My "home" zoo is technically Cleveland, but a load of zoos are much better. Like Erie. Who knows (team tapir and any other NE Ohio zoochatters) knows what animals used to be at Akron Zoo? I know- Chinese alligator White-handed gibbon Chimpanzee Rhesus monkey Kangaroo Bighorn sheep Jellyfish Silvered-leaf langurs Coatis Tortoises Various waterfowl (near the coatis) Asian elephant Mediterranean donkey I am working on a history project for Cleveland Zoo, but when that is done I am going to do one for my other "home" zoo, Akron.
I can probably help you with this a bit. I volunteered at the zoo 25 years ago for a summer and remember a lot of the earlier exhibits (I also visited regularly for over 10 years prior to that) - that summer was part of the period that the zoo focused almost exclusively on New World species. I may have a map from that period somewhere in my files of old ephemera, but even if I don't, I could probably piece together much of the collection. Some of the species that were present are still a part of the collection but in new exhibits - the zoo has changed so much. Off the top of my head, some of the more notable species that were part of the collection but no longer are include: Golden eagle, White-tailed deer, Patagonian Cavy, Greater Rhea, Geoffroy's Tamarin, Trumpeter Swan, North American Beaver, Bobcat, Spider Monkey (not sure what species), Striped Skunk, Virginia Opossum, Black Bear, and numerous North American birds species in the aviary (I can't recall all of the species, but I know there were Roadrunner and Blue Jay, among others) and American waterfowl species (including canvasback, redhead, chiloe wigeon, and more). In addition, I remember prior to the American period a time when they had Barbary Sheep (although I can't remember much else from that earlier period that wasn't still in the collection later). Later species included Sun Bears and non-American waterfowl included white-winged duck and Meller's duck. Let me know any specific questions you may have and I'll be happy to let you know everything I remember.
Thick-billed parrots, prairie dogs, black-footed ferrets, burrowing owls, and Ossabow Island hog. I will continue to think of more examples.
