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

[USZOOfan42]

Did the wolverine exhibit at Detroit Zoo change at some point? Because I certainly would not call their current exhibit "too small". It's the only place I've ever seen this species, and it was a real treat seeing two very active wolverines scaling the live, mature trees in their spacious habitat. One of my favorite habitats in the entire zoo.

Detroit did change their habitat a few years back by adding the old coati habitat to as they did with many other exhibits. It may have been the binturong habitat but both were combined into the anteaters or wolverines.

 

[ralph]

Between 2022 and 2023, Canada phased out the remaining mink farms and there's not a single one left in the nation. That's a far cry from the days of fur traders and a prosperous fur economy that stretched across the country.

Glad to read that! I visited one of those mink farms once here in the Netherlands for a school trip, and it was almost traumatizing. One of the worst thing's I've ever seen.

The Netherlands banned mink farms in 2021. Belgium banned them in 2023. A lot of other countries did the same thing, including the UK, Austria, Norway and the Czech Republic. In other countries like Germany and Spain, fur farms are being phased out
I am glad the times have changed. I hope eventually all countries will follow.

 

[birdsandbats]

Glad to read that! I visited one of those mink farms once here in the Netherlands for a school trip, and it was almost traumatizing. One of the worst thing's I've ever seen.

The Netherlands banned mink farms in 2021. Belgium banned them in 2023. A lot of other countries did the same thing, including the UK, Austria, Norway and the Czech Republic. In other countries like Germany and Spain, fur farms are being phased out
I am glad the times have changed. I hope eventually all countries will follow.

Are all mink farms bad though? A blanket ban seems extreme is comparison to increasing the required living conditions. I understand things are different in Europe where American Mink are invasive, but in Canada the measure seems quite drastic.

 

[Philipine eagle]

I don't comment much in this thread, but that's only because this topic is just incredibly fun to read, where a brilliant idea results in a unique combination of your own experiences and the wealth of photos on Zoochat. There's just almost nothing to add.
I secretly hope you end up with insects or other small critters.

 

[Lafone]

Are all mink farms bad though? A blanket ban seems extreme is comparison to increasing the required living conditions. I understand things are different in Europe where American Mink are invasive, but in Canada the measure seems quite drastic.

Given that the only use of mink is for people to pay a lot of money for fur and wear it as a decoration, it's a bit of a struggle to see what would constitute a 'good' mink farm. Of course one might say that for any animal being farmed, but given mink fur has no point for the people who are consuming it except to prove their wealth, I can't see the validity, however nice the cages.

 

[ralph]

Are all mink farms bad though? A blanket ban seems extreme is comparison to increasing the required living conditions. I understand things are different in Europe where American Mink are invasive, but in Canada the measure seems quite drastic.

Besides the obvious animal welfare issues, those mink farms are also a health risk as the outbreaks of covid at those farms have shown. Improving living conditions won't really change that.

I would welcome a worldwide ban on fur farming, not just for mink but for fox, chinchilla and others as well. Fur is a product that we can live without as there are plenty of alternatives available. It will never be worth the animal cruelty and health risks.

 

[15399]

I would welcome a worldwide ban on fur farming, not just for mink but for fox, chinchilla and others as well. Fur is a product that we can live without as there are plenty of alternatives available. It will never be worth the animal cruelty and health risks.

Fur is a product you and I may be able to live without, but many would still seek out ways to buy fur even if its farming was banned. Personally, I would argue that, provided that proper animal welfare regulations are in place, allowing chinchilla fur farming is 1,000% more ethical than banning it, as banning it would just create more of a market for the poaching (regardless of legality) of wild chinchillas. Seeing as both the long-tailed and short-tailed species are endangered, and the average chinchilla can only yield a 2"x2" square of usable fur, banning chinchilla farming could quickly be disastrous for their wild counterparts.

 

[snowleopard]

I'm going to finish off Mustelids in one swoop with FIVE species in today's post. I've seen Weasels at 7 zoos (3 different species), Black-footed Ferrets at 7 zoos, and European Polecats at 2 zoos.

1- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – African Striped Weasel – 2010
2- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Long-tailed Weasel – 2012
3- Orange County Zoo (USA) – Long-tailed Weasel – 2017
4- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
5- Zoo Neuwied (Germany) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
6- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
7- De Paay (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019

AND...

1- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Black-footed Ferret – 2008
2- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2008
3- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2010
4- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2014
5- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2014
6- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2015
7- Abilene Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2015

AND...

1- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – European Polecat – 2019
2- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – European Polecat – 2019

Mustelidae: 26 total species

In 2010, inside the Small Mammal House at Philadelphia Zoo (USA), I saw an African Striped Weasel for the only time in my life. It seems as if both Hogle and Omaha had the species at around the same time as the one in Philly, but I don't have any record of seeing weasels at those other zoos. Here is the solitary image of the Philly specimen in the ZooChat gallery:

@jusko88

At John Ball Zoo (USA) in 2012, inside the Living Shores Aquarium building, I saw a Long-tailed Weasel in a small glass-fronted enclosure.

Orange County Zoo (USA) had a Long-tailed Weasel during my 2017 tour of that small zoo.

@ThylacineAlive

Those 3 zoos were the summation of a lifetime of seeing hundreds of North American collections and obviously weasels are almost extinct in captivity on that continent. I then went to Europe in 2019 and saw 4 zoos with weasels in a single month! My photo from Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) shows two exhibits for Siberian Weasels:

At Zoo Neuwied (Germany), the Siberian Weasels were incredibly active and quick to scoot up the wire on their two main enclosures. These exhibits were connected by that metal tunnel in the middle, as the weasels ran back and forth between the two areas.

De Paay (Netherlands) had Siberian Weasels during my visit, and Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) is the privately-run zoo with every kind of small critter imaginable, so of course there was also an enclosure for Siberian Weasels there in 2019. Here's an amazing shot of one:

@ralph

I've seen Domestic Ferrets at a whole bunch of zoos, as they pop up here and there as educational animals, but I've not bothered tracking them or listing them as those Ferrets are basically pet-shop animals.

As for endangered Black-footed Ferrets, Toronto Zoo (Canada) had one in a very dimly-lit exhibit back in 2008. Here's an image of a ferret there several years later:

@Mr Wrinkly

Fort Worth Zoo (USA) had a Black-footed Ferret exhibit in the heavily-themed Texas Wild! zone in 2008, where visitors could see an animal curled up in its tiny den.

@geomorph

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) had a Black-footed Ferret in a building called the Lodge at Moose Lake when I toured the zoo in 2010. (That structure is still labeled on the zoo's map all these years later)

In 2014, I saw a Black-footed Ferret inside a Discovery Center building at Dakota Zoo (USA) but, just like Cheyenne, there are zero photos in the ZooChat gallery.

A small, sandy exhibit for a Black-footed Ferret, huddled up in a hole, was at Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) in 2014. That's quite the mural!

A ferret was still there in June of 2019:

@birdsandbats

An even tinier Black-footed Ferret exhibit was at Amarillo Zoo (USA) in 2015:

Look at Amarillo Zoo's shockingly puny glass fish tank for two Prairie Dogs in the same room with just a thin layer of hay/straw:

At Abilene Zoo (USA), I saw an active Black-footed Ferret (surprise!) inside the Elm Street Backyard building's nocturnal wing.

I've only ever seen European Polecats at two zoos, which seems a very small number, and both were in Denmark! An open-topped exhibit at Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) greets visitors just inside the entrance gate. Of course, a bit of fur inside a wooden box is all that many people are likely to see.

AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) is a delightful facility that's an aquarium with an outdoor loop of native wildlife. There's a lush European Polecat exhibit there.

Here's a great European Polecat image:

@Tim May

Mustelidae: 26 total species

North American River Otters - 115 zoos
Small-clawed Otters - 82 zoos
American Badgers - 31 zoos
Sea Otters - 15 zoos
Wolverines - 15 zoos
Fishers - 13 zoos
Giant Otters - 13 zoos
Tayras - 13 zoos
European Otters - 10 zoos
Spotted-necked Otters - 10 zoos
Yellow-throated Martens - 8 zoos
Black-footed Ferrets - 7 zoos
European Mink - 6 zoos
American Mink - 5 zoos
European Badgers - 5 zoos
Ratels - 5 zoos
Siberian Weasels - 4 zoos
American Martens - 3 zoos
European Pine Martens - 2 zoos
European Polecats - 2 zoos
Long-tailed Weasels - 2 zoos
African Clawless Otters - 1 zoo
African Striped Weasels - 1 zoo
Greater Grison - 1 zoo
Neotropical Otters - 1 zoo
Stone Martens - 1 zoo

Updated Species Lists for CARNIVORA:

Ailuridae: 2 species (106 zoos with either Eastern Red Panda or Western Red Panda)

Canidae: 19 species (129 zoos with Grey Wolf, 75 Red Fox, 51 African Wild Dog, 49 Arctic Fox, 49 Coyote, 44 Fennec Fox, 38 Maned Wolf, 35 Northern Grey Fox, 25 Bat-eared Fox, 22 Red Wolf, 19 Swift Fox, 16 Bush Dog, 10 Dhole, 10 Raccoon Dog, 6 Corsac Fox, 6 Island Fox, 6 Kit Fox, 5 Black-backed Jackal, 2 Golden Jackal...AND bonus animals are 17 New Guinea Singing Dog, 5 Dingo)

Eupleridae: 3 species (25 zoos with Fossa, 3 Ring-tailed Vontsira, 1 Fanaloka)

Felidae: 28 species (195 zoos with Tiger, 179 Lion, 128 Bobcat, 118 Cougar, 98 Leopard, 76 Cheetah, 74 Snow Leopard, 73 Serval, 63 Jaguar, 50 Eurasian Lynx, 49 Ocelot, 45 Canada Lynx, 36 Clouded Leopard, 31 Caracal, 29 Pallas's Cat, 25 Fishing Cat, 16 Black-footed Cat, 15 Sand Cat, 15 'Wildcats' (2 species: African, European), 8 Geoffroy's Cat, 7 Margay, 5 Jaguarundi, 4 Asian Golden Cat, 3 Leopard Cat, 2 Jungle Cat, 2 Rusty-spotted Cat, 1 Southern Tigrina)

Herpestidae: 5 species (129 zoos with Meerkat, 29 Dwarf Mongoose, 22 Banded Mongoose, 9 Yellow Mongoose, 5 Common Kusimanse)

Hyaenidae: 3 species (44 zoos with Spotted Hyena, 14 Striped Hyena, 1 Southern Aardwolf)

Mephitidae: 3 species (51 zoos with Striped Skunks, 2 Western Spotted, 1 American Hog-nosed)

Mustelidae: 26 species (115 zoos with North American River Otter, 82 Small-clawed Otter, 31 American Badger, 15 Sea Otter, 15 Wolverine, 13 Fisher, 13 Giant Otter, 13 Tayra, 10 European Otter, 10 Spotted-necked Otter, 8 Yellow-throated Marten, 7 Black-footed Ferret, 6 European Mink, 5 American Mink, 5 European Badger, 5 Ratel, 4 Siberian Weasel, 3 American Marten, 2 European Pine Marten, 2 European Polecat, 2 Long-tailed Weasel, 1 African Clawless Otter, 1 African Striped Weasel, 1 Greater Grison, 1 Neotropical Otter, 1 Stone Marten)

Nandiniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with African Palm Civet)

Prionodontidae: 0 species

Procyonidae: 7 species (117 zoos with Coati (South American & White-nosed), 94 Northern Raccoon, 28 Kinkajou, 21 Ringtail & Cacomistle, 2 Crab-eating Raccoon)

Ursidae: 8 species (100 zoos with American Black, 92 Brown, 47 Polar, 32 Andean, 27 Sun, 22 Sloth, 15 Asiatic Black, 8 Giant Panda)

Viverridae: 9 species (38 zoos with Binturong, 8 Cape Genet, 4 Common Genet, 4 Northern Palm Civet, 1 African Civet, 1 Banded Palm Civet, 1 Masked Palm Civet, 1 Philippine Palm Civet, 1 Rusty-spotted Genet)

* Also, on page 42 of this thread, there's an extensive list of all the Primates I've seen (141 species)

What's left on my 'Carnivora Countdown'? Pinnipeds!

 

[Panda_Fan]

I'm going to finish off Mustelids in one swoop with FIVE species in today's post. I've seen Weasels at 7 zoos (3 different species), Black-footed Ferrets at 7 zoos, and European Polecats at 2 zoos.

1- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – African Striped Weasel – 2010
2- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Long-tailed Weasel – 2012
3- Orange County Zoo (USA) – Long-tailed Weasel – 2017
4- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
5- Zoo Neuwied (Germany) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
6- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
7- De Paay (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019

AND...

1- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Black-footed Ferret – 2008
2- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2008
3- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2010
4- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2014
5- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2014
6- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2015
7- Abilene Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2015

AND...

1- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – European Polecat – 2019
2- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – European Polecat – 2019

Mustelidae: 26 total species

In 2010, inside the Small Mammal House at Philadelphia Zoo (USA), I saw an African Striped Weasel for the only time in my life. It seems as if both Hogle and Omaha had the species at around the same time as the one in Philly, but I don't have any record of seeing weasels at those other zoos. Here is the solitary image of the Philly specimen in the ZooChat gallery:

@jusko88

At John Ball Zoo (USA) in 2012, inside the Living Shores Aquarium building, I saw a Long-tailed Weasel in a small glass-fronted enclosure.

Orange County Zoo (USA) had a Long-tailed Weasel during my 2017 tour of that small zoo.

@ThylacineAlive

Those 3 zoos were the summation of a lifetime of seeing hundreds of North American collections and obviously weasels are almost extinct in captivity on that continent. I then went to Europe in 2019 and saw 4 zoos with weasels in a single month! My photo from Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) shows two exhibits for Siberian Weasels:

At Zoo Neuwied (Germany), the Siberian Weasels were incredibly active and quick to scoot up the wire on their two main enclosures. These exhibits were connected by that metal tunnel in the middle, as the weasels ran back and forth between the two areas.

De Paay (Netherlands) had Siberian Weasels during my visit, and Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) is the privately-run zoo with every kind of small critter imaginable, so of course there was also an enclosure for Siberian Weasels there in 2019. Here's an amazing shot of one:

@ralph

I've seen Domestic Ferrets at a whole bunch of zoos, as they pop up here and there as educational animals, but I've not bothered tracking them or listing them as those Ferrets are basically pet-shop animals.

As for endangered Black-footed Ferrets, Toronto Zoo (Canada) had one in a very dimly-lit exhibit back in 2008. Here's an image of a ferret there several years later:

@Mr Wrinkly

Fort Worth Zoo (USA) had a Black-footed Ferret exhibit in the heavily-themed Texas Wild! zone in 2008, where visitors could see an animal curled up in its tiny den.

@geomorph

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) had a Black-footed Ferret in a building called the Lodge at Moose Lake when I toured the zoo in 2010. (That structure is still labeled on the zoo's map all these years later)

In 2014, I saw a Black-footed Ferret inside a Discovery Center building at Dakota Zoo (USA) but, just like Cheyenne, there are zero photos in the ZooChat gallery.

A small, sandy exhibit for a Black-footed Ferret, huddled up in a hole, was at Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) in 2014. That's quite the mural!

A ferret was still there in June of 2019:

@birdsandbats

An even tinier Black-footed Ferret exhibit was at Amarillo Zoo (USA) in 2015:

Look at Amarillo Zoo's shockingly puny glass fish tank for two Prairie Dogs in the same room with just a thin layer of hay/straw:

At Abilene Zoo (USA), I saw an active Black-footed Ferret (surprise!) inside the Elm Street Backyard building's nocturnal wing.

I've only ever seen European Polecats at two zoos, which seems a very small number, and both were in Denmark! An open-topped exhibit at Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) greets visitors just inside the entrance gate. Of course, a bit of fur inside a wooden box is all that many people are likely to see.

AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) is a delightful facility that's an aquarium with an outdoor loop of native wildlife. There's a lush European Polecat exhibit there.

Here's a great European Polecat image:

@Tim May

Mustelidae: 26 total species

North American River Otters - 115 zoos
Small-clawed Otters - 82 zoos
American Badgers - 31 zoos
Sea Otters - 15 zoos
Wolverines - 15 zoos
Fishers - 13 zoos
Giant Otters - 13 zoos
Tayras - 13 zoos
European Otters - 10 zoos
Spotted-necked Otters - 10 zoos
Yellow-throated Martens - 8 zoos
Black-footed Ferrets - 7 zoos
European Mink - 6 zoos
American Mink - 5 zoos
European Badgers - 5 zoos
Ratels - 5 zoos
Siberian Weasels - 4 zoos
American Martens - 3 zoos
European Pine Martens - 2 zoos
European Polecats - 2 zoos
Long-tailed Weasels - 2 zoos
African Clawless Otters - 1 zoo
African Striped Weasels - 1 zoo
Greater Grison - 1 zoo
Neotropical Otters - 1 zoo
Stone Martens - 1 zoo

Updated Species Lists for CARNIVORA:

Ailuridae: 2 species (106 zoos with either Eastern Red Panda or Western Red Panda)

Canidae: 19 species (129 zoos with Grey Wolf, 75 Red Fox, 51 African Wild Dog, 49 Arctic Fox, 49 Coyote, 44 Fennec Fox, 38 Maned Wolf, 35 Northern Grey Fox, 25 Bat-eared Fox, 22 Red Wolf, 19 Swift Fox, 16 Bush Dog, 10 Dhole, 10 Raccoon Dog, 6 Corsac Fox, 6 Island Fox, 6 Kit Fox, 5 Black-backed Jackal, 2 Golden Jackal...AND bonus animals are 17 New Guinea Singing Dog, 5 Dingo)

Eupleridae: 3 species (25 zoos with Fossa, 3 Ring-tailed Vontsira, 1 Fanaloka)

Felidae: 28 species (195 zoos with Tiger, 179 Lion, 128 Bobcat, 118 Cougar, 98 Leopard, 76 Cheetah, 74 Snow Leopard, 73 Serval, 63 Jaguar, 50 Eurasian Lynx, 49 Ocelot, 45 Canada Lynx, 36 Clouded Leopard, 31 Caracal, 29 Pallas's Cat, 25 Fishing Cat, 16 Black-footed Cat, 15 Sand Cat, 15 'Wildcats' (2 species: African, European), 8 Geoffroy's Cat, 7 Margay, 5 Jaguarundi, 4 Asian Golden Cat, 3 Leopard Cat, 2 Jungle Cat, 2 Rusty-spotted Cat, 1 Southern Tigrina)

Herpestidae: 5 species (129 zoos with Meerkat, 29 Dwarf Mongoose, 22 Banded Mongoose, 9 Yellow Mongoose, 5 Common Kusimanse)

Hyaenidae: 3 species (44 zoos with Spotted Hyena, 14 Striped Hyena, 1 Southern Aardwolf)

Mephitidae: 3 species (51 zoos with Striped Skunks, 2 Western Spotted, 1 American Hog-nosed)

Mustelidae: 26 species (115 zoos with North American River Otter, 82 Small-clawed Otter, 31 American Badger, 15 Sea Otter, 15 Wolverine, 13 Fisher, 13 Giant Otter, 13 Tayra, 10 European Otter, 10 Spotted-necked Otter, 8 Yellow-throated Marten, 7 Black-footed Ferret, 6 European Mink, 5 American Mink, 5 European Badger, 5 Ratel, 4 Siberian Weasel, 3 American Marten, 2 European Pine Marten, 2 European Polecat, 2 Long-tailed Weasel, 1 African Clawless Otter, 1 African Striped Weasel, 1 Greater Grison, 1 Neotropical Otter, 1 Stone Marten)

Nandiniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with African Palm Civet)

Prionodontidae: 0 species

Procyonidae: 7 species (117 zoos with Coati (South American & White-nosed), 94 Northern Raccoon, 28 Kinkajou, 21 Ringtail & Cacomistle, 2 Crab-eating Raccoon)

Ursidae: 8 species (100 zoos with American Black, 92 Brown, 47 Polar, 32 Andean, 27 Sun, 22 Sloth, 15 Asiatic Black, 8 Giant Panda)

Viverridae: 9 species (38 zoos with Binturong, 8 Cape Genet, 4 Common Genet, 4 Northern Palm Civet, 1 African Civet, 1 Banded Palm Civet, 1 Masked Palm Civet, 1 Philippine Palm Civet, 1 Rusty-spotted Genet)

* Also, on page 42 of this thread, there's an extensive list of all the Primates I've seen (141 species)

What's left on my 'Carnivora Countdown'? Pinnipeds!

I didn't expect that weasels would be are in zoos.

 

[Giant Eland]

I'm going to finish off Mustelids in one swoop with FIVE species in today's post. I've seen Weasels at 7 zoos (3 different species), Black-footed Ferrets at 7 zoos, and European Polecats at 2 zoos.

1- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – African Striped Weasel – 2010
2- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Long-tailed Weasel – 2012
3- Orange County Zoo (USA) – Long-tailed Weasel – 2017
4- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
5- Zoo Neuwied (Germany) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
6- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019
7- De Paay (Netherlands) – Siberian Weasel – 2019

AND...

1- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Black-footed Ferret – 2008
2- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2008
3- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2010
4- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2014
5- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2014
6- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2015
7- Abilene Zoo (USA) – Black-footed Ferret – 2015

AND...

1- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – European Polecat – 2019
2- AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) – European Polecat – 2019

Mustelidae: 26 total species

In 2010, inside the Small Mammal House at Philadelphia Zoo (USA), I saw an African Striped Weasel for the only time in my life. It seems as if both Hogle and Omaha had the species at around the same time as the one in Philly, but I don't have any record of seeing weasels at those other zoos. Here is the solitary image of the Philly specimen in the ZooChat gallery:

@jusko88

At John Ball Zoo (USA) in 2012, inside the Living Shores Aquarium building, I saw a Long-tailed Weasel in a small glass-fronted enclosure.

Orange County Zoo (USA) had a Long-tailed Weasel during my 2017 tour of that small zoo.

@ThylacineAlive

Those 3 zoos were the summation of a lifetime of seeing hundreds of North American collections and obviously weasels are almost extinct in captivity on that continent. I then went to Europe in 2019 and saw 4 zoos with weasels in a single month! My photo from Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) shows two exhibits for Siberian Weasels:

At Zoo Neuwied (Germany), the Siberian Weasels were incredibly active and quick to scoot up the wire on their two main enclosures. These exhibits were connected by that metal tunnel in the middle, as the weasels ran back and forth between the two areas.

De Paay (Netherlands) had Siberian Weasels during my visit, and Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) is the privately-run zoo with every kind of small critter imaginable, so of course there was also an enclosure for Siberian Weasels there in 2019. Here's an amazing shot of one:

@ralph

I've seen Domestic Ferrets at a whole bunch of zoos, as they pop up here and there as educational animals, but I've not bothered tracking them or listing them as those Ferrets are basically pet-shop animals.

As for endangered Black-footed Ferrets, Toronto Zoo (Canada) had one in a very dimly-lit exhibit back in 2008. Here's an image of a ferret there several years later:

@Mr Wrinkly

Fort Worth Zoo (USA) had a Black-footed Ferret exhibit in the heavily-themed Texas Wild! zone in 2008, where visitors could see an animal curled up in its tiny den.

@geomorph

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) had a Black-footed Ferret in a building called the Lodge at Moose Lake when I toured the zoo in 2010. (That structure is still labeled on the zoo's map all these years later)

In 2014, I saw a Black-footed Ferret inside a Discovery Center building at Dakota Zoo (USA) but, just like Cheyenne, there are zero photos in the ZooChat gallery.

A small, sandy exhibit for a Black-footed Ferret, huddled up in a hole, was at Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) in 2014. That's quite the mural!

A ferret was still there in June of 2019:

@birdsandbats

An even tinier Black-footed Ferret exhibit was at Amarillo Zoo (USA) in 2015:

Look at Amarillo Zoo's shockingly puny glass fish tank for two Prairie Dogs in the same room with just a thin layer of hay/straw:

At Abilene Zoo (USA), I saw an active Black-footed Ferret (surprise!) inside the Elm Street Backyard building's nocturnal wing.

I've only ever seen European Polecats at two zoos, which seems a very small number, and both were in Denmark! An open-topped exhibit at Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) greets visitors just inside the entrance gate. Of course, a bit of fur inside a wooden box is all that many people are likely to see.

AQUA Aquarium & Wildlife Park (Denmark) is a delightful facility that's an aquarium with an outdoor loop of native wildlife. There's a lush European Polecat exhibit there.

Here's a great European Polecat image:

@Tim May

Mustelidae: 26 total species

North American River Otters - 115 zoos
Small-clawed Otters - 82 zoos
American Badgers - 31 zoos
Sea Otters - 15 zoos
Wolverines - 15 zoos
Fishers - 13 zoos
Giant Otters - 13 zoos
Tayras - 13 zoos
European Otters - 10 zoos
Spotted-necked Otters - 10 zoos
Yellow-throated Martens - 8 zoos
Black-footed Ferrets - 7 zoos
European Mink - 6 zoos
American Mink - 5 zoos
European Badgers - 5 zoos
Ratels - 5 zoos
Siberian Weasels - 4 zoos
American Martens - 3 zoos
European Pine Martens - 2 zoos
European Polecats - 2 zoos
Long-tailed Weasels - 2 zoos
African Clawless Otters - 1 zoo
African Striped Weasels - 1 zoo
Greater Grison - 1 zoo
Neotropical Otters - 1 zoo
Stone Martens - 1 zoo

Updated Species Lists for CARNIVORA:

Ailuridae: 2 species (106 zoos with either Eastern Red Panda or Western Red Panda)

Canidae: 19 species (129 zoos with Grey Wolf, 75 Red Fox, 51 African Wild Dog, 49 Arctic Fox, 49 Coyote, 44 Fennec Fox, 38 Maned Wolf, 35 Northern Grey Fox, 25 Bat-eared Fox, 22 Red Wolf, 19 Swift Fox, 16 Bush Dog, 10 Dhole, 10 Raccoon Dog, 6 Corsac Fox, 6 Island Fox, 6 Kit Fox, 5 Black-backed Jackal, 2 Golden Jackal...AND bonus animals are 17 New Guinea Singing Dog, 5 Dingo)

Eupleridae: 3 species (25 zoos with Fossa, 3 Ring-tailed Vontsira, 1 Fanaloka)

Felidae: 28 species (195 zoos with Tiger, 179 Lion, 128 Bobcat, 118 Cougar, 98 Leopard, 76 Cheetah, 74 Snow Leopard, 73 Serval, 63 Jaguar, 50 Eurasian Lynx, 49 Ocelot, 45 Canada Lynx, 36 Clouded Leopard, 31 Caracal, 29 Pallas's Cat, 25 Fishing Cat, 16 Black-footed Cat, 15 Sand Cat, 15 'Wildcats' (2 species: African, European), 8 Geoffroy's Cat, 7 Margay, 5 Jaguarundi, 4 Asian Golden Cat, 3 Leopard Cat, 2 Jungle Cat, 2 Rusty-spotted Cat, 1 Southern Tigrina)

Herpestidae: 5 species (129 zoos with Meerkat, 29 Dwarf Mongoose, 22 Banded Mongoose, 9 Yellow Mongoose, 5 Common Kusimanse)

Hyaenidae: 3 species (44 zoos with Spotted Hyena, 14 Striped Hyena, 1 Southern Aardwolf)

Mephitidae: 3 species (51 zoos with Striped Skunks, 2 Western Spotted, 1 American Hog-nosed)

Mustelidae: 26 species (115 zoos with North American River Otter, 82 Small-clawed Otter, 31 American Badger, 15 Sea Otter, 15 Wolverine, 13 Fisher, 13 Giant Otter, 13 Tayra, 10 European Otter, 10 Spotted-necked Otter, 8 Yellow-throated Marten, 7 Black-footed Ferret, 6 European Mink, 5 American Mink, 5 European Badger, 5 Ratel, 4 Siberian Weasel, 3 American Marten, 2 European Pine Marten, 2 European Polecat, 2 Long-tailed Weasel, 1 African Clawless Otter, 1 African Striped Weasel, 1 Greater Grison, 1 Neotropical Otter, 1 Stone Marten)

Nandiniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with African Palm Civet)

Prionodontidae: 0 species

Procyonidae: 7 species (117 zoos with Coati (South American & White-nosed), 94 Northern Raccoon, 28 Kinkajou, 21 Ringtail & Cacomistle, 2 Crab-eating Raccoon)

Ursidae: 8 species (100 zoos with American Black, 92 Brown, 47 Polar, 32 Andean, 27 Sun, 22 Sloth, 15 Asiatic Black, 8 Giant Panda)

Viverridae: 9 species (38 zoos with Binturong, 8 Cape Genet, 4 Common Genet, 4 Northern Palm Civet, 1 African Civet, 1 Banded Palm Civet, 1 Masked Palm Civet, 1 Philippine Palm Civet, 1 Rusty-spotted Genet)

* Also, on page 42 of this thread, there's an extensive list of all the Primates I've seen (141 species)

What's left on my 'Carnivora Countdown'? Pinnipeds!

Fascinating thread to keep up with as always @snowleopard !!
Once again tempting me to try to figure out my first encounters with species from Mustelidae and Mephitidae. Here's the best I can figure with some quick research of my photos...

Mustelidae:
1.) (Mustela erminea) Eurasian ermine (Heidelberg Zoo 2010)
2.) (Mustela eversmanii) Steppe polecat (Novosibirsk Zoo 2018)
3.) (Mustela frenata) long-tailed weasel (Brookfield Zoo 2006)
4.) Mustela furo) Domestic Ferret (don’t remember)
5.) (Mustela itatsi) Japanese weasel (Tama Zoo 2018)
6.) (Mustela lutreola) European mink (Wildpark Leipzig-Connewitz 2010)
7.) (Mustela lutreolina) Indonesian Mountain Weasel (PCBA 2022)
8.) (Mustela nigripes) Black-footed Ferret (Smithsonian mid-1990s)
9.) (Mustela nivalis) least weasel (British Wildlife Centre 2010)
10.) (Mustela putorius) European polecat (Miami Zoo mid-1990s?)
11.) (Mustela richardsonii) American ermine (Minnesota Zoo 2006 or Trailside Zoo 2022)
12.) (Mustela sibirica) Siberian weasel (San Diego Zoo mid-1990s)
13.) (Vormela peregusna) Marbled polecat (Plzen Zoo 2010)
14.) (Eira barbara) tayra (wild in Ecuador 2021, San Diego Zoo mid-1990s?)
15.) (Gulo gulo) wolverine (Minnesota Zoo 2006)
16.) (Ictonyx libycus) Saharan striped polecat (wild in Western Sahara 2024, Plzen Zoo 2010)
17.) (Ictonyx striatus) Zorilla (Broxbourne Zoo 2010)
18.) (Martes americana) American Marten (ZooAmerica 2013)
19.) (Martes flavigula) Yellow-throated Marten (San Diego Zoo 1999)
20.) (Martes foina) Beech Marten (wild in France 2009, Wildpark Leipzig-Connewitz 2010)
21.) (Martes martes) European Pine Marten (Wildpark Leipzig-Connewitz 2010)
22.) (Martes melampus) Japanese Marten (Inokashira Park Zoo 2018)
23.) (Martes pennanti) fisher (Minnesota Zoo 2006)
24.) (Martes zibellina) Sable (Novosibirsk Zoo 2018)
25.) (Neovison vison) American mink (Wildpark Leipzig-Connewitz 2010)
26.) (Poecilogale albinucha) African striped weasel (Omaha Zoo 2006- unless I saw in Philly in the 90s and don’t remember/have a photo)
27.) (Galictis cuja) Lesser Grison (Huachipa Zoo 2012)
28.) (Galictis vittata) Greater Grison (Los Ocarros Zoo 2012)
29.) (Taxidea taxus) American badger (wild in Washington State 2020, Omaha 2006 was 1st decent photo at least)
30.) (Meles anakuma) Japanese Badger (Tama Zoo 2018)
31.) (Meles meles) European Badger (Dortmund Zoo 2010)
32.) (Meles leucurus) Asian badger (Novosibirsk Zoo 2018)
33.) (Mellivora capensis) honey badger (wild in South Africa 2023, San Diego mid-1990s?)
34.) (Melogale moschata) Chinese ferret-badger (Prague Zoo 2010)
35.) (Melogale orientalis) Javan ferret-badger (Brno Zoo 2018)
36.) (Melogale personata) Burmese ferret-badger (Saigon Zoo 2018)
37.) (Melogale subaurantiaca) Formosan Ferret-badger (Taipei Zoo 2018)
38.) (Arctonyx collaris) greater hog badger (Pata Zoo 2018)
39.) (Arctonyx hoevenii) Sumatran hog badger (Batu Secret Zoo 2018)
40.) (Aonyx capensis) African clawless otter (Toledo Zoo 2006)
41.) (Aonyx cinerea) oriental small-clawed otter (Bronx Zoo late-1980s)
42.) (Enhydra lutris) sea otter (wild in California 2020, Brooklyn Aquarium late-1980s)
43.) (Hydrictis maculicollis) spotted-necked otter (wild in Uganda 2021, Toronto Zoo early-1990s)
44.) (Lontra canadensis) North American river otter (wild in Grand Teton NP 2020, Bronx Zoo late-1980s)
45.) (Lontra feline) Marine Otter (Wild in Chile 2021, Huachipa Zoo 2012)
46.) (Lontra longicaudis) Neotropical Otter (wild in Brazil 2021, Los Ocarros Zoo 2012)
47.) (Lutra lutra) European Otter (San Diego Zoo 2001)
48.) (Lutra sumatrana) Hairy-nosed Otter (Batu Secret Zoo 2023)
49.) (Lutrogale perspicillata) Smooth-coated Otter (wild in Singapore 2023, RSCC 2010)
50.) (Pteronura brasiliensis) giant otter (wild in Brazil 2021, Philly Zoo mid-1990s)

Mephitidae:
1.) (Mydaus marchei) Palawan stink badger (Avilon Zoo 2018)
2.) (Conepatus chinga) Molina’s hog-nosed skunk (Wild in Chile 2021, Temaiken 2013)
3.) (Conepatus leuconotus) American hog-nosed skunk (ASDM 2010)
4.) (Conepatus semistriatus) striped hog-nosed skunk (Buenos Aires Zoo 2013)
5.) (Mephitis macroura) hooded skunk (ASDM 2010)
6.) (Mephitis mephitis) striped skunk (Wild on LA Zoo Grounds mid-1990s, Bronx Zoo early-1990s)
7.) (Spilogale angustifrons) Southern spotted skunk (wild in Costa Rica 2014)
8.) (Spilogale gracilis) Western Spotted Skunk (wild in California 2022, Bronx Zoo early-1990s)
9.) (Spilogale putorius) Eastern Spotted Skunk (Minnesota Zoo 2006)

 

[carlos55]

Mustelids are also quite rare in mexican zoos. I already mentioned the neotropical otters. I have only seen badgers at Leon zoo. Tayras and grison can be seen currently at Vallazoo , Zoomat - Chiapas and Yumka Tabasco, which are all zoos in these animals native range. As for skunks, Chapultepec, Altiplano - Tlaxcala, and Zoomat - Chiapas currently keep them. It is unfortunate that so few mexican zoos keep our native small mammals other than raccoons and coatis.

 

[snowleopard]

When it came to pinnipeds, the final group of animals for my Carnivora lists, I knew that it was going to be a tight contest between two species to see which pinniped was most commonly kept in zoos. The 'winner' would be California Sea Lions, which I've seen at 76 zoos. With their sleek, balletic underwater movement and barking noises, these animals make for popular zoo exhibits.

Breakdown:

55 zoos
21 aquariums

2008 = 13 zoos
2010 = 15 zoos
2019 = 19 zoos

1- Stanley Park Zoo (Canada) – California Sea Lion – 1986
2- Vancouver Aquarium (Canada) – California Sea Lion – 1986
3- SeaWorld San Diego (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2006
4- Denver Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2006
5- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – California Sea Lion – 2007
6- Shedd Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
7- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
8- Bronx Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
9- Central Park Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
10- Smithsonian’s National Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
11- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
12- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
13- Indianapolis Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
14- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
15- Memphis Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
16- Georgia Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
17- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
18- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2008
19- Oregon Coast Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
20- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
21- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
22- Louisville Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
23- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
24- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
25- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
26- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
27- North Carolina Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
28- Birmingham Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
29- Audubon Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
30- Houston Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
31- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
32- El Paso Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
33- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2010
34- Aquarium of the Pacific (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2011
35- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2011
36- Blank Park Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2012
37- New England Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2012
38- Mystic Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2012
39- New York Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2012
40- Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2012
41- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2012
42- Como Park Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2014
43- Moody Gardens (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2015
44- SeaWorld San Antonio (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2015
45- Ocean World (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2015
46- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2017
47- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2017
48- Marine Mammal Center (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2017
49- Morro Bay Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2017
50- Marine Mammal Care Center (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2017
51- Pacific Marine Mammal Center (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2017
52- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2018
53- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – California Sea Lion – 2019
54- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – California Sea Lion – 2019
55- Deltapark Neeltje Jans Aquarium (Netherlands) – California Sea Lion – 2019
56- Sea Life Blankenberge (Belgium) – California Sea Lion – 2019
57- Boudewijn Seapark (Belgium) – California Sea Lion – 2019
58- Zoo Antwerp (Belgium) – California Sea Lion – 2019
59- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
60- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
61- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
62- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
63- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
64- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
65- Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) – California Sea Lion – 2019
66- Dolfinarium Harderwijk (Netherlands) – California Sea Lion – 2019
67- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
68- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
69- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
70- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) – California Sea Lion – 2019
71- Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen (Netherlands) – California Sea Lion – 2019
72- Aalborg Zoo (Denmark) – California Sea Lion – 2022
73- Odense Zoo (Denmark) – California Sea Lion – 2022
74- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – California Sea Lion – 2022
75- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2023
76- OdySea Aquarium (USA) – California Sea Lion – 2023

What are some of the most memorable California Sea Lion exhibits I've ever seen? The one at Bronx Zoo (USA) is somewhat iconic, as the Astor Court pool is a nice slice of zoological history.

@Dhole dude

Saint Louis Zoo (USA) has one of the best California Sea Lion exhibits in North America and it cost $18 million and opened in 2012. Sea Lion Sound has a rocky coastline that is combined with an underwater tunnel for visitors to see the pinnipeds swimming overhead.

@pachyderm pro

Fresno Chaffee Zoo's (USA) exhibit also opened in 2012 and it is modeled after Point Lobos, California, with a beautiful visitor pathway that winds through tall grasses before emerging onto a rocky coastline environment. The underwater viewing is spectacular, although it does lack Saint Louis's overhead tunnel. However, in many ways the impressive backdrop and attention to detail with this California Sea Lion exhibit is phenomenal. When Sea Lion Cove opened, zoo attendance in Fresno shot up 28% in a single year.

If Saint Louis and Fresno Chaffee were the 'cream of the crop' when it came to California Sea Lion exhibits in North American zoos, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) took things to a whole new level. When I visited Omaha in 2008, 2012 and 2018, the California Sea Lion pool was shallow, outdated and waiting to be demolished.

I've not seen the $27 million Sea Lion Shores in person, as it opened in 2020, but it certainly has received rave reviews from those that have been fortunate enough to visit. Omaha has a wave machine built into its exhibit, which I believe is lacking in both Saint Louis and Fresno. This is one heck of a stunning Pacific Northwest themed habitat.

@pachyderm pro

@Pleistohorse

There are a few other large California Sea Lion exhibits in American zoos, including the Galapagos Islands complex at Houston Zoo which opened after my last visit. The SeaWorld parks keep the species in vast numbers in rocky habitats, but there's also quite a few pools that are small and outdated. Interestingly enough, this is not a species that has been phased out of many collections, as other than zoos closing down it appears that once a place has California Sea Lions then that species remains there forever.

So what does Western Europe have to offer? In truth, there's a number of poor exhibits, mainly consisting of old-fashioned concrete pools without any kind of immersive backdrops. Let's seek out some gems...

ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) has California Sea Lions in what their guidebook calls "Europe's largest sea lion facility". (I'm not sure how accurate that claim is!) I had a great time there seeing the colony of sea lions either basking on the rocks or swimming above my head in the underwater tunnel.

The California Sea Lion exhibit at Beekse Bergen (Netherlands) has to be seen to be believed. At first, it's a relatively standard area as shown in the photo below. However, through that gate is a vast area of waterways that stretches for a couple of kilometers and most of the time the pinnipeds have full access to it. Remarkable!

@KevinB

The California Sea Lion exhibit at Berlin Zoo (Germany) includes a wave machine, which makes any pinniped pool far more enjoyable for both the animals and visitors. There's a flat surface for basking in the sun, a rocky mini-mountain for the sea lions, and underwater viewing windows on the left-hand side. The size of this exhibit is also impressive.

Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) has a superb California Sea Lion exhibit (and other pinnipeds mixed together) near its equally tremendous Polar Bear habitat in the Yukon Bay part of the zoo. For those zoo nerds living in North America, to see a revved-up wave machine working in a sea lion exhibit is a fantastic experience. Instead of a calm pool, there's crashing waves that smack the rocks and the sea lions love the extra enrichment. Very few zoos in North America use wave machines and the devices are much more common in European zoos.

@Maguari

Odense Zoo (Denmark) has a California Sea Lion exhibit that is not world-class by any stretch of the imagination, but it is memorable in that there are two pools and everything is heavily themed as if it's a fish market pier setting.

The underwater viewing windows are giant eyes:

Another memorable, but rather tiny, California Sea Lion exhibit is to be found at Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) beneath the scorching hot Arizona sunshine. Called Shipwreck Cove, it's themed as an abandoned pirate ship.

Certainly the strangest way I've viewed California Sea Lions was also in Arizona, at OdySea Aquarium (USA) last year. OdySea Voyager is hailed on posters and various signs as the “world’s only rotating aquarium experience” and it’s certainly unique to me. Visitors are ushered into what appears to be a small movie theater and once inside there begins a 20-minute “ride” with either pre-recorded narration or soft music playing the entire time. There are 4 big tanks, each with the same 46-foot-long windows, called Open Ocean, Sea Turtle Reef, Sea Lion Sound and Shark Waters. The way it works is that visitors sit down the entire time, spending 5 minutes staring at each of the exhibits, and then after 5 minutes the whole room vibrates and moves on a track. It’s a strange experience, as it feels a little like a slow-moving theme park ride. It's initially bright inside, but when the "ride" begins then visitors are plunged into darkness in the same way that a movie theater works. I'm not too sure how large the California Sea Lion exhibit is as there's zero opportunity to get an overhead view. My guess is that it's pretty tight on space and the aquarium only ever seems to have 3 or less pinnipeds at any one time.

 

[NNM.]

Regretfully I have seen what might be a contender for the worst sea lion exhibit in the USA, at the otherwise top-tier Georgia Aquarium, no less. I mean…just look at this. It honestly feels like the aquarium equivalent of Bronx Zoo’s leopard exhibit in the sense that it’s an all-indoor exhibit for a popular animal at a critically-acclaimed facility that is ridiculously small for the animal inside.

 

[15399]

When it came to pinnipeds, the final group of animals for my Carnivora lists, I knew that it was going to be a tight contest between two species to see which pinniped was most commonly kept in zoos. The 'winner' would be California Sea Lions, which I've seen at 76 zoos. With their sleek, balletic underwater movement and barking noises, these animals make for popular zoo exhibits.

I'm surprised you've "only" seen California sea lions at 76 zoos! For me, this is tied for the third most common mammal species I've seen in zoos, only behind North American river otters and African lions (and tied with Himalayan red pandas). I suppose my total is biased by the fact I've been to all of the WCS facilities (all five house this species), but it remains a species that seems to be incredibly common in both zoos and aquariums alike.

What are some of the most memorable California Sea Lion exhibits I've ever seen? The one at Bronx Zoo (USA) is somewhat iconic, as the Astor Court pool is a nice slice of zoological history.

@Dhole dude

While none of the WCS exhibits are terrible, I'm honestly surprised they haven't invested in having at least one world-class sea lion exhibit. The California sea lion is perhaps the animal most synonymous with the organization- seeing as all five of their facilities house this species, and yet all of the exhibits are remarkably average. Perhaps the best WCS sea lion pool is the one at Queens Zoo, however even that exhibit lacks underwater viewing and isn't nearly as impressive as Omaha or Saint Louis:

Photo By: @uszoo

Interestingly enough, this is not a species that has been phased out of many collections, as other than zoos closing down it appears that once a place has California Sea Lions then that species remains there forever

I know of at least one zoo which phased California sea lions out of a sub-par exhibit. In 2022, I first visited the small Utica Zoo in Utica, NY, and at that time the former California sea lion exhibit was empty and under construction, but it has since re-opened as an exhibit for North American river otters. I thought I posted a photo of this exhibit in the gallery, but I can't seem to find it there at the moment. I'll need to take one next time I visit.

The way it works is that visitors sit down the entire time, spending 5 minutes staring at each of the exhibits, and then after 5 minutes the whole room vibrates and moves on a track. It’s a strange experience, as it feels a little like a slow-moving theme park ride

That... sounds exactly like you are describing a theme park ride. The Carousel of Progress at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom works exactly as you described...with the audience of a theater rotating through a series of four short vignettes. I bet someone designing the OdySea Aquarium probably used this ride as inspiration.

Regretfully I have seen what might be a contender for the worst sea lion exhibit in the USA, at the otherwise top-tier Georgia Aquarium, no less. I mean…just look at this. It honestly feels like the aquarium equivalent of Bronx Zoo’s leopard exhibit in the sense that it’s an all-indoor exhibit for a popular animal at a critically-acclaimed facility that is ridiculously small for the animal inside.
View attachment 714847
View attachment 714848

I would be curious to hear some of @snowleopard's picks for the worst sea lion habitats he's seen, as this post mostly focused on a number of excellent exhibits.

The California sea lion exhibit at the Aquarium of Niagara is a strong contender for the single worst exhibit I've seen in an AZA zoo (as is the seal exhibit at the same aquarium). There is a small pool that is completely lacking in complexity, and the land area isn't even large enough to hold all the sea lions at once. The sea lion pool is the flagship exhibit at this small aquarium- and it's a shame the marine mammals here don't have better homes.

Photo By: @CuseZoofan

To add on a personal favorite sea lion experience: The coolest experience with sea lions I've ever had was at the Buffalo Zoo. The Buffalo Zoo's exhibit is good, but certainly not at the level of Saint Louis and Omaha. That said, this past spring I had the opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the exhibit (no close encounters with the animals, just the behind-the-scenes portions of the area). It's certainly a really cool experience to see the life support systems for this pool- as even this one exhibit had an absolutely massive building to house a variety of different pumps, cleaners, etc. Goes to show just how much work needs to go in to housing large aquatic animals in zoos!

 

[NNM.]

The California sea lion exhibit at the Aquarium of Niagara is a strong contender for the single worst exhibit I've seen in an AZA zoo (as is the seal exhibit at the same aquarium). There is a small pool that is completely lacking in complexity, and the land area isn't even large enough to hold all the sea lions at once. The sea lion pool is the flagship exhibit at this small aquarium- and it's a shame the marine mammals here don't have better homes.

Photo By: @CuseZoofan

Is that little metal strip in the back the only “land”to this?

 

[15399]

Is that little metal strip in the back the only “land”to this?

Yes.

 

[NNM.]

Yes.

Good lord…

 

[Aardwolf]

I have been told they’re installing some rocks or something to provide additional haul out space.

The reason you don't see many atrocious seal or sea lion exhibits compared to other species is because of the much stricter requirements in place for them under both USDA and MMPA. A decent number of zoos phased out pinnipeds at the time of the latter's passage because they didn't want to/couldn't afford to keep up with the new husbandry standards.

 

[Panda_Fan]

For me is always a treat to see the marine animals in action. I love exhibits like Columbus, Odense or Erlebnis, they're always quite unique and different from all the same rocky shore exhibits.

 

[birdsandbats]

I'm surprised you've "only" seen California sea lions at 76 zoos! For me, this is tied for the third most common mammal species I've seen in zoos, only behind North American river otters and African lions (and tied with Himalayan red pandas). I suppose my total is biased by the fact I've been to all of the WCS facilities (all five house this species), but it remains a species that seems to be incredibly common in both zoos and aquariums alike.

Not a surprise to me, since they're generally only found at well-off accredited zoos. I've never seen them at a non-AZA zoo.