Some cool species there (but do note that in the beginning post I specifically mentioned US and Canada only).
It might be worth noting which of these are only kept behind the scenes, for those of us who would travel to specifically see these animals. A big one for me is the darn american badger at Maryland Zoo. So close, yet so far! The only other places on the entire east coast with the species are the awful space farms zoo in northern NJ and safari niagara over the border in Canada. The eastern-most one on display in an AZA zoo would be the couple in Wisconsin.
American Badger seems to be a difficult one for a lot of people. Guess I'm lucky my local facility's badger is usually visible.
It's in my top 5 of species I want to see (*that are at least in captivity in the USA). Other than otters and the BFF, mustelids are pretty much non-existent in central east coast zoos It took me multiple tries to see the closest fisher (Lehigh Valley) because she likes to hide in a log.
I know it's a bit far for you, but I must recommend a visit to the Henry Vilas Zoo. They have what is undisputedly the best American Badger aground and they usually active, provided you visit on a summer day.
Thanks for the tip, moved it up high on my list Are you sure? It's not mentioned on their species list on their website, and not on the list in this thread. (Ha, Claws n Paws and Space Farms are the exact same distance from me)
Already heard back from the zoo! They have 2 badgers, Pat and Terry. So they can be added to the list for American Badger Thanks for the tip, Drill!
Update: Tayra (10 holders) Abilene Zoo Aggieland Safari Alexandria Zoo Aloha Safari Zoo Bright's Zoo Indian Creek Zoo Milwaukee County Zoo Oklahoma City Zoo Sedgwick County Zoo Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium Greater Grison (2 holders) Timbavati Wildlife Park Wildwood Wildlife Park Wolverine (10 holders) Alaska Zoo Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Detroit Zoo (gulo) Henson Robinson Zoo Minnesota Zoo Northwest Trek Wildlife Park San Francisco Zoo Sauvage Zoo of St-Félicien Thompson Park Zoo and Conservatory Zoo Montana (gulo) Zorilla (2 holders) Rainforest Adventures Zoo (0.1) Tanganyika Wildlife Park American Marten (4 holders) Ecomuseum Zoo Salomonier Nature Park (atrata) Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park ZooAmerica (2.1) Yellow-throated Marten (1 holder) Assiniboine Park Zoo Pine Marten (2 holders) Dakota Zoo Turtle Back Zoo Fisher (15 holders) Charles Paddock Zoo Dakota Zoo Ecomuseum Zoo Lehigh Valley Zoo Maine Wildlife Park Minnesota Zoo Northwest Trek Wildlife Park Sauvage Zoo of St-Félicien Shalom Wildlife Zoo Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park Special Memories Zoo Squam Lake Natural Science Center Thompson Park Zoo and Conservatory Timbavati Wildlife Park Zollman Zoo Honey Badger (5 holders) Fort Wayne Children's Zoo (0.1) Living Treasures Animal Park Naples Zoo San Diego Zoo Tanganyika Wildlife Park Short-tailed Weasel (2 holders) Trailside Zoo Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center Long-tailed Weasel (2 holders) Orange County Zoo Turtle Bay Exploration Park European Polecat (1 holder) Caldwell Zoo Black-footed Ferret (19 holders) Abilene Zoo Amarillo Zoo Austin Zoo Bright's Zoo Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Dakota Zoo Elmwood Park Zoo El Paso Zoo Hutchinson Zoo Lee Richardson Zoo Louisville Zoo Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo & Adventure Park Pheonix Zoo Red River Zoo Roosevelt Park Zoo Topeka Zoo Toronto Zoo Smithsonian National Zoo ZooAmerica Least Weasel (2 holders) Keystone Safari Western North Carolina Nature Center American Mink (11 holders) Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary Bear Den Zoo Georgia Sea Turtle Center Parc Safari San Antonio Zoo Sanders County Wildlife Conservation Center Shalom Wildlife Zoo Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park Wild Wonders Wildlife Park Zoo in Forest Park and Education Center Zoo Montana American Badger (37 holders) Alameda Park Zoo Amarillo Zoo America's Teaching Zoo Bear Den Zoo Big Bear Alpine Zoo Boulder Ridge Wild Animal Park British Columbia Wildlife Park California Living Museum Claws 'n Paws Animal Park DeYoung Family Zoo GarLyn Zoo Great Vancouver Zoo Henry Vilas Zoo High Desert Museum Hutchinson Zoo Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo & Adventure Park MacKensie Center Maryland Zoo in Baltimore Milwaukee County Zoo Niabi Zoo Northwest Trek Wildlife Park Pocatello Zoo Safari Niagara Saskatoon Forestry Farm and Zoo Shalom Wildlife Zoo Space Farms Zoo & Museum Special Memories Zoo The Living Desert Zoo & Gardens The Wild Animal Park Timbavati Wildlife Park Turtle Bay Exploration Park Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium Zollman Zoo African Clawless Otter (2 holders) Metro Richmond Zoo San Diego Zoo Asian Small-clawed Otter (43 holders) Audubon Zoo Bright's Zoo Bronx Zoo Brookfield Zoo Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Dallas Zoo Denver Zoo Discovery Cove Disney's Animal Kingdom Georgia Aqurium Greensboro Science Center Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Kansas City Zoo Houston Zoo Indianapolis Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo Living Planet Aquarium Living Treasures Animal Park Memphis Zoo Mill Mountain Zoo Minnesota Zoo Newport Aquarium North Georgia Zoo OdySea Aquarium Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium San Antonio Zoo San Diego Zoo Santa Barbara Zoo Santa Fe Teaching Zoo SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld San Antonio SeaWorld San Diego Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Smithsonian National Zoo Sunset Zoo Tanganyika Wildlife Park Tiger World Tregembo Animal Park Virginia Zoo in Norfolk Woodland Park Zoo Zoo Miami Sea Otter (13 holders) Alaska SeaLife Center (kenyoni) Aquarium of the Americas Aquarium of the Pacific (nereis) Georgia Aquarium (nereis) Minnesota Zoo (kenyoni) Monterey Bay Aquarium (nereis) New York Aquarium (nereis, kenyoni) (3.0) Oregon Zoo (nereis) Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (kenyoni) Point Defiance Zoo & Aquairum (nereis, kenyoni) Seattle Aquarium (kenyoni) SeaWorld San Diego (nereis) Shedd Aquairum (nereis, kenyoni) Vancouver Aquarium North American River Otter (159 holders) Abilene Zoo African Safari Wildlife Park Akron Zoo Alameda Park Zoo Alaska Zoo Albuquerque Aquarium Alexandria Zoo Animal Forest Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Aquarium of the Bay Audubon Zoo Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium Birmingham Zoo Blank Park Zoo Boonshoft Museum of Discovery Bramble Park Zoo BREC Baton Rouge Zoo Brevard Zoo Brookfield Zoo Brookgreen Gardens Buffalo Zoo Buttonwood Park Zoo Calgary Zoo Calvert Marine Museum Caldwell Zoo Cameron Park Zoo Cape May County Zoo Capron Park Zoo Central Florida Zoo Chahinkapa Zoo Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Cincinnati Zoo Clearwater Marine Aquarium Columbus Zoo and Aquarium Columbian Park Zoo Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo CuriOdyssey Dakota Zoo Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum Detroit Zoo Dickerson Park Zoo Ecomuseum Zoo Ecotarium Edmonton Valley Zoo Elmwood Park Zoo Ellen Trout Zoo Erie Zoo Florida Aquarium Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Fort Worth Zoo GarLyn Zoo Georgia Sea Turtle Center Great Lakes Aquarium Greensboro Science Center Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center Henry Vilas Zoo Henson Robinson Zoo High Desert Museum Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park Houston Zoo Hutchinson Zoo Idaho Falls Zoo Jackson Zoo John Ball Zoo Kaleideum North Kansas City Zoo Keystone Safari Knoxville Zoo Landry's Downtown Aquarium Lehigh Valley Zoo Lee Richardson Zoo Lincoln Children's Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo Little Rock Zoo Living Planet Aquarium Lupa Zoo Magnetic Hill Zoo Maritime Aquarium Maryland Zoo in Baltimore Maymont Menominee Park Zoo Mesker Park Zoo Miller Park Zoo Milwaukee County Zoo Minnesota Zoo Montgomery Zoo Mote Marine Lab National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium New York State Zoo at Thompson Park North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island North Carolina Zoo Northeastern Wisconsin Zoo & Adventure Park Northwest Trek Wildlife Park Oakland Zoo Ober Gatlinburg's Wildlife Adventure Ochsner Park Zoo Oglebay's Good Zoo Oklahoma Aquarium Oregon Zoo Palm Beach Zoo Phillips Park Zoo Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Potawatomi Zoo Potter Park Zoo Prospect Park Zoo Pueblo Zoo Red River Zoo Riverbanks Zoo Riverview Park & Zoo Rodger Williams Park Zoo Roosevelt Park Zoo Rosamond Gifford Zoo Sacramento Zoo Saginaw Children's Zoo Saint Louis Zoo Salisbury Zoo Salmonier Nature Park San Francisco Zoo Sauvage Zoo of St-Félicien Seattle Aquarium Sedgwick County Zoo Seneca Park Zoo Sequioa Park Zoo Shubenacadie Provincial Wildlife Park Smithsonian National Zoo South Carolina Aquarium Special Memories Zoo Staten Island Zoo Stone Zoo Squam Lakes Natural Science Center Summerfield Zoo Sunset Zoo Tallahassee Museum Tennessee Aquarium Texas State Aquarium Texas Zoo The Wild Center Toledo Zoo and Aquarium Topeka Zoo Toronto Zoo Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School Tulsa Zoo Turtle Back Zoo Utah's Hogle Zoo Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center Virginia Living Museum Washington Park Zoo Western North Carolina Nature Center Wilderness Trails Zoo Wildlife Images Rehabilitation and Education Center Western North Carolina Nature Center Zollman Zoo Zoo America Zoo Miami Zoo Montana Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park Spotted-necked Otter (10 holders) Binghampton Zoo at Ross Park Fresno Chaffee Zoo Little Rock Zoo Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Pheonix Zoo Reid Park Zoo San Diego Zoo SeaWorld San Antonio Toronto Zoo Zoo de Granby Giant Otter (10 holders) Birmingham Zoo Brevard Zoo Dallas World Aquarium Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens Moody Gardens Philadelphia Zoo Rodger Williams Park Zoo Zoo Atlanta Zoo Miami A legitimate question here: is the NARO the most common animal in North American zoos? It must be at least close.
Pretty sure it's been reported many times now that the Fisher at CALM died in early 2018.. Also Georgia Aquarium should have California Sea Otter, not Alaskan. My prior post meant that Alaska should keep the Alaskan ssp. ~Thylo
Based on what data I've seen, I suspect it probably is (among wild animals at least). It has the advantage of being common across three different types of facilities: general zoo facilities, nature centers and native collections, and aquariums. It is also an animal that frequently shows up in rescue/rehab networks, and is very popular with visitors because of its visibility and entertaining behavior. I can't think of another species with that many favorable attributes.
I think tigers might give the otters a run for their money as most common zoo animal in North America, given their popularity in both AZA zoos and private unaccredited facilities.
Yeah but random nature centers aren't going to have tigers, whereas they likely will have otters (same with aquariums). ~Thylo
Absolutely, but I'd also argue that the general public sees otter species as interchangeable, so NA River Otters compete for exhibit spaces with Small-clawed and to a lesser extent other otter species when geographic origin isn't relevant to the facility. In contrast, tigers aren't perceived as directly interchangeable with other big cats. That's just my perception. Getting to actual numbers, the 2009 felid RCP is online and lists tigers at 129 AZA facilities. Assuming there hasn't been much change since then, it would require only 30 non-accredited facilities to equal the NA River Otter numbers given above.
Thanks for the update @birdsandbats. Is the LA zoo keeps the American badger on-show or they are hidden bts ?
