The standouts for me would be: giant panda red panda Persian leopard koala orangutan (not sure which subspecies) Asian elephant Others off the top of my head: ring-tailed lemur barbary macaque rhesus macaque bottlenose dolphin slow loris red kangaroo grey kangaroo some wallaby or other alpaca ostrich various parrots and parakeets a dozen or so snake species (Burmese and reticulated pythons being the biggest) different lizards and geckos the usual touchpool rays, starfish etc nurse shark
Giant Panda: Panda breeding/research base in Chengdu. I think they stopped doing it recently, but they used to allow a small number of people each day to register to hold a young panda and have pictures taken for a "donation" (completely mandatory payment) of about 200 quid. Red Panda: At a Chinese theme park (Happy Valley Wuhan). Persian Leopard: Chester Zoo. Back in the '90s, they had "Day with a Keeper" sessions for kids holding junior memberships (no idea if they still do it). I spent a day in the old cat house. One of the leopards there at the time had been hand-reared and liked to be stroked. This was through the bars of the off-show area though; she was too excitable to go in with. Koala: Quite easy to do in Australia. I did it at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast. Orangutan: Singapore Zoo. Technically, it touched me, but I've counted it. They're "free range" (actually quite cleverly contained) and are allowed down for feeding and photo opportunities. You're not allowed to touch them, but if you get your photo with them, you're inches away and there's nothing stopping them from touching you. Elephant: Not happy about it now, but the first time was one of those elephant riding "sanctuaries" in Thailand. This was way before we had all the info about it that we have now (probably 15 years ago), and I would NEVER have done it had I known back then. There are plenty of actual sanctuaries around Asia now (Thailand, India, Sri Lanka) where you can interact with elephants without the awful riding aspect.
I forgot to mention: I touched a bottlenose dolphin at the Barcelona zoo on my 6th birthday, and, sorry to admit, an Asian elephant at a circus when I was very young. I can still remember their very distinct textures to this day.
gjkgjakkagkvn If we're doing animals we've touched, then I've probably touched cownose rays, brownbanded and whitespotted bamboo sharks, and maybe leopard whiptail rays and nurse sharks. I've also touched a variety of other animals I have forgotten about.
North American Porcupine Virginia Opossum Beaver Indian Rhinoceros Mountain Tapir Ruffed Lemurs (both species) Golden Eagle and Harris Hawk (held on the glove) Giraffe Florida Manatee Red Panda Galapagos Tortoise American Alligator (youngster, with tied jaws) African Pangolin Walrus Bottlenose Dolphin Commerson Dolphin
I have handled several different kinds of snake (non-venomous, of course), lizards, birds and various small mammals (hedgehogs, lemurs and koala especially). I have touched many other animals, including white rhinoceros and African elephant.
Mammals Brazilian tapir Ring-tailed coatimundi American mink Fallow deer Sika deer Brown rat Kinkajou (it touched me) Cottontop tamarin (it touched me) Red ruffed lemur (it touched me) Ring-tailed lemur Six-banded armadillo Lesser hedgehog tenrec Meerkat (it touched me) Red-necked wallaby Birds Nene Red-breasted goose Red-headed pochard Carolina duck Southern red-billed whistling-duck White-faced whistling-duck Mandarin duck Bufflehead Hooded merganser Ringed teal Smew Laysan teal Rosybill Andean goose Cape Barren goose Black swan Ocellated turkey Swan goose Common eider European wigeon Maned goose Plumed whistling-duck Cape teal South African black duck Indian peafowl Golden pheasant Eastern white pelican Chilean flamingo Socorro dove Atlantic puffin Arctic tern (it touched me if attacking counts) Lesser black-backed gull Greater black-backed gull Willow warbler Chiffchaff Song thrush European starling Storm petrel Shag White-cheeked turaco Emu Greater rhea Blue-and-gold macaw Blue-fronted amazon Congo grey parrot Cockatoo sp. Barn owl Little owl Bateleur American kestrel Saker falcon Amur falcon (I think tho I can't remember exactly) Blue crane Reptiles, amphibians and fish Veiled chameleon Corn snake White's treefrog Trinidadian stream frog Probably more that I can't remember Invertebrates Leaf-cutter ant Chilean pink-footed tarantula Stick insect sp. Madagascar hissing cockroach Again probably more than I can't remember
Nice list! Curious, what were the circumstances on the geese and swans, I know they don't generally like being touched!
Additionally, on entering the jungle walkthrough at Blackpool, we were immediately jumped on by a squirrel monkey intent on getting into my shoulder bag for snacks! Considering their small size, it was surprisingly heavy and very strong. It was also very determined and took a lot of persuasion to get off my shoulder
The list is way to long to mention all, but the most special ones for me were: - Spix and lears macaw - Beira - Gerenuk - Phillips dikdik - Spekes gazelle - King BOP - Greater BOP - Saddlebilled and Shoebilled Stork - Greater adjutant - King, Somali and Southeast African cheetah - Serval - Arabian sandcat - Pygmy slow loris - Andean Cock of the Rock - Common wallaroo - Steller sea eagle - Andean condor - Secretary bird - Palm cockatoo - Visayan Warty pig - Many hornbill, crane and flamingo species
That's a nice list I was worming them against intestinal parasites. And squirrel monkey is a species I missed. They stole my glasses at five sisters zoo
These are animals I have touched that I can remember: - Giraffe - Binturong - Eastern Gray Kangaroo - Red-Necked Pademelon - Rock Dove (in the wild) - Zebra Dove (in the wild) - Spotted Dove (in the wild) - Black Swan - Mallard - Domestic Turkey - Australian White Ibis (in the wild) - Scarlet Macaw - Blue-&-Gold Macaw - Sulfur-Crested Cockatoo - Cockatiel - Budgerigar - American Alligator - Green Sea Turtle - Burmese Python - Gopher Tortoise - African Spurred Tortoise - Eyestripe Surgeonfish - Pacific Cleaner Shrimp - Horseshoe Crab
It's only the tail you have to watch out for, and they don't always use it in my experience working with them.
Here is my list Lots of types of Giraffes Indian Rhino White Rhino Sumatran Rhino Asian Elephant Dromedary Camel Bactrian Camel Sting Rays Red River Hog Lots of birds, reptiles, and small mammals
Reticulated Giraffe Common Ostrich Dromedary Bactrian Camel Galapagos Tortoise Aldabra Giant Tortoise Ball Python Chinese Pond Turtle Rosy Boa Eastern Box Turtle Collared Peccary Indian Peafowl African Collared Dove American Alligator I could not be more jealous.
An ostrich is nothing compared to 3 rhino species (especially the Sumatran), elephants, or Red River Hogs!
