Animals You'll Never See in Zoo
Great white shark Aquariums have tried to keep great white sharks in captivity—with little success. In 2016, a great white shark died after three days in a Japanese aquarium, NPR reported. The shark refused to eat. Great white sharks also like to roam.
Saola Found only in the Annamite Mountains of Vietnam and Laos, the saola (SOW-la) was only discovered in 1992, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Known as the Asian unicorn, the saola is critically endangered and has rarely been seen.
Swallow Unlike some other species on this list, swallows are common. But that still doesn’t mean they’re suited for zoos. Swallows are so focused on flying and they’re delicate and they don’t thrive in captivity.
Mountain gorilla Many attempts were made during the 1960s and 1970s to capture endangered mountain gorillas and breed them, according to the International Gorilla Conservation Programme. It’s not clear why mountain gorillas don’t survive in captivity, while lowland gorillas have.
Giant squid The largest giant squid scientists have found weighed almost a ton. And you won’t see one anytime soon. “Because the ocean is vast and giant squid live deep underwater, they remain elusive and are rarely seen,” the Smithsonian reports. “Most of what we know comes from dead carcasses that floated to the surface and were found by fishermen.”
Narwhal Known as the unicorns of the sea for their long, narrow tusks, narwhals are elusive. They’re skittish and hunt deep in the water. “Unlike other whales, narwhals—which can live more than 100 years—die shortly in captivity, greatly reducing the opportunity to study them,” according to the Smithsonian.
Pink fairy armadillo Native to Argentina, pink fairy armadillos are rarely seen in the wild. When one was captured, any modification to its environment or diet produced a stress response, according to a study. The San Diego Zoo reports that “the pink fairy armadillo rarely lives more than a few years in zoos, so little is known about this species.”
Indri An indri is a large lemur found only in Madagascar. Not one has survived more than a year in captivity, according to the New England Primate Conservancy: “Research suggests that the diet of the indri is nuanced (they eat certain foods at certain times of day) and cannot be replicated in captivity. Also, when taken from the wild, these lemurs, for reasons which remain unclear, do not reproduce.”
Javan rhino The Javan rhino is the rarest large mammal on the planet, and none are in captivity, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They’re a shy species used to living in dense tropical forests, which are tough to replicate in captivity, Mizejewski says. There are only about 63 left, and they all live in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park.