Zoos

Zoos have existed in some form since at least 2500 bce in Egypt and Mesopotamia, where records indicate that giraffes, bears, dolphins, and other animals were kept by aristocrats. These private collections of wild and exotic animals for exhibition, called menageries, were precursors to modern zoos; a menagerie is now a general term for any unusual and varied collection of things. The oldest zoo still operating is Austria’s Vienna Zoo (Tiergarten Schönbrunn), which began as a menagerie in 1752 in the gardens and park of the Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburg rulers’ summer residence. The zoo was opened to the public in 1779.[1] [2]

France’s king at this time, Louis XVI (1774–92), also had a royal menagerie at his residence, the Palace of Versailles, outside of Paris. When the king was ousted and the palace abandoned during the French Revolution, the royal animals were transferred to the Paris Jardin des Plantes (Garden of Plants), which opened its menagerie to the public in 1794.[45]

These menageries and early zoos were a perfect reflection of the ongoing Enlightenment intellectual movement, during which the spirit of curiosity enveloped Europe and scholars sought to better to understand the natural world through science, reason, and observation. Studying animals was a key aspect of the Enlightenment.[46]

The word zoo evolved as a popular shortened form of “zoological garden,” and was first used by the founders of the London Zoological Society in 1826. They modeled their society after the Jardin des Plantes in Paris.[42] The London society opened its own “zoological garden” (later called the London Zoo) two years later, in 1828.[43]

This zoological connection between Paris and London made history again in 1865, when the Jardin des Plantes gave the London zoo a small male African elephant named Jumbo, who grew into the largest elephant in the world and whose name became a worldwide symbol and synonym for anything huge. The London Zoo received another animal destined for fame in 1914, when it inherited an American black bear cub called “Winnie,” named after its owner’s home in Winnipeg, Canada. The cub became a favorite of zoo visitors, inspiring English writer A. A. Milne’s creation of Winnie-the-Pooh.[44] [53]

By the mid-19th century, zoos were opening around the world. Largely modeled after the London Zoo, these facilities were intended for “genteel amusement and edification,” according to Emma Marris, environmental writer and Institute Fellow at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. As such, reptile houses, aviaries, and insectaries (a place for keeping and raising insects) were soon added to zoos, to move them beyond the mere spectacle of showcasing big scary animals.[40]

Carl Hagenbeck (1844-1913), an internationally famous German animal dealer and trainer, introduced the prototype of the modern open-air zoo at his Animal Park in Hamburg in 1907. There animals were exhibited not in cages but in artificial environments more akin to their natural habitat. Hagenbeck also instituted more humane methods of caring for and training zoo animals and deemphasized the beating of the animals. This change prompted the shift in zoo narrative from entertainment to the protection of animals.[40]

Controversy has long shadowed exhibitions of live animals, from displays of “exotic” humans in exhibits offensively called “freak shows” to zoos ignorant on how to properly care for their animals. For example, a gorilla from the French Congo named Madame Ningo, the first gorilla in North America and the first to arrive and be exhibited in the United States (1911), lived at the Bronx Zoo in New York City—she was fed hot dinners with cooked meat from a nearby restaurant, though gorillas are herbivores (plant eaters). The gorilla refused to eat and died in two weeks. The zoo director was furious with the animal, saying she “deserved to be [dead], for its obstinacy.”[3] [4]

In the contemporary debate over zoos, both sides tend to focus on animal welfare—whether zoos protect animals or imprison them. So, should zoos exist? Explore the debate below.

Slideshow: Animals in zoos

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Discussion questions

1. Should zoos exist? If you believe they should, consider whether they should remain the same or change. If you believe they should not, consider how else to accomplish zoo’s conservation efforts. Explain your answers.
2. Extend the debate to other artificial animal habitats, such as safari parks and animal sanctuaries. Should they exist? Why or why not?
3. What other conservation efforts are important to saving wildlife? Explain your answer.
4. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? If so, how? List two to three ways. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to three ways your better understanding of the other side of the issue now helps you better argue your position.
5. Push for the position and policies you support by writing U.S. senators and representatives.