How did Enlightenment ideas influence the development of early zoos?

The development of early zoos was deeply intertwined with the Enlightenment, an intellectual movement characterized by a spirit of curiosity and a commitment to understanding the natural world through science, reason, and systematic observation.1

During this period, the study of animals became a central pursuit for scholars and naturalists who sought to classify and comprehend the diversity of life. Early zoos, which evolved from private royal menageries, served as physical manifestations of this Enlightenment drive to organize and analyze nature. By transitioning these collections from private aristocratic displays to public institutions—such as the Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna and the Jardin des Plantes in Paris—societies provided spaces where the public and researchers alike could engage in the empirical study of fauna.123

This shift reflected a broader cultural movement that valued the categorization of the natural world, mirroring the taxonomic efforts of contemporary biologists and botanists. Consequently, these early zoological gardens were established not merely for spectacle, but as centers for edification and scientific inquiry, laying the groundwork for the modern zoo.213