Rare Species Kept Behind The Scenese

Many rare species at zoos are kept behind the scenes, and this can at times be frustrating for animal enthusiasts. A prime example being the pangolin, which is frustratingly often off show. A zoo has a dual purpose of display and conservation, and while conservation should be prioritized, I feel like all animals at a zoo should be on display. What are some thoughts and reasonings on this?

Also, are there any other threads already discussing this? I couldn't really find any.

 

Most of the time they keep animals behind the scenes for breeding and lack of space. San Diego zoo either keeps its larger species between northern frontier and elephant oddesy and smaller ones on the hill between northern frontier and panda canyon. Both can be seen on google maps.
SeaWorld San Diego has many of it's rarer bird species behind the scenes or hidden in the park which I am very annoyed by because there isn't much of a reason besides lack of public intrest

 

I think that all species kept at a zoo should be exhibited, where possible. The animals kept behind the scenes should be species exhibited elsewhere in the zoo. It is daft to have the same species exhibited in several enclosures, while rarer species are behind the scenes. This is especially true if visitors come from far away to see them. I doubt if many visitors want to see the same species several times in a visit.

 

Brookfield has the only Togo Slippery Frogs outside of Africa - and they are never on exhibit.

 

It is very frustrating, and it seems to be because of a lack of funds and space. However, if an institution does not have the space or funds to keep a species, they maybe should not keep it, or should make room for it. Part of the reason these exhibits are not on public display could be that they are not up to par, and may be fairly ugly habitats that these animals still have to live in, with or without the public eye. I think that these animals are being kept nonetheless, so visitors should have some sort of viewing opportunity for them.

 

Also, I realise that the title of this thread has a misspelled word. How do we get a mod to fix it? 'Scenese'

 

Several Callitrichids, tortoises and reptiles and amphibians kept behind the scenes at Jersey as I understand it. I also read the other day that the boky-boky and Grandidier's mongoose are kept off show at Chester zoo due to being very highly strung and nervous.

In Mexico at the Chapultepec zoo you have two colonies of teporingo which are kept off-show and several hundred axolotls and other Ambystoma species. At the São Paulo zoo several pampas cat, giant anteater, buffy tufted marmoset and black lion tamarins and pied tamarins are also kept off show for breeding purposes (individuals of the giant anteater and black lion tamarin are also kept on public display though).

It may be annoying for zoo visitors but it is very necessary at times for some species to kept off exhibit to ensure that important ex-situ management is being carried out. Providing these animals with the optimum conditions in which to breed is extremely difficult for species which are highly stressed by exposure to the public unless they are off-show.

 

You brought up a very important point I had not thought of, of course some animals are very nervous and need low levels of noise. I think that it is definitely acceptable in that case.

 

Partula snails are usually kept off-exhibit as well.

 

I don't know too much about this, but I would imagine this would be for bio-security primarily, right?

Or is this because zoos do not find them charismatic enough to put on public display ?

 

In the case of the pied tamarin exposure to noise and just the general presence of visitors can be stressor that can cause immuno-suppression and potentially fatal illness.

Not sure about with the boky-boky but I think probably exposure to visitors and noise is more of a stressor that can compromise captive breeding efforts rather than overall health in this species.

 

Lear's macaws are usually kept off show in all the zoos in Brazil that hold them, for what I know. It's specifically for reproduction, once they are extremely shy animals. I know São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte zoos do keep their specimens in these conditions, and it seems to be working. Belo Horizonte zoo also kept a northern muriqui and gabon talapoins in the off show areas for a long time, and still does it with most of their golden-lion tamarins; being only two individuals visible for the public.

 

I imagine it's a mix of both. I don't think it would be too hard to put some in a biosecure room with with windows near the snails so the visitors can see them.

 

Yes, I think it is probably a bit of both too.

I think they have been put on public display before at London zoo and Bristol zoo in the past.

 

Nashville keeps a good chunk of their collection off-exhibit, most prominent being their large group of banded palm civets (i think they’re the only AZA zoo to keep civets? Someone correct me if I'm wrong) if you want to see one on-exhibit, i think there is a private zoo nearby that has one of Nashville extra individuals.

 

Off the top of my head I can add African Palm Civet at Poznan, Marsh Mongoose at Magdeburg and the Scottish Wild Cats at Chester. Plzen of course is in a league of his own with dozens of rodent and small mammal species.

 

They are currently the only AZA. Brights Zoo has several, but they are off exhibit as well.

 

Artis has them on public display, with a look in the "breeding facility'' that they have.

 

Thanks for the info. Hopefully the species can recover and they can be spread to more zoos in the country. On a somewhat unrelated note, does Capital of Texas zoo still have asian palm civets and/or African civets? i know they still have the only fanaloka in the United States but what about the other viverrids?

 

As far as I know, they have fanaloka and common palm civet. All african civets are in florida, except for the ones at R Lazy J/Roer's (same owners).