Zoo: A History of Zoological Gardens in the WestWild animals have fascinated human observers since time immemorial. The story of our interest in collecting, classifying and dominating Nature looms large; thus it is surprising that the history of menageries, zoological gardens and zoos as we know them today has been so poorly documented. This gap is addressed by Zoo. In the Renaissance, wealthy aristocrats showcased exotic beasts in private menageries. Safely caged, animals inspired the interest of naturalists and fed the curiosity of the masses. By the 19th century, increased urbanization and colonization aided the expansion of zoos in which animals were tamed to serve as domesticated livestock. Nowadays, with many natural habitats under threat of extinction, the social function of zoos is less clear. Such institutions both present the illusion of wild animals in a natural state to a nostalgic public and find themselves justifying their existence as saviors of endangered species. |
Contents
THE CALL OF THE WILD | 9 |
THE PASSION FOR COLLECTING 1500s to 1700s | 15 |
THE NEED FOR CONTROL 1800s | 71 |
A Public Quest | 201 |
The Illusion of Liberty | 237 |
The Imitation of Nature | 265 |
Epilogue | 281 |
ARTISTS AND THE ZOO | 339 |
References | 371 |
| 397 | |
Common terms and phrases
acclimatization Africa AJ¹5 Amsterdam animaux Aquarium aristocracy artists aviary barocken Menagerie bears beasts became behaviour Berlin Zoo big cats birds Britta Jaschinski Brussels Buffon cabinets cages Candida Höfer captivity Carl Hagenbeck cent château chimpanzee circus collections colonial created creatures curiosities d'Histoire Naturelle domestic eighteenth century elephant enclosures England establishments Europe European example exhibition exotic animals favoured France Frédéric Cuvier French giraffe gorilla Hediger Het Loo hippopotamus Histoire des ménageries human hunting installed Italian Jardin des Plantes King lions Loisel London Zoo Louis XIV Lyon Madrid mammals Marseilles menagerie menagerie's Mulhouse Muséum naturalists nature nineteenth century orang-utan Parc Paris Paust popular princely menageries PUBLIC QUEST rare Regent's Park rhinoceros Rome Saint-Hilaire scenography scholars Schönbrunn scientific seventeenth century siècle Société species specimens Stellingen Studien zur barocken symbolic tigers tion Versailles Villa Vincennes visited visitors wild animals wildlife ZOO ZOO zoo's zoological gardens Zoological Society zoologico zoologiques