Trends in zoos by decade

This is quite common in Australasia. Dog breeds like collies have been chosen for their stamina to keep up with the cheetah cub. To date I believe it’s only been done where peer raising isn’t an option - the dog has been used to provide some form of companionship/socialisation until the cheetah cub is at the late juvenile/early adolescent stage and can be introduced to another similar age cheetah.

It’s also been common practice with tigers and lions. At least three zoos in the region have introduced orphaned cubs to a robust dog (Rhodesian ridgeback, German shepherd etc) - though experience has proven peer raising is essential if they are to have normal social interactions with other members of their species as adults.

@elefante - I’d agree with your observation that elephants are being phased out of Northern zoos and replaced with rhinos. Two city zoos in Australasia have announced plans to phase their elephants out within the next few years (with the elephants moving to open range zoos) and there’s talk of them being replaced with rhinos.
Its somewhat surprising both Taronga and Melbourne zoos spent all that money building elephant exhibits when even blind Freddie could see that it was only going to be a matter of time before they would need the room of an open range zoo to house them in the long term but I guess its easy to do spending the constant stream of tax payers money perhaps both Melbourne and Taronga can look into having a pair of Indian rhinos at each site with the intent of starting a real breeding program for the species in the region instead of holding one pair for the region!
 
But nocturnal exhibits are far from extinct in the UK. The 'Fruit Bat Forest' at Chester is big, if not particularly beautiful, and the aye-aye exhibits adjoining the 'Tropical Realm' are bigger, better and newer than London's or Bristol's. Dudley has a nocturnal house of sorts in 'Castle Creatures' inside the shell of the old Castle. Little Shaldon has a nocturnal room for its lorises etc and Cotswold has added nocturnal displays for galagos (in 'Little Africa'), for mouse lemurs and for fruit bats (in the second section of the Reptile House) to its long established two-storey Egyptian fruit bat exhibit. As I type, I recall the nocturnal exhibits in Birmingham and Tropical World in Leeds too.

The British Wildlife Centre also has a small nocturnal house, with Hazel and Edible Dormice, Hedgehogs, and an assortment of rescue bats.
 
One trend in Japan is for zoos and some aquariums to have capybaras in small hot springs-type exhibits. Another is that many have overcrowded children’s zoo exhibits of rabbits and guinea pigs in fenced-off areas stuffed with hay for children to pet.
 
One trend in Japan is for zoos and some aquariums to have capybaras in small hot springs-type exhibits. Another is that many have overcrowded children’s zoo exhibits of rabbits and guinea pigs in fenced-off areas stuffed with hay for children to pet.
Capybaras in aquariums is an odd one. Then again, there is a petting zoo here in Tucson with mostly goats and rabbits and domestic animals but they also have capybaras that people can pet. So they must be one of the easier exotic animals to obtain.
 
Capybaras in aquariums is an odd one. Then again, there is a petting zoo here in Tucson with mostly goats and rabbits and domestic animals but they also have capybaras that people can pet. So they must be one of the easier exotic animals to obtain.
Capybaras are one of the easiest and least expensive exotics to obtain. In fact, escaped pets have established in introduced population in central Florida.
 
I've noticed that more than one zoo keeps Komodo dragons indoors with small passerines. The Bronx has Java sparrows and zebra finches with theirs, and Turtle Back has Taveta golden weavers with theirs. Anywhere else that does this?
 
I've noticed that more than one zoo keeps Komodo dragons indoors with small passerines. The Bronx has Java sparrows and zebra finches with theirs, and Turtle Back has Taveta golden weavers with theirs. Anywhere else that does this?
Minnesota.
 
Definitely in the last ten years or so we have seen a trend in the UK with Lorikeet walkthroughs and wallaby walkthroughs. And for species wise itself, at the moment it is definitely Binturong as well as Australasian mammals making somewhat of a comeback outside of the macropod species.

On the flip side, we are definitely seeing hoofstock fazed out in some degree. We will always hold the charismatic species such as rhino, giraffe etc but a lot of the deer and antelope species that many were accustomed to seeing, are now in somewhat of a decline. The only saving grace is there are several newer collections which are bringing in the somewhat easier species to get their hands on such as lechwe, who seem to still be fairly common place
 
I've noticed that more than one zoo keeps Komodo dragons indoors with small passerines. The Bronx has Java sparrows and zebra finches with theirs, and Turtle Back has Taveta golden weavers with theirs. Anywhere else that does this?

Blijdorp/Rotterdam Zoo, but I can't recall the species of passerines (Java sparrow?). I some fish (spotted scat among others) are or at least were kept in the enclosure as well.
 
For some reason, large canimorphs are disappearing from collections
Where ?
In France / Europe, the (Eurasian/American) Gray Wolves are very widespread, we can see them in most large/medium zoos and wildlife parks, the Maned Wolves and African Hunting Dogs are probably on the increase as many zoos pay interest for them, and it's probably the case of the Dhole too (even if the latter is much rarer).
Conversely the small species of Dogs/Foxes are decreasing, with the possible exceptions of the Bush Dog and the Arctic Fox.
 
Where ?
In France / Europe, the (Eurasian/American) Gray Wolves are very widespread, we can see them in most large/medium zoos and wildlife parks, the Maned Wolves and African Hunting Dogs are probably on the increase as many zoos pay interest for them, and it's probably the case of the Dhole too (even if the latter is much rarer).
Conversely the small species of Dogs/Foxes are decreasing, with the possible exceptions of the Bush Dog and the Arctic Fox.

In America at least, while they're still very common, the number is decreasing.
 
In America at least, while they're still very common, the number is decreasing.
I don't think that's true. Dhole have never been common, and both gray and red wolves seem to have relatively stable and large populations, while African wild dogs have always been a population to have boom and bust cycles. Sure, the maned wolf population has had a slight decline, but to say large canines are "disappearing" from zoos is simply incorrect.
 
I don't think that's true. Dhole have never been common, and both gray and red wolves seem to have relatively stable and large populations, while African wild dogs have always been a population to have boom and bust cycles. Sure, the maned wolf population has had a slight decline, but to say large canines are "disappearing" from zoos is simply incorrect.

Yeah, perhaps disappearing is the wrong word. However I do see a slight decrease in their representation
 
Hi, I wonder what can be described as trends in zoo world in the last decades. I could come up with these:

- Safari parks: 1960s-closing in 1980s, remaining ones are mostly stable.
- Disappearance of public interactions with elephants - up to late 1980s-early 1990s?
- Disappearance of most small and medium sized mammals, especially most small carnivores -since 1990s
- Night houses: 1960s - mass closing in 2000s

(...)
- Immersion exhibits whose general landscape design, barriers, plants etc. are so carefully imbedded into the surrounding area that they seem to blend into one another: started 1975 in Seattle, spreading all over the world (with varied success) in the 1980s and 1990s. Modern exhibits (2010s on) seem to equate this kind of immersion to plastering everything with fake rocks, crashed planes and pseudo-ethical decorations.
- Giving exhibits and the plants within plenty of time to grow in: 1978 Seattle. Since then: not so much...
- Animal exploration trail systems: interconnecting mesh trails, elevated platforms etc. to allow animals access to different exhibits. In use for smaller animals, in particular primates, Philadelphia Zoo's Zoo360 project and others have extended this to include larger animals as well.
- The small children-centered uniformation of zoo gift shops: same kitsch and toys everywhere.
A favourite topic of mine:
- The ongoing disappearance of venomous snakes from major European zoos.
 
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All zoos have exactly the same species.
The year is 2023 AD. The zoo world is entirely occupied by uniform same species collections. Well, not entirely... One small Austrian zoo of indomitable toxic critters still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the EAZA legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Hellbrunn, Hellabrunn and Schönbrunn...
Let's see who of the Non-European ZooChatters will get the reference
:D:D:D
And kudos to the equally indomitable Czech, Polish and small German zoos.;)
 
Edit: pseudo-ethnical. Although some aspects could be considered as pseudo- or un-ethical as well...;)
 
The year is 2023 AD. The zoo world is entirely occupied by uniform same species collections. Well, not entirely... One small Austrian zoo of indomitable toxic critters still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the EAZA legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Hellbrunn, Hellabrunn and Schönbrunn...
Let's see who of the Non-European ZooChatters will get the reference
:D:D:D
And kudos to the equally indomitable Czech, Polish and small German zoos.;)
I am technically not European but the reference material was sold around here back before the economic inflation affected its production. However I won’t blurt out the answer yet. I want the other non-Euros to try and find the reference themselves.
 
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