This exhibit now holds tufted deer.A bit better exhibit, signed as Reindeer, was at Buffalo Zoo (USA) in 2010:
![]()
The ones you saw at Minnesota would have been Woodland Caribou, although they recently switched over to normal Domestic Reindeer.Thanks @Giant Eland and I'm not at all surprised that the Red Brocket Deer at Emperor Valley Zoo would be a different species in comparison to the Red Brocket Deer at the Phoenix and Los Angeles zoos. I know that at Phoenix the animals are even signed as 'Mexican Red Brocket Deer'. You are a true species hunter my friend.
Thanks @Zz123 for the mention of the various Eld's Deer subspecies. There's quite a few subspecies with several types of deer and some are up next.
I've seen Caribou at 56 zoos and I've done my best to break things down into subspecies level, based on zoo signs, photos, maps and guidebooks. One trend is that there are very few 'southern' zoos on my list, with almost all the zoos here being ones that can have cold winters.
56 zoos (48 Reindeer, 7 Woodland Caribou, 3 ‘Caribou’, 1 Barren-ground Caribou, 1 Osborn Caribou, 1 Peary Caribou)
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Woodland Caribou, Barren-ground Caribou, Peary Caribou, Osborn Caribou, Reindeer – 1975
2- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2005
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – Woodland Caribou – 2005
4- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou - 2006
5- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2006
6- Denver Zoo (USA) – Caribou – 2006
7- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – Woodland Caribou – 2006
8- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Caribou – 2008
9- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2008
10- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Reindeer – 2008
11- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2009
12- Cougar Mountain Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2009
13- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Caribou – 2010
14- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2010
15- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2010
16- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2012
17- Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park (USA) – Reindeer – 2012
18- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
19- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
20- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
21- Roosevelt Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
22- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
23- Como Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
24- Miller Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
25- Lincoln Children’s Zoo - Nebraska (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
26- Willow Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
27- Grand Canyon Deer Farm (USA) – Reindeer – 2015
28- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Reindeer – 2015
29- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – Reindeer – 2016
30- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2017
31- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou – 2018
32- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou, Reindeer – 2018
33- GarLyn Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2018
34- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2018
35- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
36- Landgoed Hoenderdaell (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
37- Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
38- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
39- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Reindeer – 2019
40- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
41- Opel Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
42- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
43- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
44- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
45- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
46- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
47- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
48- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
49- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
50- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – Woodland Caribou – 2019
51- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
52- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
53- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
54- Odense Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
55- Nordens Ark (Sweden) – Reindeer – 2022
56- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) is my childhood zoo (also the Valley Zoo), located in Edmonton, Alberta. Of course, there's been significant taxonomic changes since this place was open (1959-1998), as for example in the late 1970s and early 1980s the zoo had 5 different exhibits with 5 different zebras (Grevy's, Grant's, Damara, Hartmann's Mountain and Chapman's) and there was also Reindeer, Peary Caribou (first captured from the wild by this zoo in 1970), as well as Barren-ground, Woodland and Osborn Caribou all discussed in their late 1970s guidebook. They are all ONE species, although seeing the Peary Caribou was memorable as they were almost pure white in the winter. Here's an internet image:
![]()
The hot climate down in southern California has never deterred San Diego Zoo (USA) from having Reindeer up in the area near the Polar Bears. Currently an empty exhibit, it was always an awkward enclosure with viewing being difficult and the terraced landscape very odd.
![]()
@pachyderm pro
Minnesota Zoo (USA) has showcased Caribou for many years, in a large paddock on the Northern Trail walking loop.
![]()
@Milwaukee Man
A few small, desolate fenced yards hold Reindeer at Cougar Mountain Zoo (USA). This place heavily promotes having Reindeer in the winter, when there are Santa festivities.
![]()
A bit better exhibit, signed as Reindeer, was at Buffalo Zoo (USA) in 2010:
![]()
The Reindeer paddock at Rosamond Gifford Zoo (USA) in 2012 also held some bird species, judging by signs and my photo, such as Canada Geese, Mallard, Ruddy Shelduck, Tundra Swan and Helmeted Guineafowl.
![]()
Bramble Park Zoo (USA), which recently lost its AZA accreditation, actually had a spacious Reindeer exhibit when I was there in 2014.
![]()
Reindeer look good in the snow in an otherwise bland, standard enclosure at Como Park Zoo (USA):
![]()
@Dhole dude
It's not difficult to obtain some domesticated Reindeer and several roadside zoos, such as West Coast Game Park Safari (USA), have done just that over the years.
![]()
Besides Alberta Game Farm, the only other zoo I've ever visited with exhibits for both Reindeer and Caribou has been Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada). In 2018, there was a Reindeer enclosure in the Grasslands & Boreal Forest zone and the Journey to Churchill area had a Woodland Caribou exhibit. Here's the latter:
![]()
I enjoyed Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) a lot when I was there in summer 2019, but the very first thing visitors saw back then was a GONG SHOW of an exhibit. Reindeer, Ankole Cattle, Bactrian Camels, some donkeys...what the heck? I think this enclosure houses Scimitar-horned Oryx and Meerkats now, which is also an odd pairing. Hmmm...Reindeer on sand.
![]()
GaiaZOO (Netherlands) is a real gem of a zoological facility, packed with natural-looking, excellent exhibits. Taiga is the area that houses a large Reindeer exhibit.
![]()
@Mr Gharial
ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) is another zoo with, for the most part, wall-to-wall top-notch exhibits, and here's a neat photo of a Reindeer drinking in the Alaska zone.
![]()
@RonBurrgundy
Reindeer paddock at Duisburg Zoo (Germany) with many tall trees:
![]()
@gulogulogulo
Woodland Caribou can be found in the Canadian themed Yukon Bay section at Hannover Zoo (Germany):
![]()
By the standards of the Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark), their Reindeer exhibit is quite small. This is a place that gives 6 acres to bears.
![]()
Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) also has Reindeer:
![]()
The Reindeer exhibit at Nordens Ark (Sweden) is heavily forested and probably packed with snow in the winter.
![]()
Order Artiodactyla:
Antilocapridae: 1 species (30 zoos with Pronghorn)
Camelidae: 2 species (27 zoos with Guanaco, 18 Vicuna)
Cervidae: 15 species so far - (78 zoos with Reeves's Muntjac, 63 Common Fallow Deer, 56 Caribou/Reindeer, 40 Axis Deer, 21 Southern Red Muntjac, 20 Hog Deer, 17 Tufted Deer, 14 Barasingha, 12 Eld's Deer, 8 Bawean Deer, 4 Northern Red Muntjac, 3 Calamian Deer, 2 Mexican Red Brocket Deer, 1 Common Red Brocket Deer, 1 Persian Fallow Deer)
Delphinidae: 7 species (15 zoos with Common Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Killer Whale, 3 Pacific White-sided Dolphin, 1 Commerson's Dolphin, 1 False Killer Whale, 1 Short-finned Pilot Whale)
Giraffidae: 5 species (175 zoos with Giraffe (4 species), 31 Okapi)
Hippopotamidae: 2 species (65 zoos with Common Hippo, 44 Pygmy Hippo)
Iniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with Amazon River Dolphin)
Monodontidae: 1 species (7 zoos with Beluga Whale)
Phocoenidae: 1 species (3 zoos with Harbour Porpoise)
Suidae: 8 species (65 zoos with Red River Hog, 51 Warthog, 24 Babirusa, 17 Visayan Warty Pig, 17 Wild Boar, 6 Bearded Pig, 3 Javan Warty Pig, 1 Bushpig)
Tayassuidae: 3 species (33 zoos with Collared Peccary, 17 Chacoan, 4 White-lipped)
Tragulidae: 4 species (13 zoos with Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain, 9 Javan, 7 Greater Indo-Malayan, 2 Balabac)
I haven't been as frequent a contributor to this thread lately as I don't have as much to say about ungulates than some of the other taxa covered, but it has still been an enjoyable read. I wanted to say, however, that I really enjoyed the caribou exhibit at Toronto Zoo, the only place I have ever seen this species. It was really spacious, contained some nice variety in elevation, and was part of a really cool cohesively themed area "Tundra Trek", alongside polar bears and arctic wolves. Definitely one of the best spots in Toronto Zoo, in my opinion.Thanks @Giant Eland and I'm not at all surprised that the Red Brocket Deer at Emperor Valley Zoo would be a different species in comparison to the Red Brocket Deer at the Phoenix and Los Angeles zoos. I know that at Phoenix the animals are even signed as 'Mexican Red Brocket Deer'. You are a true species hunter my friend.
Thanks @Zz123 for the mention of the various Eld's Deer subspecies. There's quite a few subspecies with several types of deer and some are up next.
I've seen Caribou at 56 zoos and I've done my best to break things down into subspecies level, based on zoo signs, photos, maps and guidebooks. One trend is that there are very few 'southern' zoos on my list, with almost all the zoos here being ones that can have cold winters.
56 zoos (48 Reindeer, 7 Woodland Caribou, 3 ‘Caribou’, 1 Barren-ground Caribou, 1 Osborn Caribou, 1 Peary Caribou)
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Woodland Caribou, Barren-ground Caribou, Peary Caribou, Osborn Caribou, Reindeer – 1975
2- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2005
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – Woodland Caribou – 2005
4- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou - 2006
5- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2006
6- Denver Zoo (USA) – Caribou – 2006
7- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – Woodland Caribou – 2006
8- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Caribou – 2008
9- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2008
10- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Reindeer – 2008
11- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2009
12- Cougar Mountain Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2009
13- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Caribou – 2010
14- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2010
15- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2010
16- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2012
17- Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park (USA) – Reindeer – 2012
18- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
19- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
20- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
21- Roosevelt Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
22- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
23- Como Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
24- Miller Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
25- Lincoln Children’s Zoo - Nebraska (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
26- Willow Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
27- Grand Canyon Deer Farm (USA) – Reindeer – 2015
28- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Reindeer – 2015
29- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – Reindeer – 2016
30- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2017
31- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou – 2018
32- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou, Reindeer – 2018
33- GarLyn Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2018
34- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2018
35- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
36- Landgoed Hoenderdaell (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
37- Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
38- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
39- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Reindeer – 2019
40- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
41- Opel Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
42- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
43- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
44- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
45- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
46- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
47- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
48- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
49- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
50- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – Woodland Caribou – 2019
51- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
52- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
53- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
54- Odense Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
55- Nordens Ark (Sweden) – Reindeer – 2022
56- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) is my childhood zoo (also the Valley Zoo), located in Edmonton, Alberta. Of course, there's been significant taxonomic changes since this place was open (1959-1998), as for example in the late 1970s and early 1980s the zoo had 5 different exhibits with 5 different zebras (Grevy's, Grant's, Damara, Hartmann's Mountain and Chapman's) and there was also Reindeer, Peary Caribou (first captured from the wild by this zoo in 1970), as well as Barren-ground, Woodland and Osborn Caribou all discussed in their late 1970s guidebook. They are all ONE species, although seeing the Peary Caribou was memorable as they were almost pure white in the winter. Here's an internet image:
![]()
The hot climate down in southern California has never deterred San Diego Zoo (USA) from having Reindeer up in the area near the Polar Bears. Currently an empty exhibit, it was always an awkward enclosure with viewing being difficult and the terraced landscape very odd.
![]()
@pachyderm pro
Minnesota Zoo (USA) has showcased Caribou for many years, in a large paddock on the Northern Trail walking loop.
![]()
@Milwaukee Man
A few small, desolate fenced yards hold Reindeer at Cougar Mountain Zoo (USA). This place heavily promotes having Reindeer in the winter, when there are Santa festivities.
![]()
A bit better exhibit, signed as Reindeer, was at Buffalo Zoo (USA) in 2010:
![]()
The Reindeer paddock at Rosamond Gifford Zoo (USA) in 2012 also held some bird species, judging by signs and my photo, such as Canada Geese, Mallard, Ruddy Shelduck, Tundra Swan and Helmeted Guineafowl.
![]()
Bramble Park Zoo (USA), which recently lost its AZA accreditation, actually had a spacious Reindeer exhibit when I was there in 2014.
![]()
Reindeer look good in the snow in an otherwise bland, standard enclosure at Como Park Zoo (USA):
![]()
@Dhole dude
It's not difficult to obtain some domesticated Reindeer and several roadside zoos, such as West Coast Game Park Safari (USA), have done just that over the years.
![]()
Besides Alberta Game Farm, the only other zoo I've ever visited with exhibits for both Reindeer and Caribou has been Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada). In 2018, there was a Reindeer enclosure in the Grasslands & Boreal Forest zone and the Journey to Churchill area had a Woodland Caribou exhibit. Here's the latter:
![]()
I enjoyed Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) a lot when I was there in summer 2019, but the very first thing visitors saw back then was a GONG SHOW of an exhibit. Reindeer, Ankole Cattle, Bactrian Camels, some donkeys...what the heck? I think this enclosure houses Scimitar-horned Oryx and Meerkats now, which is also an odd pairing. Hmmm...Reindeer on sand.
![]()
GaiaZOO (Netherlands) is a real gem of a zoological facility, packed with natural-looking, excellent exhibits. Taiga is the area that houses a large Reindeer exhibit.
![]()
@Mr Gharial
ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) is another zoo with, for the most part, wall-to-wall top-notch exhibits, and here's a neat photo of a Reindeer drinking in the Alaska zone.
![]()
@RonBurrgundy
Reindeer paddock at Duisburg Zoo (Germany) with many tall trees:
![]()
@gulogulogulo
Woodland Caribou can be found in the Canadian themed Yukon Bay section at Hannover Zoo (Germany):
![]()
By the standards of the Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark), their Reindeer exhibit is quite small. This is a place that gives 6 acres to bears.
![]()
Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) also has Reindeer:
![]()
The Reindeer exhibit at Nordens Ark (Sweden) is heavily forested and probably packed with snow in the winter.
![]()
Order Artiodactyla:
Antilocapridae: 1 species (30 zoos with Pronghorn)
Camelidae: 2 species (27 zoos with Guanaco, 18 Vicuna)
Cervidae: 15 species so far - (78 zoos with Reeves's Muntjac, 63 Common Fallow Deer, 56 Caribou/Reindeer, 40 Axis Deer, 21 Southern Red Muntjac, 20 Hog Deer, 17 Tufted Deer, 14 Barasingha, 12 Eld's Deer, 8 Bawean Deer, 4 Northern Red Muntjac, 3 Calamian Deer, 2 Mexican Red Brocket Deer, 1 Common Red Brocket Deer, 1 Persian Fallow Deer)
Delphinidae: 7 species (15 zoos with Common Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Killer Whale, 3 Pacific White-sided Dolphin, 1 Commerson's Dolphin, 1 False Killer Whale, 1 Short-finned Pilot Whale)
Giraffidae: 5 species (175 zoos with Giraffe (4 species), 31 Okapi)
Hippopotamidae: 2 species (65 zoos with Common Hippo, 44 Pygmy Hippo)
Iniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with Amazon River Dolphin)
Monodontidae: 1 species (7 zoos with Beluga Whale)
Phocoenidae: 1 species (3 zoos with Harbour Porpoise)
Suidae: 8 species (65 zoos with Red River Hog, 51 Warthog, 24 Babirusa, 17 Visayan Warty Pig, 17 Wild Boar, 6 Bearded Pig, 3 Javan Warty Pig, 1 Bushpig)
Tayassuidae: 3 species (33 zoos with Collared Peccary, 17 Chacoan, 4 White-lipped)
Tragulidae: 4 species (13 zoos with Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain, 9 Javan, 7 Greater Indo-Malayan, 2 Balabac)
The SDZ exhibit is now part of the polar bear expansion plan. The exhibit was empty for a time and I supposed the zoo had fased-out the species.Thanks @Giant Eland and I'm not at all surprised that the Red Brocket Deer at Emperor Valley Zoo would be a different species in comparison to the Red Brocket Deer at the Phoenix and Los Angeles zoos. I know that at Phoenix the animals are even signed as 'Mexican Red Brocket Deer'. You are a true species hunter my friend.
Thanks @Zz123 for the mention of the various Eld's Deer subspecies. There's quite a few subspecies with several types of deer and some are up next.
I've seen Caribou at 56 zoos and I've done my best to break things down into subspecies level, based on zoo signs, photos, maps and guidebooks. One trend is that there are very few 'southern' zoos on my list, with almost all the zoos here being ones that can have cold winters.
56 zoos (48 Reindeer, 10 Woodland Caribou, 1 Barren-ground Caribou, 1 Osborn Caribou, 1 Peary Caribou)
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Woodland Caribou, Barren-ground Caribou, Peary Caribou, Osborn Caribou, Reindeer – 1975
2- Point Defiance Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2005
3- Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (USA) – Woodland Caribou – 2005
4- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou - 2006
5- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2006
6- Denver Zoo (USA) – Woodland Caribou – 2006
7- B.C. Wildlife Park (Canada) – Woodland Caribou – 2006
8- Minnesota Zoo (USA) – Woodland Caribou – 2008
9- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2008
10- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Reindeer – 2008
11- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2009
12- Cougar Mountain Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2009
13- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Woodland Caribou – 2010
14- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2010
15- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2010
16- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2012
17- Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park (USA) – Reindeer – 2012
18- Bear Country U.S.A. (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
19- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
20- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
21- Roosevelt Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
22- Hemker Park & Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
23- Como Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
24- Miller Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
25- Lincoln Children’s Zoo - Nebraska (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
26- Willow Park Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2014
27- Grand Canyon Deer Farm (USA) – Reindeer – 2015
28- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Reindeer – 2015
29- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – Reindeer – 2016
30- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Reindeer – 2017
31- Saskatoon Forestry Farm Park & Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou – 2018
32- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Woodland Caribou, Reindeer – 2018
33- GarLyn Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2018
34- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Reindeer – 2018
35- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
36- Landgoed Hoenderdaell (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
37- Van Blanckendaell Park (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
38- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
39- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Reindeer – 2019
40- GaiaZOO (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
41- Opel Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
42- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
43- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
44- Duisburg Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
45- Dierenrijk (Animal Kingdom) (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
46- Ouwehands Dierenpark (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
47- Burgers' Zoo (Netherlands) – Reindeer – 2019
48- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
49- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
50- Erlebnis Zoo Hannover (Germany) – Woodland Caribou – 2019
51- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Reindeer – 2019
52- Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
53- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
54- Odense Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
55- Nordens Ark (Sweden) – Reindeer – 2022
56- Copenhagen Zoo (Denmark) – Reindeer – 2022
Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) is my childhood zoo (also the Valley Zoo), located in Edmonton, Alberta. Of course, there's been significant taxonomic changes since this place was open (1959-1998), as for example in the late 1970s and early 1980s the zoo had 5 different exhibits with 5 different zebras (Grevy's, Grant's, Damara, Hartmann's Mountain and Chapman's) and there was also Reindeer, Peary Caribou (first captured from the wild by this zoo in 1970), as well as Barren-ground, Woodland and Osborn Caribou all discussed in their late 1970s guidebook. They are all ONE species, although seeing the Peary Caribou was memorable as they were almost pure white in the winter. Here's an internet image:
![]()
The hot climate down in southern California has never deterred San Diego Zoo (USA) from having Reindeer up in the area near the Polar Bears. Currently an empty exhibit, it was always an awkward enclosure with viewing being difficult and the terraced landscape very odd.
![]()
@pachyderm pro
Minnesota Zoo (USA) has showcased Caribou for many years, in a large paddock on the Northern Trail walking loop.
![]()
@Milwaukee Man
A few small, desolate fenced yards hold Reindeer at Cougar Mountain Zoo (USA). This place heavily promotes having Reindeer in the winter, when there are Santa festivities.
![]()
A bit better exhibit, signed as Reindeer, was at Buffalo Zoo (USA) in 2010:
![]()
The Reindeer paddock at Rosamond Gifford Zoo (USA) in 2012 also held some bird species, judging by signs and my photo, such as Canada Geese, Mallard, Ruddy Shelduck, Tundra Swan and Helmeted Guineafowl.
![]()
Bramble Park Zoo (USA), which recently lost its AZA accreditation, actually had a spacious Reindeer exhibit when I was there in 2014.
![]()
Reindeer look good in the snow in an otherwise bland, standard enclosure at Como Park Zoo (USA):
![]()
@Dhole dude
It's not difficult to obtain some domesticated Reindeer and several roadside zoos, such as West Coast Game Park Safari (USA), have done just that over the years.
![]()
Besides Alberta Game Farm, the only other zoo I've ever visited with exhibits for both Reindeer and Caribou has been Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada). In 2018, there was a Reindeer enclosure in the Grasslands & Boreal Forest zone and the Journey to Churchill area had a Woodland Caribou exhibit. Here's the latter:
![]()
I enjoyed Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) a lot when I was there in summer 2019, but the very first thing visitors saw back then was a GONG SHOW of an exhibit. Reindeer, Ankole Cattle, Bactrian Camels, some donkeys...what the heck? I think this enclosure houses Scimitar-horned Oryx and Meerkats now, which is also an odd pairing. Hmmm...Reindeer on sand.
![]()
GaiaZOO (Netherlands) is a real gem of a zoological facility, packed with natural-looking, excellent exhibits. Taiga is the area that houses a large Reindeer exhibit.
![]()
@Mr Gharial
ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) is another zoo with, for the most part, wall-to-wall top-notch exhibits, and here's a neat photo of a Reindeer drinking in the Alaska zone.
![]()
@RonBurrgundy
Reindeer paddock at Duisburg Zoo (Germany) with many tall trees:
![]()
@gulogulogulo
Woodland Caribou can be found in the Canadian themed Yukon Bay section at Hannover Zoo (Germany):
![]()
By the standards of the Scandinavian Wildlife Park (Denmark), their Reindeer exhibit is quite small. This is a place that gives 6 acres to bears.
![]()
Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) also has Reindeer:
![]()
The Reindeer exhibit at Nordens Ark (Sweden) is heavily forested and probably packed with snow in the winter.
![]()
Order Artiodactyla:
Antilocapridae: 1 species (30 zoos with Pronghorn)
Camelidae: 2 species (27 zoos with Guanaco, 18 Vicuna)
Cervidae: 15 species so far - (78 zoos with Reeves's Muntjac, 63 Common Fallow Deer, 56 Caribou/Reindeer, 40 Axis Deer, 21 Southern Red Muntjac, 20 Hog Deer, 17 Tufted Deer, 14 Barasingha, 12 Eld's Deer, 8 Bawean Deer, 4 Northern Red Muntjac, 3 Calamian Deer, 2 Mexican Red Brocket Deer, 1 Common Red Brocket Deer, 1 Persian Fallow Deer)
Delphinidae: 7 species (15 zoos with Common Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Killer Whale, 3 Pacific White-sided Dolphin, 1 Commerson's Dolphin, 1 False Killer Whale, 1 Short-finned Pilot Whale)
Giraffidae: 5 species (175 zoos with Giraffe (4 species), 31 Okapi)
Hippopotamidae: 2 species (65 zoos with Common Hippo, 44 Pygmy Hippo)
Iniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with Amazon River Dolphin)
Monodontidae: 1 species (7 zoos with Beluga Whale)
Phocoenidae: 1 species (3 zoos with Harbour Porpoise)
Suidae: 8 species (65 zoos with Red River Hog, 51 Warthog, 24 Babirusa, 17 Visayan Warty Pig, 17 Wild Boar, 6 Bearded Pig, 3 Javan Warty Pig, 1 Bushpig)
Tayassuidae: 3 species (33 zoos with Collared Peccary, 17 Chacoan, 4 White-lipped)
Tragulidae: 4 species (13 zoos with Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain, 9 Javan, 7 Greater Indo-Malayan, 2 Balabac)
As a European, I find it actually a little bit funny reading your reaction to this exhibit, as these weird mixed enclosures with domestic ungulates from different regions used to be a fairly common exhibit type in parts of Europe during the 20th Century. Antwerp for example, used to have a similar setup with camels, yaks, llamas and donkeys in what is now the lion exhibit. These exhibits traditionally held some educational value as to show the public the whole range of animal domestication around the world.I enjoyed Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) a lot when I was there in summer 2019, but the very first thing visitors saw back then was a GONG SHOW of an exhibit. Reindeer, Ankole Cattle, Bactrian Camels, some donkeys...what the heck? I think this enclosure houses Scimitar-horned Oryx and Meerkats now, which is also an odd pairing. Hmmm...Reindeer on sand.
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I second this.Hey! ZooChat's resident White-tailed Deer hater here. White-tailed Deer are the worst zoo animal. Some of you haven't understood my dislike of them, but see that list that snowleopard has? Here in the upper Midwest basically every zoo has them and they're so boring. They're like the most generic deer species ever. They require a huge amount of space, many of the smaller zoos here devote a large chunk of their land area to them (in a few cases, a majority of their land area) which just makes it feel like they could be using that space for a variety of other species. Or just, any other deer species (have zoos heard of other deer species?).
And on top of all that? They're common as dirt in the wild here. I see one nearly every time I go outside, they're easily one of our most common mammal species which makes me wonder why zoos even bother keeping them. I wouldn't mind if I never saw White-tailed Deer in a zoo again.
Ouch.White-tailed Deer are the worst zoo animal.
You have it written that you saw sunda sambar at Berlin in 2019. I might be mistaken but I belive that is an alternative common name for Javan Rusa, in which you had seen the species prior to your SEA zootrip this yearOne quick note before I kick-start a new post, is that I figured out that I've seen Persian Fallow Deer at 4 zoos and that's exciting as I originally only had the one zoo I was 100% sure of. I had never seen the species in my life, but then I observed herds at Opel Zoo, Safaripark Beekse Bergen, Berlin Zoo and Berlin Tierpark, all in the space of a few days in 2019. The zoo signs at a couple of those places had written down Mesopotamia deer instead of the now recognized Persian name and that's how I discovered the extra zoos with the species.
Onwards and upwards...
The Genus Rusa has 4 species and I'm going to analyze THREE deer species in today's lengthy post. I've never seen Philippine Brown Deer, but the other three species will be discussed below.
I have seen Sambar Deer at 19 zoos. Here is a deer species that was incredibly rare for me, as I only saw Sambar Deer at 5 zoos ever, up until this summer's Southeast Asian zoo trek. Then, @twilighter and I saw the species FOURTEEN times on one zoo-themed vacation and sometimes we saw huge herds in various zoos. This species is everywhere in SEA and while strolling around Chiang Mai Zoo (Thailand), we even saw wild Sambar Deer. Awesome!
1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Sambar Deer – 1975
2- Perth Zoo (Australia) – Sambar Deer – 1987
3- San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) – Sambar Deer – 2006
4- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Sambar Deer – 2008
5- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Sambar Deer – 2019 (Malayan & Sunda)
6- Wildlife Rescue Center No. 1 (Thailand) – Sambar Deer – 2024
7- Khao Kheow Zoo (Thailand) – Sambar Deer – 2024
8- Chiang Mai Zoo (Thailand) – Sambar Deer – 2024
9- Chiang Mai Night Safari (Thailand) – Sambar Deer – 2024
10- Songkhla Zoo (Thailand) – Sambar Deer – 2024
11- Safari World Bangkok (Thailand) – Sambar Deer – 2024
12- Taiping Zoo (Malaysia) – Sambar Deer – 2024
13- Zoo Negara (Malaysia) – Sambar Deer – 2024
14- Zoo Melaka (Malaysia) – Sambar Deer – 2024
15- Night Safari (Singapore – Sambar Deer – 2024
16- Surabaya Zoo (Indonesia) – Sambar Deer – 2024
17- Bandung Zoo (Indonesia) – Sambar Deer – 2024
18- Taman Safari I Bogor (Indonesia) – Sambar Deer – 2024
19- Ragunan Zoo (Indonesia) – Sambar Deer – 2024
AND...
I'd never seen, to my knowledge, Javan Rusa Deer in my life, but then saw this species at 22 zoos in Southeast Asia. Just like Sambar, Javan Rusa Deer are everywhere and in huge numbers in SEA. Surabaya Zoo must have had 100+ and several of the safari park drive-through areas at various zoos probably also had 100+ Javan Rusa Deer in one enclosure. They are likely bred for carnivores, because why else would a zoo have such huge numbers of them?
For Western zoo nerds, bouncing around Southeast Asia is a treasure trove of new mammalian species. Honestly, @twilighter and I almost got a little bored of seeing Sambar Deer, Javan Rusa Deer, Axis Deer, Sika Deer and Hog Deer every single day. There's also a number of zoos with Barasingha, Eld's Deer, Fallow Deer and Southern Red Muntjacs. Southeast Asian zoos hardly have any gazelles whatsoever, but they are loaded with a LOT of deer species. Even Bawean Deer, almost extinct in zoos outside of Asia, was seen by us at 8 zoos.
1- Sriayuthaya Lion Park (Thailand) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
2- Lopburi Zoo (Thailand) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
3- Chiang Mai Zoo (Thailand) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
4- Chiang Mai Night Safari (Thailand) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
5- Songkhla Zoo (Thailand) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
6- Safari World Bangkok (Thailand) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
7- Lost World of Tambun (Malaysia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
8- Zoo Negara (Malaysia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
9- KL Deer Park (Malaysia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
10- Zoo Melaka (Malaysia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
11- Taman Buaya Crocodile Park (Malaysia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
12- Bali Zoo (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
13- Taman Safari III Bali (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
14- Surabaya Zoo (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
15- Taman Safari II Prigen (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
16- Solo Safari (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
17- Gembira Loka Zoo (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
18- Bandung Zoo (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
19- Lembang Park & Zoo (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
20- Taman Safari I Bogor (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
21- Ragunan Zoo (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
22- Faunaland Ancol (Indonesia) – Javan Rusa Deer – 2024
AND...
I've seen Philippine Spotted Deer, also labeled as Visayan Spotted Deer, at 4 zoos. I saw all 4 of these zoos in the same time period in the summer of 2019 and I've never seen this species outside of Europe.
1- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) - Philippine Spotted Deer – 2019
2- Opel Zoo (Germany) - Philippine Spotted Deer – 2019
3- Berlin Zoo (Germany) – Philippine Spotted Deer – 2019
4- Allwetterzoo Munster (Germany) - Philippine Spotted Deer – 2019
Sambar Deer have been at San Diego Zoo Safari Park (USA) in the past, but does anyone know if the park has continuously held the species for decades? I ask because there's very few photos in the ZooChat gallery of Sambar Deer at SDZSP.
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@tigris115
Bronx Zoo (USA) has had Sambar Deer for decades, although they can only be seen for seconds on the Wild Asia monorail ride that only runs 50% of the year. Hmmm...I'd rather come across them in a jungle zoo in actual Asia.
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@Dhole dude
Berlin Tierpark (Germany) has also had Sambar Deer for many years.
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@Jakub
Here's some Chital next to a sign for Sambar Deer at Chiang Mai Night Safari (Thailand). It was really nice to take the safari ride while it was still light out, so that it was easier to get some photos of animals, signs and exhibits.
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Taiping Zoo (Malaysia) has a Sambar Deer paddock with a few levels of different terrain.
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Huge herds of assorted deer all mixed together is a common sight in Southeast Asian zoos, including Sambar Deer at Zoo Negara (Malaysia):
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Sambar Deer can also be found at Zoo Melaka (Malaysia):
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As for Javan Rusa Deer, so incredibly prolific in Southeast Asian zoos, it was fantastic to initially observe them on a big zoo trip but after a while it became repetitive. It's funny how the novelty of seeing a brand-new species can sometimes wear off, which is a bit of a shame.
Here's a muddy enclosure for Javan Rusa Deer at Lopburi Zoo (Thailand):
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Songkhla Zoo (Thailand) has a series of lush gibbon islands and while observing them we saw 3 or 4 wild Javan Rusa Deer in this part of the zoo. If you zoom into this photo, it's possible to see some deer on the right-hand side of the far gibbon island and they are resting near the raised wooden gibbon shelter. While being toured around by a curator earlier in the day, @twilighter and I were informed that wild deer, primates and snakes were rampant at almost every zoo in Thailand. The jungle encroaches on zoos to such an extent that at times it's like being on a wild adventure. Occasionally, we wouldn't know which species was in captivity and which species was stopping by for a visit!
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I saw at least 20 Javan Rusa Deer at the KL Deer Park (Malaysia):
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Zoo Melaka (Malaysia) had at least 20+ Javan Rusa Deer on-show to the public.
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Taman Buaya Melaka Crocodile Park (Malaysia) had a herd of around a dozen Javan Rusa Deer.
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Here's a couple of keepers in with perhaps 40 Javan Rusa Deer at Bali Zoo (Indonesia):
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I saw Javan Rusa Deer at 11 zoos just in Indonesia, but most of those photos haven't been uploaded yet into the ZooChat gallery. It takes a whole evening just to upload photos from one major zoo and so I've got a while to go yet.
As for Philippine Spotted Deer, I was rather excited to see this species for the first time at Blijdorp Zoo (Netherlands). There's a very nice exhibit there, with a lush backdrop.
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I then saw Philippine Spotted Deer at Opel Zoo (Germany), an excellent rural-based zoo a half-hour from Frankfurt.
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@Jakub
Munster Zoo (Germany) had Philippine Spotted Deer in a small side yard near their Asian Elephant complex, and Berlin Zoo (Germany), that magnificent holder of rare species, still maintains Philippine Spotted Deer in its collection.
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@Max Blundell
Order Artiodactyla:
Antilocapridae: 1 species (30 zoos with Pronghorn)
Camelidae: 2 species (27 zoos with Guanaco, 18 Vicuna)
Cervidae: 20 species so far - (78 zoos with Reeves's Muntjac, 63 White-tailed Deer, 61 Common Fallow Deer, 56 Caribou/Reindeer, 41 Axis Deer, 30 Mule Deer, 22 Javan Rusa Deer, 21 Southern Red Muntjac, 20 Hog Deer, 19 Sambar Deer, 17 Tufted Deer, 14 Barasingha, 12 Eld's Deer, 8 Bawean Deer, 4 Northern Red Muntjac, 4 Persian Fallow Deer, 4 Philippine Spotted Deer, 3 Calamian Deer, 2 Mexican Red Brocket Deer, 1 Common Red Brocket Deer)
Delphinidae: 7 species (15 zoos with Common Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin, 3 Killer Whale, 3 Pacific White-sided Dolphin, 1 Commerson's Dolphin, 1 False Killer Whale, 1 Short-finned Pilot Whale)
Giraffidae: 5 species (175 zoos with Giraffe (4 species), 31 Okapi)
Hippopotamidae: 2 species (65 zoos with Common Hippo, 44 Pygmy Hippo)
Iniidae: 1 species (1 zoo with Amazon River Dolphin)
Monodontidae: 1 species (7 zoos with Beluga Whale)
Phocoenidae: 1 species (3 zoos with Harbour Porpoise)
Suidae: 8 species (65 zoos with Red River Hog, 51 Warthog, 24 Babirusa, 17 Visayan Warty Pig, 17 Wild Boar, 6 Bearded Pig, 3 Javan Warty Pig, 1 Bushpig)
Tayassuidae: 3 species (33 zoos with Collared Peccary, 17 Chacoan, 4 White-lipped)
Tragulidae: 4 species (13 zoos with Lesser Indo-Malayan Chevrotain, 9 Javan, 7 Greater Indo-Malayan, 2 Balabac)
You have it written that you saw sunda sambar at Berlin in 2019. I might be mistaken but I belive that is an alternative common name for Javan Rusa, in which you had seen the species prior to your SEA zootrip this year
They hated him because he spoke the truth.Ouch.
New It's so sad that the AZA has done deer dirty like this.