YOUR 2019

1. Visiting Monterey Bay Aquarium after not having been for several years, and getting to see a number of species I hadn't seen in a long time and ones I hadn't seen before. Notable species included Ocean Sunfish, Pelagic Red Crab, Staghorn Hermit Crab, and getting a birding lifer (Surfbird) off the back deck.

2. Platypus arriving in San Diego and Okapi coming to Sacramento.

3. Missing the Laysan Albatross presentation at MBA despite my best efforts. Also Tentacles being closed so several unusual species were offshow, much to my chagrin...
 
lintworm said:
Somehow I forgot the biggest non-zoo highlight of the year: A wild Pangolin in Singapore...
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That's cheating; the thread is just about zoos. However, if we are going to start doing wild stuff too...

1. Personal highlight: Seeing a wild pangolin in Singapore.

2. Favourite piece of news: where to find a wild pangolin in Singapore.

3. Biggest disappointment: Lintworm seeing a wild pangolin before I did.
 
1.Personal highlights: I have visit so many zoo this year, but I will say Philippine Eagle and Spix's macaw are the largest highlight.
2.Favourite piece of news: Aye aye to Taipei is the most relatable, but I must say I do like platypus in San Diego.
3.Biggest disappointment. I'm actually quite happy this year. 10 zoos in a year? That's not bad at all. I will say the biggest disappointment is not being able to visit S.E.A in Singapore.
 
  1. My first visit to Pairi Daiza which impressed me that much that I was actually able to visited it 3 times this year for 2-3 days each - despite living 500km away

  2. The Panda twins born at Pairi Daiza and at Berlin Zoo and doing the caravan Safari at San Diego Zoo Safari Park

  3. After 25 years I've been able to come back to San Diego Zoo and Safari Park - but missed the Platypus by just 5 months
 
Well, 2019 was nothing like 2018, but let's see :

1. Bulwer's pheasant at Pairi Daiza, Black and rufous sengi in Philadelphia, Müller's gibbon in Lyon and the Soras were a nice surprise in Philadelphia.

2. Definitely Beauval getting Douc langurs

3. Not visiting Bronx zoo because of the extreme weather conditions
 
1 ) Spending a whole day with @snowleopard on his West-European Zoo-tour, visiting 6 collections with him.
2 ) Platypus at San Diego is of course great but being still a bird-person I think from conservation-sight the arrival of the Philippine eagles at Jurong is even greater news
3 ) Going to Pairi Daiza on a very rainy day which made it possible only to see half the park :(.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
while my personal disappointment is that my second Big Year is also the first year in my entire life failing to see a Virginia Opossum - a creature that I otherwise have never, ever wanted to see.
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Funnily enough this is also my first ever year I have failed to see an opossum.
 
1. Zoo Vist Highlights.

In the UK, my zoo visiting highlights were definitely the exciting, rarely seen species at Hamerton. The golden jackal at All Things Wild were a pleasant surprise too.

Overseas, my highlights were my first visit to Lisbon (Lisbon Zoo, Lisbon Oceanarium and the Vasco da Gama Aquarium) and this year's ZooHistorica in Nuremberg.

Seeing the black-faced impala and the marine sunfish in Lisbon were especially notable.

ZooHistorica is always a highlight of my zoo-visiting year and September's event in Nuremberg was no exception. (Nuremberg is one of my favourite German zoos but, although I've visited many times, I'd never stayed in the city previously; I'd just gone on day trips to the zoo when staying elsewhere in Germany so had never seen anything of Nuremberg other than the zoo. This year, for the first time, I stayed in Nuremberg so had the opportunity to explore the city too.)

2. Favourite Zoo News

Probably the most noteworthy zoo news items for me were:

(i) San Diego acquiring platypus

(ii) Jurong acquiring monkey-eating eagle (a species I've not seen for many years)

Unlikely, I know, but I cannot help wondering whether some European zoos will acquire these species too.

3. Biggest Disappointment

Probably my most frustrating zoo visiting experience of the year was failing to see the Iberian lynx in Lisbon, despite numerous repeat visits to their enclosure.

There is no doubt, though, that my two biggest disappointments of the last year were:

(i) the closure of London Zoo's Aquarium

(ii) the sad death of London Zoo's male gorilla "Kumbuka"
 
1. Visiting the Toronto Zoo and African Lion Safari after seven and fourteen years, respectively.

Despite being a rainy day, the Toronto Zoo was great, and just as I remembered and better! Due to the weather, not many visitors were there that day which enabled me to take some great photos. I was pleasantly surprised by the renovations made to the Eurasia complex, especially the snow leopard habitat. It was only after my visit, while comparing a current and former zoo map, that I realized how reduced the Eurasia complex has become. The large hoofstock exhibits, like the przewalski's horse, are now only visible across the lake which I found unfortunate.

I had the opportunity to visit African Lion Safari twice and both visits were phenomenal! The safari was really cool with the diversity of species and ability to be face-to-face with the animals. However, the elephants were without a doubt the best part the visit! The elephant swim was amazing and brought back nostalgia from my last visit. The best part of the swim was when Onyx, one of the elephant calves, came onto the shore which enabled me to be only a couple of feet away from him. I probably spent at least ten hours combined watching and taking pictures of the elephants. I was absolutely captivated by them. Being in the presence of these amazing creatures has strengthened my love for elephants even more.

2. The announcement that Rani the Asian elephant at the Saint Louis Zoo is pregnant and expecting in the summer of 2020.

3. The passing of Kalina and Nyah, two African elephant calves at the Indianapolis Zoo, to EEHV in March.
 
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1. Highlight: Seeing a maned wolf catch a chipmunk! Also finally got to see a fisher, american marten, and ringtail, 3 who were high up on my list.
2. Favorite zoo news: Platypus.
3. Disappointment: Not getting to do any trips this year, especially the Ohio trip I had planned. My dog's health comes first, but I'm still really sad I had to cancel it at the last minute.
 
HOMIN96 said:
You were not in off-show were you? :p
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I was actually :p I've visited LA twice when they kept them, London once when they were on-exhibit, Prague when they still had them, and Plzen's off-show but to this day the one and only time I've ever seen a Panay Bushy-Tailed Cloud Rat is when I revisited London after they went off-show and a keeper was kind enough to pull them out for me.

~Thylo
 
birdsandbats said:
The trick is waiting for them at the lek. Or anytime the ground is covered in snow.
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Yeah I know, but I couldn't time my visit accordingly unfortunately. I was trying to head for a spot where they're supposed to be found year-round but then the whole car in mud thing happened so.

~Thylo
 
1. My trip to Germany (shameless plug right here :D ) was great obviously, but I rate much higher meeting a lot of Zoochaters in Czech zoos during the year. It was great meeting you all! :)

2. I mean all the platypuses (platypi? guess it doesn't matter really) and other nice arrivals are great, but for me personally it is the fact that there might be zookeeper's job for me sooner rather than later after I graduate :D

3. Missing out on pangolins in Leipzig



ThylacineAlive said:
I was actually
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And you didn't use this perfect opportunity to ask someone to get them out of the nest for you or that wasn't possible at that time? :D
 
Hipporex said:
1. Getting hired as an animal ambassador docent at Six Flags DK and as a Zoo Teen at the Sacramento Zoo (the first is an actual job, the second is just volunteerism), first trip to San Diego Zoo SP, and going on the Caravan Safari at said zoo.

2. Okapis arriving at Sacramento and platypuses arriving at San Diego Zoo SP.

3. Being a month too early to see said platypuses. :(
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HOMIN96 said:
1. My trip to Germany (shameless plug right here :D ) was great obviously, but I rate much higher meeting a lot of Zoochaters in Czech zoos during the year. It was great meeting you all! :)
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That reminds me...
1. Also, finally getting to meet some Zoochatters (I met 2 already established Zoochatters and convinced 2 of my Sac Zoo pals to join).
HOMIN96 said:
2. I mean all the platypuses (platypi? guess it doesn't matter really) and other nice arrivals are great, but for me personally it is the fact that there might be zookeeper's job for me sooner rather than later after I graduate :D/QUOTE]
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Congratulations! I hope things work out.
 
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