5 Must See Species Before You Die

I was lucky to have regularly seen the Tasmanian Devils at the Toronto Zoo, from the time I was a little girl in the 80s until they left (or phased out) sometime in the early 2000s. The Australasia pavilion's a lonelier place without them.

 

1. Ayeaye
2. Dibatag
3. Colugo
4. Tarsier
5. Pangolin



Hix

 

Blackduiker

Anaheim Zoo, true, I could take a trip to Atlanta to see the Whale Shark at the Georgia Aquarium, which I hope to do one day. But the Sichuan Takin on your list would be an even easier target to find, in any number of American Zoos.

 

Species I would like to see in ZOOS or AQUARIAS:

1. Golden snub nosed monkey
2. Zebraduiker or Jentinks Duiker
3. Pangolin (any species)
4. Numbat
5. Great White Shark

Species I would like to see in the WILD:

1. Tiger
2. Mountain Gorilla
3. Leopard
4. Elephant Seal (any species)
5. Great White Shark (in the water, but from a safe cage of course)

 

Yes, that takin is only temporary. I'm sure it will be crossed off of my list by the end of the year, at least (sparring a very possible trip to San Diego). It's like ArizonaDocent said, these lists have to do a little bit with region, and although fairly common in American zoos, I have not been able to get very far from home to a zoo where Sichuan takins are kept.

 

Yep, the last Tasmanian devil in the US was born in 1997 at Cincy, and then went to Fort Wayne in 1999-2004.

 

I finally saw an aye-aye for the first time this summer at the Henry Doorly Zoo. I'd been wanting to see them for years.

 

Monk Seal either species
Orinoco Crocodile
Golden Lancehead
Leopard Seal
Elephabt Seal again either species

 

Looking through your lists, I realize how fortunate I've been to have seen a whole lot of the species listed here ! It also made me realize how many species have been in zoos briefly and disappeared again. The trend to keep "easy" species is both good and bad although - we don't have the trial and error losses anymore but we are also missing a bunch of species which could likely be kept successfully with just a bit more effort.

As for my list:

Whooping Crane
Mountain Gorilla
Lear's Macaw
Australian Sea lion
Wild Yak

 

The ones marked (wild) means I have seen them in zoos but would still love to see them in their native habitat.

White-handed gibbon (wild)
Jaguar (wild)
Blue whale
Albatross
Blue bird of paradise (or any Bird of Paradise -- preferably in the wild)

Of course - next week I might very likely have a different list - except for the first 3.

 

As well as Hawaii's Waikiki Aquarium and Sea Life Park, and maybe some other places too.

Nowhere has them on permanent display, but there are seals in rescue/rehabilitation centres. Considering their shyness and sensitivity to disturbance, seeking them out might not be the wisest option.

 

Zoogiraffe and Saro, I've actually seen a Hawaiian Monk Seal and a whooping crane in the wild.

 

I have seen monk seals at the sea life center (much bigger animals than I had expected !) and they also had albatrosses at the park, which would have made my list otherwise, but the Mediteranian monk seals are in a whole different ball park again. Regarding the Orinoco crocodile, I don't think there are any in Europe at this time.

I grew up near the bird park in Walsrode, which kept a huge variety of rare birds over the decades, which was very fortunate for me, but the whooping crane remains a dream for me !













i

 

I knew that there were other places with Hawaiians but couldn't recall where but I never knew any place held Mediteraneans, even on a temporary basis. As for seeing thhem in the wild, I know it'd be a fleeting glance from a distance but it would be worth it!

 

Actually, the seals I saw were asleep on the beach the entire time I was there. The Fish and Game just put caution tape around them so people wouldn't disturb them.

 

No if you don't count the species that were split last year,I still haven't seen Gharial or Orinoco Crocs,but seeing as I'm visiting Praghe this year it will mean I get to see a Gharial there,as for Orinoco's their used to be one at Berlin,but I believe this animal turned out to be a hybrid,but I never saw it.Hopefully if everything goes to plan the Crocodile Zoo in Denmark should get Orinoco Crocs this year which will give them 23 species!

 

What a fantastic list of unusuals! 4 of my favorite unique mammals plus one of my favorite antelope to look for photos online for. There appears to be only one readily accessible photo online of a Dibatag in the wild.

I've been lucky enough to see Ayeaye, Tarsier and 2 species of Pangolin. All very memorable firsts. My first Ayeaye I actually got to go in the exhibit with at the London Zoo in 2009. I've seen them since at Berlin, Frankfurt, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Omaha, and Denver. The population has really expanded in the US, for a while they were only kept at San Fransisco and Duke's Lemur Center I believe.

Colugos are on my top 5, considering they make up the only order of mammals I haven't seen a representative of (before mammal orders got split even more). I'll have to wait for the Singapore Zoo where I can search for them wild.

I think my top 5 was:

1. Javan Rhino
2. Indri
3. Mountain Nyala
4. Numbat
5. Colugo

 

Mountain Nyala and Mountain Gorilla are my only two but in a similar vein I want to see the recognition by biological community of a few "realistic" cryptids. By that I don't mean nessie or bigfoot, but like the Eastern Cougar and that iffy situation. I don't believe every time one is seen its simply an escaped pet. More along the lines of animals that we know exist but in areas where they aren't expected.

 

How did I miss this list? I was fortunate enough to see the tarsier kept briefly in Bristol in 1987 (don't know which species), and to see Sumatran Rhino at Port Lympne.

In terms of what is LIKELY to be in a European collection in my lifetime, or is already there, Proboscis Monkey stands out - maybe Crested Ibis, if recurring rumours from Walsrode have any pinch of truth. And Iberian Lynx will hopefully spread, given time.

In North America, I've never yet seen California Condor, Whooping Crane or Red Wolf.

This has already taken me over five, and I haven't gone to Asia for snub-nosed monkeys or hoolock gibbons, or Australia for Platypus or Numbat.Or started having implausible dreams about Mountain Nyala, Guigna, Chinese Desert or Bay Cats, let alone Javan Rhino or any big cetacean.

But I can dream...