I have a Nikon CoolPix which is essentially a point and shoot with a long telephoto lens. I have had much better results with animal closeups with it - however, it's bulky and heavy, nearly as much so as a smaller DSLR.

It could probably be found for less than 200, tho I got mine on Amazon in a package deal with a tripod and a bunch of other small items including spare batteries and cleaning kit.
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