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Raccoons in zoos

Discussion in 'United States' started by elefante, 17 Jan 2014.

  1. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    How common are raccoons in US zoos, especially crab-eating raccoons and Cozumel Island raccoons? I can imagine common raccoons are around but not sure about the other kinds. I'm guessing common raccoons in the US are animals that are orphaned?
     
  2. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    I've asked about the captive status of the Cozumel raccoon before on ZooChat and there seemed to be not a single animal in captivity - not even in Mexico.
     
  3. sandiegomaster

    sandiegomaster Well-Known Member

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    There is a raccoon in the san diego zoo, I don't know what type.
     
  4. blospz

    blospz Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    There are three common raccoons at the Seneca Park Zoo in New York. They came from the Pocahontas Stage Show at Disney's Animal Kingdom. They were supposed to be in the stage show at Seneca Park Zoo, but things changed and they are now exhibit animals.
     
  5. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Of the raccoon species you have seen, have they been in diurnal or nocturnal exhibits? I've only seen common raccoons in Omaha. It would be neat to see crab-eating raccoons in a South America area or Cozumel Island raccoons somewhere since thy are an endangered species.
     
  6. DDcorvus

    DDcorvus Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    In Netherlands there are 1.3 crab-eating raccoons spread over 2 zoos (which are part of the same organisation). And it seems a French Zoo started keeping them in 2013 as well.
     
  7. FFZC

    FFZC New Member

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    We have a pair of crab eating raccoons at our facility and the common species of raccoon as well.
     
  8. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    And that facility is...?
     
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  9. marshwiggle

    marshwiggle Member

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    There were a couple of common raccoons on display when I visited the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum a couple of years ago. I saw quite a few at the Toledo Zoo, but those were not welcome there!
     
  10. FFZC

    FFZC New Member

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    Frenchak Farms Zoological Conservatory
     
  11. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Interesting, thanks. I may have seen crab eating raccoons many years ago at Arnolds Exotics in Florida. I was there to photograph melanistic jungle cat, but she showed me some other animals they had and I think the story is they had gotten some crab eating raccoons confiscated at Miami Airport.
     
  12. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Arizona Sonora Desert Museum had a single raccoon for maybe one or two years in Small Cat Canyon (the former margay exhibit). That was replaced with a porcupine and I don't know if the raccoon died or just went off exhibit.

    Heritage Park Zoo (Prescott, Arizona) is a rescue zoo that had a couple when I was there several years ago. Wildlife West (Edgewood, New Mexico) also has one or more rescue animals and I imagine there are several other rescue animals in the USA. No mainstream zoos are intentionally building raccoon exhibits that I know of (however I am happy to be proven wrong). But there will always be some displayed somewhere from rescue situations.
     
  13. FFZC

    FFZC New Member

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    These two were imports, male and female. I believe there are only two or three pairs in the US from what I've been told
     
  14. vogelcommando

    vogelcommando Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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  15. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    We have quite a few at the city park here in town.
     
  16. JVM

    JVM Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Brookfield Zoo had a common raccoon on display alongside a skunk in the former Children's Zoo until the exhibit closed.
     
  17. Youssarian

    Youssarian Well-Known Member

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    Audubon Zoo has ~5 common raccoons, all rescues and all females.
     
  18. jayjds2

    jayjds2 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Tulsa aquarium has a raccoon exhibit, I saw at least two in there.
     
  19. elefante

    elefante Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Are they in a nocturnal exhibit?
     
  20. jayjds2

    jayjds2 Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    No. They are in the Ozark area, which is new (not so new anymore) but if you check back a lot they are likely to be awake. There are also beavers and river otters featured in this area. The raccoons get fed around the same time as the Beavers and otters, I believe there was a schedule on the back of the map (it's been several years) but if you ever visit they are active when the otters and beavers are. The Beavers weren't kept in a nocturnal exhibit either, but there was a video showing the inside of their lodge.