Zoo promotional material for animals no longer at the zoo

I recall recently when I went to Marwell signage material in reference to animals of which no longer existed there quite a bit- notably, coatis to be found on the entrance and gift shop, warthog at the exit, anteater and bat-eared fox on the Tambola [is that thing still in use even ?] and also on various tokens throughout the Zoo, and also direction signage still there for Amur Leopard, which I found rather jarring.
I recall also at Berlin Tierpark promotional material for African Elephant - though this one is more understandable with elephant return in 2024.
I was wondering if you had personal experience with this sort of thing ?

 

The Phoenix Zoo had a sign with a Clouded Leopard on it to mark a section of their parking lot. They don't use it anymore, but it was there from at least 2008 up until 2017/2018. I have never seen Clouded Leopards at Phoenix.

 

Edinburgh had a lot of it for the arrival of giraffes.

 

Well...
I guess in that case yes, Edinburgh at that point didn't have giraffe for years, but they were arriving nevertheless - what I am referring to here is animals that were at one point in the collection, but have since left and are not due to be replaced.

 

The Cincinnati Zoo has a section of their parking lot that is called the peacock section even though they left around 2016/2017. They also use Southern White Rhinoceros and Generic Giraffe in advertising even though they have not had them decades.

 

He’s not an animal, but in a similar example - Australia Zoo promote themselves as “Home of the Crocodile Hunter” - despite Steve Irwin passing away 16 years ago.

His image can also be found on an extensive array of merchandise.

 

It costs a lot of money to redo all of that signage. Most people won't notice the species, or realize they're not at the zoo any more.

 

I don't think it's a bad thing - he is, was and always will be well-known.

 

For about a decade after they left the zoo, Roger Williams Park Zoo continued to use a polar bear as the zoo's logo.

 

Exmoor's website (and I imagine the signs on the road leading up to the zoo) still advertise the zoo as 'home of the Exmoor Beast,' in reference to their famous black leopards. Sadly, the zoo's final black leopard passed away around a month ago...

I can see why they are reluctant to change it. Not only will it be expensive and inconvenient to redo, but it will also leave the zoo (oriented towards smaller species) without a major visitor magnet. Cheetahs and clouded leopards can't exactly compare to a melanistic big cat, especially in an area of the country where 'sightings' of black big cats are a confusingly common thing.

 

Let’s just hope they get a new black leopard

 

Since this only happened very recently I hardly consider the poor 'Exmoor beast' counts for this, give THEM A CHANCE PLEASE!!

 

When I was a child, I had a guidebook from Lincoln Park Zoo that included a koala on one of the introduction pages -- nowhere in the guidebook did it mention where koala were displayed in the zoo and I spent a few good years convinced they were there and still looking.

 

Recently in an Instagram story from Jurong BP, they posted a picture of a rhea, which the park hasn't kept for years

 

No, its so recent it doesn't warrant this category really. But they will need to either change their adverts in due course or possibly source another black leopard(or jaguar) -if they can. I suspect they'd opt for the latter as its a good drawcard/advert. Otherwise they are bound to get complaints. Having puma doesn't really hack it I don't think, as in most people's minds the 'beast' is a 'black panther'. I can't imagine any publicity featuring a 'black panther' will stay longerterm if they haven't got one.

 

I have a Bronx Zoo guide that promotes the imminent arrival of an indri. The indri never arrived.

 

U.K. road signs to zoos always feature an elephant. Most zoos don’t have elephants.

 

Milwaukee had a sign with Coquerel's Sifaka outside their small mammal house for many years, despite no record of them ever holding this species or any other sifaka species at any point in time.


@geomorph

 

I am aware of this and sorry if my comment sounded harsh. It was *not* intended as criticism, and it had nothing to do with giving them 'a chance.' Rather, I was merely pointing it out. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression or if my post was a bit insensitive.