The History of Zoos

Ancient Egyptians and Romans brought animal specimens for collection, mainly for sport but also for War

Collections (or menageries) were status symbols for emperors/kings

Some species were sacred and sought for important sacrifice

4500BC - Captive Pigeons in Iraq
2500BC - Semi-domesticated Elephants in India
2500BC - several Antelope species in Egyptian collections
1500BC - capture and importation of non-domestic species for Egyptian Queen to add to collection

280BC - Alexandria Zoo (Greece):
96 elephants
24 lions
14 leopards
16 cheetahs
14 camels, giraffe, rhinos & others

1200'sAD - Zoo collections in Asia
1333AD - Menagerie in Louvre, Paris (Philip VI)
1519AD - Large zoo collection in Mexico (Montezuma II)
1700's - extensive development of zoos in Renaissance period

1800's - zoos opening all over world, esp Europe
Late 1800's - Victorian middle class trying to better themselves
Prestige developments in capital cities - "City Fathers"

Influential people:
Andrew H Green of New York City
Henry Fairfield Osborn - curator of American Museum of Natural History
Theodore Roosevelt - US President