they be to maintain in captivity? However, the truth is far from that. Much as with the case with Vervet Monkeys, here is an example of a type of mammal abundantly common in the wild and yet rare in zoos. Perhaps the 'least concern' Jackals are not endangered enough, or even engaging enough, to warrant more appearances in zoos?

I've seen Black-backed Jackals in 5 zoos:

1- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) –Black-backed Jackal – 2008
2- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – Black-backed Jackal – 2010
3- DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) – Black-backed Jackal – 2014
4- Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park (USA) – Black-backed Jackal – 2018
5- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Black-backed Jackal – 2023

AND...

I've seen Golden Jackals in 2 zoos:

1- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Golden Jackal – 2019
2- NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) – Golden Jackal – 2019

Black-backed Jackal:

@Daubentoniidae

There are no photos in the ZooChat gallery, but I first saw Black-backed Jackals at Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) in 2008, in that facility's Wild Dog Drive set of 1970s-era enclosures for the following species: Cheetah, Spotted Hyena, Grey (Mexican) Wolf, Maned Wolf, African Wild Dog, Bush Dog, Bat-eared Fox and Black-backed Jackal. The zoo had all 8 of those species during my 2008 visit, in a series of large, grassy yards next to each other. It was spectacular.

At Kansas City Zoo (USA) in 2010, I saw Black-backed Jackals and there is again no photos in the gallery of that species in Kansas. (Perhaps due to the "Great Purge"? - when thousands of ZooChat photos were deleted many moons ago)

Here's the ghastly little cage for what is misspelled (on the piece of wood nailed to the top) as 'Black Backed Jackels' at DeYoung Family Zoo (USA) in 2014:

Two years later, the 'exhibit' didn't look much different:

@Milwaukee Man

Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park (USA) had an exhibit for Black-backed Jackals when I was there in 2018. It's a small enclosure, as you can see a Jackal in the second photo and therefore judge the size of the space for the animal.

Imagine my surprise when I came across TWO exhibits for Black-backed Jackals at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) last summer. In hindsight, I should not have been that shocked as Wildlife World is probably in the top 5 zoos in the country for species diversity, behind heavy hitters like San Diego, Omaha and Bronx. There was a spacious, barren yard for a single Black-backed Jackal, which was most likely a male.

And I counted one female and up to 8 Black-backed Jackal pups in a small exhibit elsewhere in the zoo. So, as of last year, Wildlife World Zoo had at least 10 Black-backed Jackals, and it will be interesting to see if they will ship some out to other zoos. We all know that the AZA won't even touch the species, so maybe ZAA collections?

Golden Jackal:

@Moorhunhe

Golden Jackals left Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) in 2022 and their old exhibit is currently occupied by Sri Lankan Leopards.

Both photos via @KevinB

I had a fantastic, 6-hour day at NaturZoo Rheine (Germany) in 2019, which is a zoo that has an abundance of excellent exhibits as well as 100+ Geladas. My photo shows 2 Sloth Bears and 3 Golden Jackals, but in reality the zoo held a dozen Golden Jackals at that time and the other canids were roaming around in the back. There's two enclosures and probably triple the total space as what can be seen here. Mixed-species exhibits are tremendously engaging for both visitors and animals.

@Maguari

@RonBurrgundy

Canidae:

Grey Wolves - 129 zoos (maybe Eastern Wolves as well?)
Red Foxes - 75 zoos
African Wild Dogs - 51 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
Swift Foxes - 19 zoos
Corsac Foxes - 6 zoos
Island Foxes - 6 zoos
Kit Foxes - 6 zoos
Black-backed Jackals - 5 zoos
Golden Jackals - 2 zoos

AND...

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

New Guinea Singing Dogs - 17 zoos
Dingoes - 5 zoos

 

[Smaggledagle]

And I counted one female and up to 8 Black-backed Jackal pups in a small exhibit elsewhere in the zoo. So, as of last year, Wildlife World Zoo had at least 10 Black-backed Jackals, and it will be interesting to see if they will ship some out to other zoos. We all know that the AZA won't even touch the species, so maybe ZAA collections?

Golden Jackal:

Speaking of which, in April 2024 (4.2) black-backed jackals were born which probably increased the population to 16 jackals (unless they transferred the jackals born in 2023 to other facilities).

Also not relating to jackals, but I'm surprised that you haven't seen Rüppell's sand fox before, though it does make sense since the 2 facilities I've seen with them is the Los Angeles Zoo in California and the Popcorn Park Animal Refuge in New Jersey.