The 'exotic mammals' thread got me thinking: which species (and subspecies where appropriate) were once held in Australian collections but aren't anymore? I assume there is a thread about this already? If not, I (along with other readers no doubt) will be very interested in reading as much information as you can give (last zoo held at, last year the species was held in Australia, reason it is no longer held here etc.).
My memories, such as they are, date back to my childhood in the 1960's. Species I remember from Melbourne Zoo that have disappeared, some quite recently: Aardvark Armadillo (sp?) European Badger North American Beaver Porcupine (I think an Asian species) Giant Anteater Smooth-coated Otter Harbour Seal Black-backed Jackal Coyote African Forest Buffalo Lynx (sp?) Leopard Cat Caracal Golden Cat American Black Bear Sloth Bear (could be wrong on this one) I seem to remember Moon Bear, but they might have just been Sun Bear There must have been more birds back in the fifties, but I can't remember any that still aren't with us. I have a faint memory of vultures, but that may be false. I don't know if Melbourne Zoo was ever particularly species rich. Australian zoos were distant from the networks of animal dealers that kept European and North American zoos well supplied. Melbourne Zoo suffered from tough times in the 1920's, then the depression, then war and by the 1950's and early 60's was in a bad way. In fact there was a serious campaign to close it in the early 1960's that nearly succeeded. I visited Taronga once in the late '60's and then more often in the '80's. Taronga was a bigger collection, mostly because of Edward Hallstrom, and apparently had a great collection of birds of paradise, although I can only ever remember seeing one species. Also Crowned Pigeons (sp). Have Nicobar Pigeons gone? Mammal species I can remember include: Jaguarundi Pere Davids Deer Hallstroms Dog It is also worth noting that some Australian species have disappeared from zoos, including: Cuscus Kowari Eastern Pygmy Possum Not really what you wanted, I hope others can fill the gaps.
Taronga used to have clouded leopards but I think they are gone from Australia. Taronga also had shoe-bill stork, black footed penguin, snowy owl, crowned cranes, marabou stork, sarus crane (as opposed to brolga), babirusa and sitatunga.
Melbourne Zoo had a female clouded leopard until the mid-2000's. She was the last one in the country. I find it hard to keep track species that have been moved to smaller collections. For example, Melbourne Zoo used to have a wide range of primates but various species were moved and I can't say for certain whether they're still alive somewhere else in the country (e.g. lion-tailed macaques, De Brazza's monkey).
the lion tailed Macaques and the De Brazza's went to Tasmania zoo, although I'm not sure how many are still alive. They were my 2 favourite monkeys at Melbourne. I thought there were only 3 De Brazza's (1:2)when they left melb, I would like to know if they were /are still of breeding age and if they have been successful. National Zoo only has males, what is at Mogo with this species? Of course the leopards of various kinds have also gone now (Black, Persian) from everywhere except The Gorge Zoo
There are 1.3 lion-tailed macaques also at Rockhampton Zoo, but I don't know where they came from (Melbourne?) or how old they are. EDIT: There were 6 left in 2012, 1.3 at Rockhampton and 0.2 at Tasmania Zoo.
From what I read in a book about the history of the Adeaide Zoo, I found out that they had Spanish ibex, Dorcas gazelle, Chinkara gazelle, Maral, Kashmir stag, and Javan rhinoceros, I was shocked to find this information out, most of those ungulate species are either gone from captivity or gone from zoos outside of their home range. If I find more information in this book about rare species gone from Australian zoos, particularly Adelaide Zoo, I will keep you guys posted
The book is called the Royal Zoological Society of South Australia, 1878-1978 by C.E. Rix. I first discovered it in 2012 in the library at the Los Angeles Zoo, then I decided that I had to have this book, and now I have it!
There's still a jaguar at Gorge. I remeber the Sarus crane and the sitatunga (and the anoa and guanacos). Same here. Taronga used to have Crabeaters and Pigtailed Macaques, and Patas Monkeys as well as the DeBrazzas, and I don't know if they are still held in any collections or not. And Adelaide had a Pallas' cat. Javan? Hix
Leopard at Gorge, not Jaguar. Would the Sarus cranes have been native? Don't know of any Pig-tails or Patas Monkeys, but the other two are still around.
I think we have covered a fair few of these but this is what I have from my list for Taronga, including some species still kept there: Museum Specimens: Mammals Saimiri sciureus | South American Squirrel Monkey Date: 1977-03-30 Zaglossus bartoni | Eastern Long-beaked Echidna Date: 1976-03-18 Dendrolagus matschiei | Huon Tree-kangaroo Panthera onca | Jaguar Date: 1983-02-09 Lycaon pictus Date: 1982-03-16 Spilocuscus maculatus | Short-tailed Spotted Cuscus Date: 1983-05-23 Atherurus macrourus | Asian Brush-tailed Porcupines Myrmecophaga tridactyla | Giant Anteater Ailurus fulgens | Lesser Panda Panthera tigris | Tiger Helarctos malayanus | Sun Bear Leopardus pardalis | Ocelot Castor canadensis | American Beaver Spilocuscus kraemeri | Manus Island Spotted Cuscus Hippopotamus amphibius | Hippopotamus Vicugna vicugna | Vicugna Trachypithecus vetulus | Purple-faced Leaf Monkey Camelus bactrianus | Bactrian Camel Antidorcas marsupialis | Springbok Semnopithecus entellus | Bengal Hanuman Langur Tragulus javanicus | Java Mousedeer Capra falconeri | Markhor Cynomys ludovicianus | Black-tailed Prairie Dog Damaliscus pygargus | Bontebok Kobus leche | Lechwe Pan troglodytes | Common Chimpanzee Saguinus oedipus | Cotton-top Tamarin Date: 2005-04-04 Meles meles | Badger Agouti paca | Paca Giraffa camelopardalis | Giraffe Panthera leo | African Lion Uncia uncia | Snow Leopard Hylobates lar | Common Gibbon Ateles paniscus | Black Spider Monkey Nasua nasua | Brown-nosed Coati Hystrix cristata Hemitragus jemlahicus | Himalayan Tahr Vulpes zerda | Fennec Macaca silenus | Liontail Macaque Hyaena hyaena | Barbary Hyaena Mephitis mephitis | Striped Skunk Callosciurus | Beautiful Squirrels Pongo pygmaeus | Bornean Orangutan Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris Macaca fascicularis | Cynomolgus Monkey Dendrolagus inustus | Dusky Tree-kangaroo Dendrolagus dorianus | Unicolored Tree Kangaroo Procyon lotor | Common Raccoon Zaglossus bruijni | Long-beaked Echidna Thylogale brunii | Dusky Wallaby Dasypus septemcinctus | Seven-banded Armadillo Dasyprocta leporina | Brazilian Agouti Date: 1973-05-23 Phalanger gymnotis | Ground Cuscus Date: 1968-06-11 Nycticebus coucang | Slow Loris Sciurus carolinensis | American Grey Squirrel Ursus arctos | Grizzly Bear Callithrix aurita | White-eared Marmoset Chlorocebus aethiops | Green Monkey Eulemur fulvus | Brown Lemur Macaca nemestrina | Pig-tailed Macaque Puma concolor | Cougar Panthera pardus | Leopard Neofelis nebulosa | Clouded Leopard Herpestes edwardsi | Indian Gray Mongoose Cervus unicolor | Sambar Herpestes ichneumon | Ichneumon Eulemur macaco | Black Lemur Pecari tajacu | Collared Peccary (2007) Gazella dorcas | Dorcas Gazelle Cercopithecus mitis | Diademed Monkey Ursus thibetanus | Himalayan Black Bear Papio hamadryas | Sacred Baboon Acinonyx jubatus | Hunting Leopard Lama guanicoe | Guanaco Axis porcinus | Hog Deer Bos grunniens | Grunting Ox Dendrolagus bennettianus | Bennett's Tree-kangaroo Boselaphus tragocamelus | Nilgai Eulemur mongoz | Mongoose Lemur Antilope cervicapra | Blackbuck Arctictis binturong | Bearcat Caracal caracal | African Caracal Macaca nigra | Black Crested Macaque Macaca tonkeana | Tonkean Black Macaque Loris tardigradus | Slender Loris Tapirus indicus | Indian Tapir Civettictis civetta | African Civet Varecia variegata | Ruffed Lemur Lama glama | Llama Dama dama | Fallow Deer Nyctereutes procyonoides | Raccoon Dog Pteropus giganteus | Indian Flying Fox Callithrix penicillata | Black-pencilled Marmoset Callosciurus erythraeus | Pallas's Squirrel Alces alces | Elk Chaetophractus villosus | Big Hairy Armadillo Trachypithecus pileatus | Bonneted Langur Coendou prehensilis | Brazilian Porcupine Galerella pulverulenta | Cape Gray Mongoose Tetracerus quadricornis | Chousingha Cephalophus rufilatus | Red-flanked Duiker Melursus ursinus | Sloth Bear Macaca sinica | Toque Macaque Ateles belzebuth | White-bellied Spider Monkey Rupicapra rupicapra | Alpine Chamois Saguinus fuscicollis | Andean Saddle-back Tamarin Birds Gallicolumba jobiensis | Purple Ground Dove Cyanoliseus patagonus | Burrowing Parrot Herps Discodeles guppyi Brachylophus vitiensis | Fiji Crested Iguana Bitis arietans | Puff Adder Agkistrodon piscivorus | Conanti Varanus komodoensis | Komodo Dragon Observation or photos Mammals Tragelaphus eurycerus | Bongo Prionailurus viverrinus | Fishing Cat Suricata suricatta | Meerkat Tragelaphus spekii | Sitatunga (1980’s) Ursus americanus | American Black Bear (1980’s) Cuon alpinus | Dhole Ailuropoda melanoleuca | Giant Panda (1988) Connochaetes taurinus | Common Wildebeest (1970’s) Canis mesomelas | Black-backed Jackal (1982) Diceros bicornis | Black Rhino (2006) Choeropsis liberiensis | Pygmy Hippo Gorilla gorilla gorilla | Western Lowland Gorilla Trachypithecus francoisi | Francois Langur Tapirus terrestris | Brazilian Tapir Equus quagga | Plains Zebra Ammotragus lervia | Barbary Sheep Hylobates muelleri | Mueller's Gibbon Elephas maximus | Asian Elephant Cercopithecus neglectus | De Brazza's Monkey Lynx rufus | Bobcat (1990) Mandrillus sphinx | Mandrill (1990) Oryx dammah | Scimitar-horned oryx (2005ish) Nomascus leucogenys | White-cheeked Gibbon Rhinoceros unicornis | Indian Rhino (2006) Hylobates moloch | Silvery Gibbon Ursus maritimus | Polar Bear (1975) Dendrolagus goodfellowi | Goodfellow’s Tree-Kangaroo Funambulus pennantii | Five-lined Palm Squirrel Tupaia glis | Common Tree-Shrew (2008) Aonyx cinerea | Oriental Small-clawed Otter Zalophus californianus | California Sea Lion Hydrurga leptonyx | Leopard Seal Mirounga leonina | Southern Elephant Seal Axis axis | Chital Pardofelis temminckii | Asian Golden Cat (2007) Hystrix indica | Indian Crested Porcupine (2007) Papio ursinus | Chacma Baboon (1914) Aepyceros melampus | Impala (1914) Tragelaphus sylvaticus | Bushbuck (1914) Hippotragus niger | Sable Antelope (1914) Hyaena brunnea | Brown Hyena (1914) Lophocebus aterrimus | Black Mangabey (1914) Rusa timorensis | Javan Rusa (1914) Cynomys leucurus | White-tailed prairie dog (1922) Lobodon carcinophagus | Crabeater Seal (1929) Loxodonta africana | African Elephant (1984) Pantera tigris tigris | Bengal Tiger (1984) Equus burchelli | Grant’s Zebra (1984) Erythrocebus patas | Patas Monkey (1984) Felis serval | Serval (1984) Phoca vitulina | Habour Seal (1984) Canis lupus dingo var. | New Guinea Singing Dog (1984) Puma yagouaroundi | Jaguarundi (1984) Birds Vultur gryphus | Andean Condor Eudyptes pachyrhynchus | Fiordland Crested Penguin Eos bornea | Red Lory Struthio camelus | Ostrich Goura victoria | Victoria Crowned Pigeon Numida meleagris | Helmeted Guineafowl Lophura leucomelanos | Kalij Pheasant Chrysolophus pictus | Golden Pheasant Gallus gallus | Red Junglefowl Rhea americana | Greater Rhea (1990) Phoenicopterus roseus | Greater Flamingo (2005ish) Tadorna ferruginea | Ruddy Shelduck Alectoris chukar | Chukar Gallicolumba luzonica | Luzon Bleeding-heart Dove Meleagris gallopavo | Wild Turkey Caloenas nicobarica | Nicobar Pigeon Mitu tuberosum | Razor-billed Curassow (2009) Chrysolophus amherstiae | Lady Amherst Pheasant Aix galericulata | Mandarin Duck Lonchura malacca | Tri-coloured Manakin Phoenicopterus chilensis | Chilean Flamingo (1984) Lophura swinhoii | Swinhoe's Pheasant Ara chloropterus | Green-winged Macaw Aratinga solstitialis| Sun Conure Nandayus nenday | Nanday Conure Aratinga pertinax | Brown-throated Conure Alopochen aegyptiacus | Egyptian Goose Pavo muticus | Green Peafowl Leiothrix lutea | Pekin Robin Padda oryzivora | Java Sparrow Anthropoides paradiseus | Blue Crane (1914) Plectropterus gambensis | Spur-wing Goose (1914) Paradisaea raggiana | Raggiana Bird-of-paradise (1914) Parotia berlepschi | Bronze Parotia (1914) Cicinnurus magnificus | Magnificent Bird-of-paradise (1914) Paradisaea rudolphi | Blue Bird-of-Paradise (1914) Cicinnurus regius | King Bird of Paradise (1914) Phoenicopterus roseus | Greater Flamingo (1922) Leptoptilos dubius | Greater Adjutant (1922) Cygnus olor | Mute Swan (1922) Casuarius bennetti | Dwarf Cassowary (1930) Seleucidis melanoleucus | Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise (1930) Collared Lory (1938) Raggiana Bird of Paradise (1914) Six-wired Bird of Paradise (1914) Herps Cyclura cornuta | Rhinoceros Iguana Crotalus adamanteus | Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake Hydrosaurus pustulatus | Philippine Sailfin Lizard Pseudopus apodus | Scheltopusik Alligator mississippiensis | American Alligator Chamaeleo calyptratus | Veiled Chameleon Brachylophus fasciatus | Fijian Banded Iguana Indotestudo elongata | Elongated Tortoise Bufo marinus | Cane Toad (Does this count?) Geochelone elegans | Star Tortoise Aldabrachelys gigantea | Aldabra Tortoise Rhacodactylus leachianus | New Caledonian Giant Gecko Heloderma suspectum | Gila Monster Pantherophis guttatus | Cornsnake (Mid 2000’s) Sphenodon punctatus | Sphenodon punctatus Chelus fimbriata | Matamata Bothriechis schlegelii | Eyelash Viper Python reticulatus | Reticulated Python Trioceros jacksonii | Jackson's Chameleon (2009?) Iguana iguana | Green Iguana Bitis nasicornis | Rhinoceros Viper (2005) Basiliscus basiliscus | Basilisk Eunectes murinus | Green Anaconda Boa constrictor | Boa Constrictor Orthriophis taeniurus | Taiwan Beauty Snake Pseudemys concinna | River Cooter Kinixys belliana | Bell's Hinged Tortoise (1914) Chelonoidis nigra | Galápagos tortoise (1934) Emydura subglobosa | Painted Turtle (1984) Eublepharius macularius | Leopard Gecko (1984) Trimeresurus stejnegeri | Chinese Tree Viper (1984) Naja naja kaouthia | Indian Cobra (1984) Lamropeltis triangulum | Milk Snake (1984) Timon lepidus | Ocellated Lizard (1984) I can provide references if you want as well.
it died in 1907 and ended up in the museum. While it was alive it was believed to be an Indian rhinoceros.
As far as anyone is aware, the last of the species to be held in captivity - now in the Adelaide Museum.
This book actually has a live photo of the Javan rhino, I can scan it and share it with you guys if you are interested.
