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jbnbsn99

Fanaloka/Asian Palm Civet exhibit

Fanaloka/Asian Palm Civet exhibit
jbnbsn99, 1 Sep 2011
    • snowleopard
      The pair of enclosures in this photo should be nominated for the AZA Exhibit of the Year Award! Anyway, I dug out "jbnbsn99's" short review of Capital of Texas Zoo review from his extensive Texas review thread. I'm sure that he won't mind as it has been posted on ZooChat for a while now (and I've met him and he's a nice chap) but I encourage folks to read it as it is both informative and humorous:

      So, just when I thought I knew all the zoos in Texas, one that I had never heard of springs up. The Capital of Texas Zoo. Talk about out of the way. Most zoos I’ve visited have been pretty easy to get to, with things like, you know, roads. Not here. Well, a slight hyperbole if you will. There were roads, just not the kind you are used to (i.e. paved). We are out in the boonies just outside of Austin in what appears to be a converted homestead.

      I had a goal for this trip. It was not to see great exhibit design or great potential in zoo excellence; I knew neither would be found here. My goal was to see a few animals I hadn’t seen before. I mostly succeeded.

      The CoTZ is not an AZA facility, one of the few actual zoos I’ve visited that isn’t. It shows here too. The entry was a small portable building (mobile home) with a desk and stack of exotic snakes in small terrariums. In order to get admission you need to honk your car horn so alert the people on staff that you are there. The day I went only a single keeper was looking after the whole place. It reminds me of some of the facilities across the pond that so many younger members of the site are so fond of and that we “Yanks” can’t stand. Chicken wire and lumber for everyone! Just like the roads getting here, the paths of the zoo aren’t paved. I can’t imagine it after a good rain. I would call this a roadside zoo, except for the whole road issue. Like many roadside zoos it has your standard fair of essential animals (a single lion and a single white tiger, ring tailed lemurs, brown lemurs, wallabies, emus, fallow deer, a pony, etc.).

      Here’s where we start getting interested though. How about lots of rare pheasants (curassows, several Asian pheasants no labels so I don’t know the exact species)? They had my first Asiatic Black Bear as well as European Wild Boars (one of my favorites at this zoo). Nile and Morelet’s Crocodiles. The Nile Croc might possibly be of Malagasy origin from a source I’ve seen, but I can’t confirm this. Tamar Wallaby. Patas and Vervet Monkeys. African Genet and Asian Palm Civets (kopi luwak anyone?).

      Here’s the kicker though. Fossas. The place had 4 Fossas, and is evidently one of the major breeders in the US for them. The guy who owns the place imported a lot of them a few years ago when it was very easy to do and only cost $600 for each animal. They are supplying other zoos around the country with Fossas. If that wasn’t enough he not only imported a lot of Fossas, but also somehow got a Fanaloka. Yeah, that’s right, this little Podunk zoo in the middle of nowhere happens to be the only zoo in the world that has a Fanaloka. A single male named Fanny. I told a few other ZooChatters about this and they were skeptical, but I have pictures to prove it, and they aren’t fuzzy, so we are not on the hunt for Fanalokasquatch.

      Overall, the CoTZ is what it is, a little hole in the wall, kind of like your favorite dive bar. It may smell a little like vodka and stale urine, but occasionally a hot girl walks in and makes it all better.
      BenFoxster likes this.
    • Newzooboy
      There are a couple of Fanaloka in England too - at the recently closed RSCC - one was on show - they will likely pop up in another UK zoo in due course.
      BenFoxster likes this.
    • Pacarana
      I didn't know the RSCC closed. What a shame. There exhibit were mediocre but there collection with fantastic. Do you know where there animals are going to?
      BenFoxster likes this.
    • joneil238
      There was a fanaloka for sale at Walter's pets in Lubbock last year for $1000. No misidentification, it was a Fossa fossana. They also have Genetta genetta, which is only held at San Diego Zoo in the US according to ISIS. It doesn't seem like these animals are difficult to acquire at all, it's just that just nobody displays them.
    • robbare
      Stopped by Capitol of Texas Zoo yesterday; first time to visit out there in about a year. In addition to the fanaloka, the zoo also now has additional rare species - including bearded pig and bettong.

      The owner said he has a breeding group of 24 bettong in total, including 8 babies. He has one of the most successful fossa breeding programs in the US, so it's no surprise that he'd have such success with bettong as well.

      He is also working to replace the smaller exhibits with more spacious and accommodating ones for the animals still in the "roadside zoo" style cages. Slowly but surely, the zoo is improving.
    • Arizona Docent
      @ robarre - Why have you not posted any new photos of this zoo in the gallery?
    • robbare
      Jbnbsn99 did a great job of photographically capturing the zoo - it really doesn't look much different yet. The bulk of the new exhibits will be build during the spring and the summer, so I'll go back then and add to the gallery when the new spaces are completed.
    • ZooMan Texas
      Construction has begun on New exhibits for palm civets, fannalokka, capybara, bearded pigs, and a complete renovation of the entry bldg. Should be finished by March
    • jbnbsn99
      Excellent news on the new exhibits. I should come and visit again this year. What is the status of the African river exhibit?
    • Arizona Docent
      Great news of course, but bummer for me because I will be going through Austin in early February. Thinking about stopping here, but I will miss the new exhibits by one month.
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  • Category:
    Capital of Texas Zoo
    Uploaded By:
    jbnbsn99
    Date:
    1 Sep 2011
    View Count:
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    Comment Count:
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