Rarest animals seen in a zoo or aquarium

A few more that spring to mind -

Sulawesi Forest Turtle Leucocephalon yuwonoi Atlanta
Black-palmed Rock Monitor Varanus glebopalma Crocosaurus Cove
New Guinea Harpy Eagle Harpyopsis novaeguineae Antwerp
Emperor Bird of Paradise Paradisaea guilielmi Bronx Zoo
Dibbler Parantechinus apicalis Perth
Northern Nail-tailed Wallaby Onychogalea unguifera Port Douglas
Tree Pangolin Manis tricuspis San Diego

The eagle and the bird of paradise are sadly long-since deceased.

 

Looking through my guidebooks of the 70's and 80's, I rediscovered that for example the bird park Walsrode had a truly amazing collection including some of the greatest rarities like many different birds of paradise, amazons, lorikeets or cassowaries (4 species). The bad thing is that I really don't remember many of these animals, even though I certainly saw them alive at the park. I do remember some, like the spix macaw or the imperial amazon, because I knew they were very rare even back then.

While many species have undoubtedly vanished, some that were really rare in the past have become a lot more common today (idea for a new thread? ). I went to Cincinnati to see the Malayan tigers (among other species of course), now we have them in my hometown zoo. Everyone knows about the red river hogs of course, but I also think bongos, fossa and some other species used to be a lot more rare.

 

A few more - ungulates:

Kaffir Crowned (Common) Duiker (ssp. caffra - San Diego Zoo)
Topi (SDWAP)
Fringe-eared Oryx (ssp. callotis - SDWAP)
Suni (San Diego Zoo)
Red-fronted Gazelle (San Diego Zoo/Warsaw)
Black-faced Impala (ssp. petersi - Barcelona/Lisbon)
Four-horned Antelope (Vincennes/Berlin Zoo)
Russian Saiga (Cologne)
Spanish Ibex (Barcelona/Madrid)
Libyan Barbary Sheep (ssp. fassini - Barcelona)
Abruzzian Chamois (ssp. ornata - Munich)
Kamchatkan Snow Sheep (San Diego Zoo)
Mountain Anoa (Krefeld)
Angolan Giraffe (ssp. angolensis - Dortmund/Lisbon)
Grey Brocket (Berlin Zoo/Faunia)
Bawean Deer (SDWAP/Edinburgh/Poznan)
Thai Eld's Deer (ssp. siamensis - Vincennes)
Northern White Rhino (ssp. cottoni - SDWAP/Dvur Kralove)


Problem I have with this group is I saw so many exciting things in California and I don't really know how common a lot of these are in the US - for me, other big rarities that trip included Pronghorn, Slender-horned Gazelles, Soemmering's Gazelles, Giant Eland, Jackson's Hartebeest - but I've no idea if these would be considered rare enough for this thread in global terms - certainly all extremely rare/non-existent over here!

 

Volcano Rabbit - Durrell (1982)



Hix

 

A few from me would include,

Single wattled cassowary - Edinburgh
Livingstone's fruit bat - Bristol
numbat - Perth
Western swamp tortoise - Perth
Leopard seal - Taronga
Platypus - Sydney aquarium
purple faced langur - Perth/Edinburgh (same animals)
Florida panther - Lowry park
African open-billed stork - Lowry park
Siamese crocodile - Silver springs
chousingha - Howletts
Grizzled langur - Howletts
African golden cat - Port Lympne
Sumatran rhinoceros - Port Lympne
Japanese serow - Edinburgh/HWP

 

Only a few species from my list:

Mammals:
- Western Australian euro (Macropus robustus cervinus) - Kronberg
- Short-beaked Echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) - Frankfurt, Duisburg
- Chinese pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) - Leipzig
- Rufous elephant shrew (Elephantulus rufescens) - Cologne
- Southern Luzon giant cloud rat (Phloeomys cumingi) - Leipzig
- Grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura) - Leipzig
- Red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus) - Cologne
- Ornate Spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi ornatus) - Chemnitz
- White Uakari (Cacajao calvus calvus) - Cologne
- Greater white-nosed monkey (Cercopithecus nictitans nictitans) - Duisburg
- Schmidt’s red-tailed monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) - Osnabrück, Wuppertal
- Red-tailed moustached monkey (Cercopithecus cephus cephus) - Gelsenkirchen
- Moor macaque (Macaca maura) - Berlin(Zoo)
- Nilgiri Langur (Trachypithecus johnii) - Erfurt
- Red-shanked Douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus nemaeus) - Cologne
- Golden-rumped lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysopygus) - Krefeld, Magdeburg
- Aye aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) - Frankfurt, Berlin(Zoo)
- Greater bamboo lemur (Prolemur simus) - Cologne
- White-belted black-and-white ruffed lemur (Varecia variegata subcincta) - Cologne
- Javan gibbon (Hylobates moloch) - Münster, Munich
- Central common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) - Hannover
- Mountain anoa (Bubalus quarlesi) - Krefeld
- Barbary stag (Cervus elaphus barbarus) - Berlin(Tierpark)
- Ethiopian klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus saltatrixoides) - Frankfurt
- Southern mountain reedbuck (Redunca fulvorufula fulvorufula) - Kronberg, Berlin(Tierpark)
- Russian saiga (Saiga tatarica tatarica) - Cologne
- Abruzzi chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) - Munich
- Altai lynx (Lynx lynx wardi) - Berlin(Tierpark)
- Temmincks golden cat (Profelis temmincki) - Münster,Wuppertal
- Barbary lion (Panthera leo leo) - Neuwied, Hannover, Erfurt, Berlin(Zoo)
- Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) - Wuppertal, Berlin (Zoo and Tierpark)
- Sri-lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) - Arnhem, Hamm
- Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) - Bochum
- Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) - Berlin (Zoo and Tierpark), Dortmund
- Brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) - Kronberg, Berlin(Tierpark)
- East African Striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena dubbah) - Magdeburg
- Eastern aardwolf (Proteles cristatus septentrionalis) - Berlin(Tierpark)
- Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) - Hannover
- South American fur seal (Arctocephalus australis) - Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Duisburg,
- Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) - Costa d’en Blanes (Marineland)
- Orinoko river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis humboldtiana) - Duisburg
- Sotalia dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis guianensis) - Münster
- Commersons dolphin (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) - Duisburg

Birds:
- Sulawesi knobbed hornbill (Aceros cassidix) - Walsrode
- Crested myna (Acridotheres cristatellus) - Walsrode
- Black-winged starling (Sturnus melanopterus) - Berlin(Zoo)
- Black-billed amazon (Amazona agilis) - Wuppertal
- Asian open-billed stork (Anastomus oscitans) - Walsrode
- African darter (Anhinga rufa) - Arnhem
- Sumatran trogon (Apalharpactes mackloti) - Walsrode
- Wedge-tailed eagle (Aquila audax) - Detmold
- Nile hadada (Bostrychia hagedash nilotica) - Berlin(Tierpark)
- Malay eagle owl (Bubo sumatranus) - Timmendorf, Berlin(Zoo)
- Red-necked cassowary (Casuarius unappendiculatus rufotinctus) - Walsrode
- Lesser yellow-headed vulture (Cathartes burrovianus) - Berlin(Tierpark)
- King bird-of-paradise (Cicinnurus regius) - Wuppertal
- Trumpet manucode (Manucodia keraudrenii) - Berlin(Zoo)
- Crested coua (Coua cristata) - Wuppertal, Krefeld, Walsrode
- Giant coua (Coua gigas) - Walsrode
- Orange-breasted fig parrot (Cyclopsitta gulielmitertii) - Walsrode
- Western little penguin (Eudyptula minor novaehollandiae) - Cologne, Wuppertal
- Sickle-billed vanga (Falculea palliata) - Walsrode
- Grey-headed kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) - Cologne
- Courol roller (Leptosomus discolor) - Walsrode
- Northern kaka (Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis) - Stuttgart
- Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) - Wuppertal, Berlin(Zoo)
- James flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) - Berlin(Zoo)
- Long-tailed broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) - Wuppertal
- Pesquet's parrot (Psittrichas fulgidus) - Stuttgart, Walsrode
- Stone patridge (Ptilopachus petrosus) - Bernburg, Walsrode
- Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus) - Wuppertal, Walsrode, Berlin(Zoo)
- Arrow-marked babbler (Turdoides jardineii) - Berlin(Tierpark)
- Buru racquet-tail parrot (Prioniturus mada) - Walsrode
- Grey-necked Picathartes (Picathartes oreas) - Frankfurt
- North Island Kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) - Berlin, Frankfurt

 

I too saw the New Guinea harpy eagle a number of times at Antwerp Zoo during the 1980s; this is the only individual I’ve ever seen of this species. (Incidentally, this bird was previously at Edinburgh before being sent to Antwerp.)

On one of my visits to Antwerp, a helpful keeper saw me struggling to photograph the New Guinea harpy eagle through the aviary bars; to my astonishment, he unlocked the aviary door and let me enter the cage so I could take a photo without the bars getting in the way. (I think the eagle was almost as surprised as I was.)

Generally, I am much more interested in mammals than birds, but other birds that I was particularly pleased to have seen include:-

• Monkey-eating eagle (London; Antwerp; Planckendael; Los Angeles)
• hoatzin (New York (Bronx))
• both picathartes species (Frankfurt)
• imperial amazon (Walsrode)
• kagu (West Berlin; Paris (Jardin des Plantes); Walsrode; Wuppertal)
• shoebill (Frankfurt; Wuppertal; Zurich; Parc Paradisio; East Berlin)

 

Don't quite understand your first statement here?

As far as I know; Leopard Seal, Dugong(?) and Platypus are not particularly rare in the wild, just rarely seen in zoos.

One outstanding species for me was Leopard Seal, at Napier, New Zealand, and also at Taronga Park (two).

 

Right off the top of my head, these are some of the rarest mammal species that I've seen in a zoo. Of course some are quite a bit rarer than others and vice versa. I'm sure that I've forgotten several species, so I'll add them on later.

•Aardwolf (Proteles cristata) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Alaskan Moose (Alces alces gigas) – Columbus Zoo
•Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Banded Palm Civet (Hemigalus derbyanus) - Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo
•Black-and-Rufous Elephant Shrew (Rhynchocyon petersi) – Cleveland Zoo, Louisville Zoo
•Black Duiker (Cephalophus niger) – Columbus Zoo
•Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes) – Louisville Zoo
•Black-headed Douroucouli (Aotus nigriceps) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Brown Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix lagotricha) – Louisville Zoo
•Central American Cacomistle (Bassariscus sumichrasti) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Eastern Moose (Alces alces americanus) – Columbus Zoo
•Florida Manatee (Trichechus manatus latirostris) - Cincinnati Zoo, Columbus Zoo
•Fringe-eared Oryx (Oryx beisa callotis) – The Wilds
•Giant Eland (Taurotragus derbianus gigas) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Gray’s Crowned Guenon (Cercopithecus pogonias grayi) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Grey Bamboo Lemur (Hapalemur griseus griseus) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Ground Cuscus (Phalanger gymnotis) – Memphis Zoo
•Lesser Dog-faced Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis) – Columbus Zoo
•Lesser Malay Chevrotain (Tragulus kanchil) – Columbus Zoo
•Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Pampas Cat (Leopardus pajeros) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Red-shanked Douc Langur (Pygathrix nemaeus) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Silvery Woolly Monkey (Lagothrix poeppigii) – Louisville Zoo
•Slender Loris (Loris tardigradus) – Memphis Zoo
•Southern Douroucouli (Aotus nancymaae) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Striped Possum (Dactylopsila trivirgata) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) - Cincinnati Zoo
•Tiger Quoll (Dasyurus maculatus) - Columbus Zoo
•Zebra Duiker (Cephalophus zebra) - Cincinnati Zoo

 

It can be difficult to decide which animals are rare and which are rarely seen in zoos, so I'm sorry if some of my list may not fall into either category.

Barton's long-nosed echidna: London
Platypus: Taronga
Spiny bandicoot: London
Hairy-nosed wombat: Rotterdam
Leadbeater's possum: London
Swamp wallaby: Paris Menagerie
Dusky pademelon: Plzen
New Guinea forest wallaby: Taronga
Goodfellow's tree kangaroo: London
Yellow-footed rock wallaby: Los Angeles
Common tenrec: Prague
Lesser and greater spiny tenrecs: London
Fork-marked dwarf lemur: Paris
Broad-nosed gentle lemur: Paris, Cologne
Golden bamboo lemur: Tsimbazaza
Weasel lemur: Paris
Aye-aye: London, Jersey, Paris
Coquerel' sifaka: Los Angeles
Tarsier: Bristol
White-nosed saki: Cologne
White, red and black-headed uakaris: Cologne
Proboscis monkey: Cologne, Bronx
Douc langur; London, Cologne
Banded leaf monkey: Howletts
Minnie Downs hopping mouse: London
Cuban hutia: East Berlin, London
Jamaican hutia: London
Dassie rat: East Berlin
Mountain paca: Stuttgart
Pacarana: West Berlin?
Cururo: East Berlin
Pampas cat: Chester, Kilverstone
Oncilla: Hanover, Prague
Brown hyaena: Port Lympne
Fanaloka: West Berlin
Narrow-striped mongoose: West Berlin, Newquay
Ring-tailed mongoose: West Berlin, Tsimbazaza
Owston's palm civet: Frankfurt, Newquay
Red wolf; Los Angeles
Bat-eared fox: Plzen, Mole Hall
Hawaiian monk seal: Waikiki Aquarium
Olingo: Exmouth, Kilverstone
Sumatran rhinoceros: Port Lympne, Bronx, San Diego
Northern white rhinoceros: London
Viscayan warty pig; Rotterdam, Newquay
Persian fallow deer: East Berlin
Timor deer: London
Gerenuk: Los Angeles
Saiga: Cologne, East Berlin
Chinese goral: Plzen
Water buffalo: Howletts
Four-horned antelope: Paris, Howletts
Giant eland; Los Angeles
Jentink's duiker: East Berlin
Banded duiker: Los Angeles

Philippines eagle: Planckendael
Kagu: West Berlin
Takahe: West Berlin
Weka: West Berlin
Nduk eagle owl: London
Tahitian lory: San Diego
Kaka: Auckland
Superb lyrebird: Taronga
Both species of rock fowl: Frankfurt
Umbrella bird: Rotterdam
I'iwi: Honolulu
Princess Stephanie's bird of paradise: London

Tuatara: Chester, Auckland, West Berlin
Big-headed turtle: Plzen
Elephant's trunk snake: Cologne
Flying snake: Edinburgh

Giant salamander: Rotterdam
Hellbender: London

Australian lungfish: London

These are all written from memory. I'll try and think of some others and look through some notes, photo albums etc.

 

A few that sprung to mind;

• Red shanked duc (Singapore)
• Proboscis money (Singapore)
• Harp seal (Aquarium du Quebec)
• Atlantic Walrus (Aquarium du Quebec)
• Japanese Serow (HWP/ Calgary)
• Purple Faced Langur (Edinburgh)
• Siberian Musk Deer (Edinburgh)
• Dugong (Underwaterworld Singapore)
• Harbor Porpoise (Vancouver)
• Stellar’s Sea lion (Singapore)
• Hairy-nosed Wombat (Cairns Tropical Zoo)
• Visayan Warty Pig (Edinburgh)
• Shoebill (Jurong)
• Lumholtz’s Tree Kangaroo (Rainforest Habitat)
• Temmincks golden cat (Edinburgh/ Saigon)
• Bawean Deer (Edinburgh)
• Günther’s Dik Dik (Calgary)
• Marbled Cat (Saigon)
• Tarsier (Night Safari)
• Tasmanian Devil (Australia Zoo)
• Spotted Mousedeer (Singapore)
• East Caucasian Tur (Tallinn)
• European Mink (Tallinn)
• Striped Hyena (Tallinn /Night safari)
• Red and White Giant Flying Squirrel (Night safari)
• Wilson’s Bird of Paradise (Jurong)
• 12 Wired Bird of Paradise (Jurong)
• Whooping Crane (Calgary)
• Little Civet (Saigon)
• Gharial (Singapore)
• Sichuan Blue Sheep (Singapore)
• Amur Long Tailed Goral (Tallinn)
• Central Chinese Goral (Edinburgh /HWP)
• Red Legged Pademelon (Rainforest Habitat)
• Boyd’s Forest Dragon (Cairns Tropical Zoo)

 

Blackduiker

Mountain Tapir (Los Angeles Zoo)
Saiga (Los Angeles Zoo)
Giant Panda (Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo)
Golden Snub Nosed Monkey (Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo)
Giant Otter (Los Angeles Zoo)
Hawaiian Monk Seal (Waikiki Aquarium)
Chacoan Peccary (Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Phoenix Zoo)
Zebra Duiker (Los Angeles Zoo)
California Condor ( Los Angeles Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo)
Sumatran Rhinoceros (Los Angeles Zoo)
Musk Ox (San Francisco Zoo)
Marbled Cat (Los Angeles Zoo)
Monkey-eating Eagle (Los Angeles Zoo)
Tasmanian Devil (Los Angeles Zoo, San Diego Zoo)
Red Uakari (Los Angeles Zoo)
Suni (Los Angeles Zoo)
Kiwi (San Diego Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo)
Komodo Dragon(San Diego Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, Phoenix Zoo)
Aye-aye (San Francisco Zoo)
Koala (San Diego Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo, San Francisco Zoo)
Japanese Serow (Los Angeles Zoo, Seattle Woodland Park Zoo)
Giant Eland (Los Angeles Zoo)
Jaguarundi (Los Angeles Zoo, Exotic Feline Breeding Compound)
Siberian Lynx (Exotic Feline Breeding Compound)
Okapi (San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Disney's Animal Kingdom, Los Angeles Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo)
Crocodile Monitor (Los Angeles Zoo, Honolulu Zoo)
Calambian Deer ( San Diego Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo)
Chamois (Los Angeles Zoo)
Exuma Island Iguana (Los Angeles Zoo)
Nene (Los Angeles Zoo, Honolulu Zoo)
Ploughshare Tortoise (Los Angeles Zoo)
Colombian Toad (Los Angeles Zoo)
Blue-eyed Lemur (Los Angeles Zoo)
Pacarana (Los Angeles Zoo)
Brown Hyena (Los Angeles Zoo)
Crested Capuchin Monkey (Los Angeles Zoo)
Peninsular Pronghorn (Los Angeles Zoo)
Tule Elk (Los Angeles Zoo)

 

Sorry, I meant that animals rarely seen in captivity, not in the wild.

 

Visited the East Texas and Louisiana zoos this past fall, and saw a few rarities - including tayra and Mexican Brocket Deer at the Alexandria Zoo in Louisiana, and Texas indigo snake at Calwell Zoo in Tyler.

 

I'll take a break from mammals and do some feathered friends. Off the top of the head:

Lear's Macaw (Loro Parque)
Gang-Gang Cockatoo (Walsrode/Loro Parque)
Coral-billed Ground Cuckoo (Walsrode/Cologne)
Cuckoo Roller (Walsrode)
Plumbeus Water Redstart (Chester)
North Island Brown Kiwi (Frankfurt)
Single-wattled Cassowary (Zoo Negara/Walsrode)
Dwarf Cassowary (SDWAP/Veldhoven)
Capuchinbird/Calfbird (Veldhoven)
Sumatran Laughing-Thrush (Chester)
Hooded Crane (Walsrode)
Black-necked Crane (Blackbrook)
Curlew Sandpiper (Blackbrook)
Asian Openbill (Blackbrook)
Lesser Adjutant (Cotswold/Blackbrook)
Storm's Stork (Zoo Negara)
Red Bird-of-Paradise (Chester)
Greater Bird-of-Paradise (Walsrode)
King Eider (Living Coasts)
Adelie Penguin (Faunia)
Blue Duck (Arundel)
Hartlaub's Duck (Berlin Zoo/Blackbrook)
Streak-bellied Woodpecker (Birdworld)
Emperor Penguin (SeaWorld CA - albeit in darkness thanks to simulated Antarctic winter!)
Spanish Imperial Eagle (Madrid)
Cape Verde Kite (Red Kite ssp. fasciicauda - Newent - now extinct I believe)
Lesser Grey Shrike (Barcelona)
Blue-breasted Kingfisher (Barcelona)
Trumpet Manucode (Berlin Zoo)


To be honest, a fair percentage of the collections of Walsrode, Blackbrook, Berlin and Loro Parque could probably go on this list!

 

I've added a couple more to the list:

•African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) – Columbus Zoo, Memphis Zoo
•Bharal / Blue Sheep (Pseudois nayaur)- Cincinnati Zoo
•Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus medius) – Cincinnati Zoo
•Large-spotted Genet (Genetta tigrina) – Cincinnati Zoo, Memphis Zoo
•Little Golden-mantled Flying Fox (Pteropus pumilus) – Columbus Zoo

Though I usually have my doubts about African Leopards, ISIS lists the female in Columbus and a female in Memphis as being pure Panthera pardus melanotica (Synonym of Panthera pardus pardus).

 

A few creatures that stick in my memory - some from 40 years ago

Angwantibo (ZSL)
Bald uakari (Cologne)
Black saki (Cologne) & white nosed saki too
Cape clawless otter (Basle)
Haitian solenodon (Frankfurt)
Hairy nosed wombat (Basle)
Lear's macaw (Birdland)
Monkey eating (Philippine) eagle (Frankfurt)
Mountain gorilla (Cologne) - not a very happy memory
Pacarana (Zurich & Bristol)
Pesquet's parrot (Chester & Wassenaar)
Philippine tarsier (Frankfurt & Bristol)
Picathartes (both species at Frankfurt, white headed at other zoos too)
Siberian white crane (Olney)
St Vincent amazon (Jersey)

It's fair to add that I never dreamt that I would ever see some of the species that we almost take for granted now - lion tamarins, aye aye, sifaka, gentle lemurs, howler monkeys, Somali wild ass etc,

Alan

 

Some more (not sure if they're really rarely kept but thought I'd add these guys):

Musk Ox (Toronto Zoo)
African Leopard (North Carolina Zoo)
False Gharial (Toronto Zoo)
Okapi (London Zoo)
Matschie's tree kangaroo (Toronto Zoo/Buffalo Zoo?)
Southern hairy-nosed wombat (Toronto Zoo)
Bushtailed Bettong (Toronto Zoo)
Striped Hyena (African Lion Safari)