Zoobat Collections (N. America)

Also kept by the North Carolina Zoo.

Mexican free-tailed bat, Tadarida brasiliensis
San Antonio Zoo

 

Odd; I knew about the vamps, didn’t realize they weren’t listed before.

I probably won’t include insectivorous microbats in the updated version, since there are so many species and I don’t know of any North American zoos that actively breed or manage them (as I understand it, they are all or nearly all rescues). Now, if San Antonio has a breeding colony of Mexican free-tails, I would be *very* interested in that.

 

I'd still be interested to see the list with those species included, to give a true sense of what is and isn't kept. I can't find very much information about whether zoos are breeding their insectivorous bats, or really much information about their management at all. Not sure whether SA is breeding theirs, but they sure do have a lot.

 

While I’m also personally interested, I’m not sure that a list of insectivorous bats kept in zoos *would* give a true sense of what is kept and what isn’t. I imagine there is probably a high amount of turnover, which means any comprehensive list would become outdated real fast. Creating and updating a list would also be problematic because of a dearth in public information, since they are usually (if not always) rehab animals kept off-exhibit and/or used for educational outreach. As to breeding and management, research and experience is limited.

That being said, if you and/or others want to do the research on it, feel free to post your findings on this thread. I’ll consider it for the future, but for now my focus is going to be on more traditionally kept and managed species like in the original list.

 

In that case, a few more I’ve recently come across:

Big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus
Virginia Living Museum

Lubee recently went into two more species:

Evening bat, Nycticeius humeralis
Lubee Bat Conservancy

Southeastern myotis, Myotis austroriparius
Lubee Bat Conservancy

 

Big Brown Bat, Eptesicus fuscus
Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, ZooAmerica

 

I was misled by Lubee’s website here, they no longer have these species nor A. jamaicensis.

 

Never mind, apparently Brookfield has unsigned Egyaptain Fruit Bats behind the rods.

I know you said only AZA, but Timbavati Wildlife Park holds Egyptian Fruit Bats.

Milwaukee holds Ruwenzori Long-Haired Fruit Bats.

 

Henry Vilas Zoo hold this species.

 

so does Catoctin zoo

 

Thanks. When I talked to a keeper about it, they told me about a second species of bat in the enclosure. Called it a "rose" or something similar. Looking back on it, I realized that they probably said "rousette", which would probably mean Egyptians. I'm still not sure why they would have added them, though (or why they are still unsigned).

I meant to start updating this list around Halloween (seemed timely) but I guess now is fine. We should start compiling.

Common Vampire Bat: North Carolina Zoo, Philadelphia Zoo, Texas State Aquarium, Cincinnati Zoo, Buffalo Zoo, Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, Louisville Zoo, ZooAmerica (Hershey, PA), Denver Zoo, Little Rock Zoo, Milwaukee County Zoo, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo, Dallas World Aquarium, Moody Gardens, Rolling Hills Zoo

Unanswered questions:
- I'm assuming that Toledo Zoo no longer holds vamps? Last I read their exhibit was empty as of this summer and the bat symbol was removed from the map.
- Does the Bronx Zoo still have vamps, or was that in World of Darkness?
- Gulf Breeze Zoo in Florida held vamps at least until 2009, but I don't know if they're still there. The two people who have posted photos for that zoo since then don't appear to be currently active.
- Does anyone know other zoos that hold vamps?
- GraysonDP reported in 2016 that construction was undergoing at Audubon Zoo which would lead to them acquiring vamps; anyone know if that happened? (note: this was Phase II of Jaguar Jungle)

 

They were moved to Sosto Zoo in Hungary.

 

All I can tell you is the Pteropus currently at Sedgwick are labelled (and look like) giganteus.

 

I’ve been to Topeka twice, I think in 2010 and 2011. My memory isn’t perfect from that time period but I remember giganteus, and their website also suggests that. I haven’t been to Sedgwick but their website (which is generally very complete in terms of species list, if a touch out of date) also says giganteus. Could you link us to the thread you found this on? I’d be interested in having a read.

 

I went to Topeka Zoo in late march of this year. There are still bats in their tropical dome, but I didn't see any type of signage, for any of the animals for that matter.

 

Odd. KCZooFan also once claimed that Omaha has Madagascar flying fox, but this is also false. Maybe it’s just them?

 

Bronx keeps Indian and Rodrigues Flying Fox, not Malayan.

To my knowledge, Bronx does not have Straw-Colored Fruit Bat or Common Vampire Bat. I can confirm Pallas's Long-Tongued Bat for Houston and Ruwenzori Fruit Bat for Franklin Park Zoo. Bronx had the Pallas's until the Monkey House closed in 2012 so I don't know if they're still bts or what.

California Living Museum keeps Big Brown Bat as well.

~Thylo