Fun game idea I thought I'd suggest: You can bring back one extinct species. Just one to get reestablished in zoos around the world. But here's the catch. Your local zoo is going to get your species of choice reestablished and so you have to make the case that they're currently equipped to care for and hopefully breed the animals. My local zoo, the Memphis Zoo, has had great success in the past with hippos so my choice is one of the extinct Madagascar dwarf hippos, specifically Lemerle's dwarf hippo (Hippopotamus lermerlei). From what we can tell from its relatively recent fossils and folklore from Madagascar, these animals, which may have gone extinct less than 600 years ago, lived lives very much like their larger cousins from mainland Africa. The Memphis Zoo not only has shown the ability to care for larger, extant hippos but, as they began preparing for their new master plan, have a number of places in the zoo that could be converted into a new habitat just for the dwarf hippos. For example-the area with the old sea lion exhibit (currently housing pelicans) and the Round Barn, an old building that has long housed a number of smaller African animals.
Has to be Passenger Pigeon. I’d have said either Pink-headed Duck or Crested Shelduck, but live in hopes those two still exist.
My local zoo is Axe Valley Wildlife Park, so it has to be them. Why Passenger Pigeons? Well, they’re very beautiful, and bred well at London Zoo back in the day, so we know they’re suited to aviculture.
I agree. As the passenger pigeon bred in zoos, zoos could have saved it from extinction. I think it was the worst extinction of a species in the 20th century.
My local zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo, has been very successful in recent years in the breeding of Xenarthrans- having successful births of Giant Anteater, Southern Tamandua, Linneaus' Two-toed Sloth, and Nine-Banded Armadillo. Given this success, the best candidate for the zoo to receive an extinct species would be a species of Ground Sloth. While giant ground sloths would make an exciting species to exhibit, I don't think the zoo has enough room to justify acquiring the species, as it'd require major changes (i.e. eliminating elephants). Rather then the giant ground sloths, I propose that the zoo acquires one of the smaller, more recently extinct, species- specifically the Cuban species of Megalocnus rodens, which went extinct approximately 6,000 years ago and is similar in size to a black bear, making it a much more reasonable zoo animal! The big question remaining would be where in the zoo to place this new ground sloth exhibit. One appealing option would be near the existing Neotropical exhibit, Faces of the Rainforest, but I don't think there is enough room in that vicinity to construct a new habitat for this species, unless something else was removed. However, removing something doesn't necessarily mean the removal of an animal exhibit- as this area of the zoo is directly next to the education center. With a new education center already on the zoo's docket for the next major project (if construction hasn't started already), demolishing this building to house the Megalocnus rodens exhibit would be an ideal use of that space. This area of the zoo is approximately 18,000 square feet- providing ample space to construct two, 5,000-square foot habitats for these incredible and unique animals, along with enough room to incorporate some smaller exhibits into the new "ground sloth plaza" as well. Perhaps the zoo could move one of its two pairs of Linneaus' Two-toed Sloths into this area, to compare them to their smaller relatives, or could partially keep the idea of a reptile house with a small exhibit for caribbean herps, such as Puerto Rican Crested Toads, Jamaican Boa, and Jamaican Iguana. Regardless, this would be a very exciting opportunity for the zoo, and the Megalocnus rodens is a very unique species that I suspect would be a popular attraction for zoo visitors.
For me, I'm divided between the Thylacine, Dodo, & Atlas Bear, as I think each are quite interesting species.
Dinosaur - Triceratops Before the year 0 - Sabre-Toothed Cat 0-1499 - South Island Giant Moa 1500-1899 - Steller's Sea Cow or Aurochs too hard to pick which one 1900-1999 - Carolina Parakeet 2000-2022 - Zanzibar Leopard
Oh boy, this is a tough one. Local zoo is Detroit. Paleozoic - Stethacanthus, supposably the interpretive gallery used to have an aquarium so maybe they could go there. Dinosaur - Microraptor. they're small enough to not cause moral arguments and I could imagine them being put in either the Free-Flight Aviary or the Hangout. Before 0 BC - Smilodon, maybe doing something about the underdeveloped space taken up by picnic tables. 1500-1899 - Quagga. They could be mixed with the giraffes. 1900-1999 - Thylacine, going into the old grotto behind the bears since it's near Australia. 2000-2023 - I don't know any besides Pyrenean Ibex and ibex populations aren't doing well in AZA zoos.
Japanese wolf, (Even though I personally believe they still exist in Chichibu, Saitama) in Tama Zoo. They have large enclosures, and they also house closely related(though this is debated) Korean wolves.
Ross park zoo, teraton. I think it would be cool to see such a magnificent and intimidating bird at my hometown zoo.
In Alaska has to be the Berengian Lion for the Alaska Zoo, the Woolly Mammoth for the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (in addition to the not exactly extinct Wild Horse), and the absolutely massive Steller Sea Cow exhibit at the Alaska SeaLife Center.
