History of Zoos Timeline

(c. 2500 BCE – Present)

The history of zoos spans thousands of years, beginning with ancient Egyptian and Chinese collections of exotic animals kept by rulers as symbols of power. Medieval and Renaissance menageries evolved into public zoological gardens in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as the London Zoo (1828) and Berlin Zoo (1844). Over time, zoos shifted from entertainment-focused exhibits toward scientific study, education, animal welfare, and wildlife conservation, becoming vital institutions for protecting endangered species. More Less

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Ancient and Medieval Menageries

King Ashur-bel-kala creates zoological gardens

1100 BCE

King Ashur-bel-kala of the Middle Assyrian Empire created zoological and botanical gardens in the 11th century BC, an early example of royal animal collections.

Image source: Ashur-bel-kala

Zoos spread across Greek city states

400 BCE

By the 4th century BC, zoos existed in most of the Greek city states; Alexander the Great is known to have sent animals that he found on his military expeditions back to Greece.

Image source: Alexander the Great

Chinese royal animal parks

200 BCE

In the 2nd century BC, the Chinese Empress Tanki had a 'house of deer' built, and King Wen of Zhou kept a 1,500-acre (610 ha) zoo called Ling-Yu, or the Garden of Intelligence.

Image source: Zoo

Tower of London menagerie established

1204

The most prominent collection in medieval England was in the Tower of London, created as early as 1204 by King John I.

Image source: Tower of London

Henry III receives leopards for the Tower

1235

Henry III received a wedding gift in 1235 of three leopards from Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and in 1264 the animals were moved to the Bulwark, renamed the Lion Tower.

Aztec garden described by Hernán Cortés

1520

A great Aztec animal and plant garden was described by several Spanish conquerors, including Hernán Cortés in 1520.

Image source: Hernán Cortés

Tower menagerie opened to the public

1558 - 1603

The Tower of London menagerie was opened to the public during the reign of Elizabeth I in the 16th century. During the 18th century, admission cost three half-pence, or the supply of a cat or dog for feeding to the lions.

Modern Zoo Foundations

Schönbrunn Menagerie constructed in Vienna

1752

The Tiergarten Schönbrunn was constructed by Adrian van Stekhoven in 1752 at the order of Emperor Francis I, to serve as an imperial menagerie as part of Schönbrunn Palace.

Image source: Schönbrunn Zoo

Schönbrunn Menagerie opens to the public

1765

The Schönbrunn menagerie was initially reserved for the viewing pleasure of the imperial family and the court, but was made accessible to the public in 1765.

Madrid zoo founded

1775

In 1775, a zoo was founded in Madrid, part of the wave of European royal collections evolving toward public institutions.

Jardin des Plantes menagerie founded in Paris

1795

In 1795, the zoo inside the Jardin des Plantes in Paris was founded by Jacques-Henri Bernardin, with animals from the royal menagerie at Versailles, primarily for scientific research and education.

Image source: Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes

Kazan Zoo founded, first zoo in Russia

1806

The Kazan Zoo, the first zoo in Russia, was founded in 1806 by Professor Karl Fuchs of Kazan Federal University.

Image source: Kazan Zoo

Zoological Society of London founded

1826

The Zoological Society of London was founded in 1826 by Stamford Raffles and established the London Zoo in Regent's Park two years later in 1828.

Image source: Zoological Society of London

London Zoo opens for scientific study

1828

The London Zoo opened in 1828, initially known as the 'Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London', intended as a collection for scientific study and described as a menagerie or 'zoological forest'.

London Zoo opens to the public

1847

Originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study, the London Zoo was opened to the public in 1847. The abbreviation 'zoo' first appeared in print around this time, used for the Clifton Zoo.

World's first public aquarium at London Zoo

1853 - 2019

In 1853, the London Zoo opened the world's first public aquarium. It closed in 2019 and some fish moved to Whipsnade Zoo. Other aquariums followed in Paris (1859), Boston (1859), Hamburg (1864), Berlin (1869), Brighton (1872), Washington (1873), San Francisco (1873), and New York (1896).

Tierpark Hagenbeck pioneers barless exhibits

1907

In 1907, entrepreneur Carl Hagenbeck founded the Tierpark Hagenbeck in Eimsbüttel, now a quarter of Hamburg. His zoo was a radical departure from the layout of the zoo established in 1828, using moats instead of cages.

Image source: Tierpark Hagenbeck

Zoo Expansion Worldwide

Dublin Zoo opens

1831

Dublin Zoo was opened in 1831 by members of the medical profession interested in studying animals while they were alive and more particularly getting hold of them when they were dead.

Image source: Dublin Zoo

Berlin Zoo leads German zoo movement

1841

In the German states, leading roles came with Berlin (1841), Frankfurt (1856), and Hamburg (1863), usually using London and Paris as models.

Image source: Berlin Zoo

Downs' Zoological Gardens opens in Nova Scotia

1847

Downs' Zoological Gardens, created by Andrew Downs, opened to the Nova Scotia public in 1847; Halifax was among the first places to use the term 'zoological park' for more expansive facilities.

Melbourne Zoo opens, first in Australia

1860

The first zoological garden in Australia was Melbourne Zoo, opened in 1860.

Image source: Melbourne Zoo

Wrocław Zoo opens

1865

The Wrocław Zoo is the oldest zoo in Poland, opened in 1865 when the city was part of Prussia, and became home to about 10,500 animals representing about 1,132 species.

Image source: Wrocław Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo opens as America's First Zoo

Jul 1, 1874

The Philadelphia Zoo opened on July 1, 1874, earning its motto 'America's First Zoo.' The Lincoln Park Zoological Gardens in Chicago and the Cincinnati Zoo followed in 1875.

Image source: Philadelphia Zoo

Ueno Zoo opens in Tokyo

1882

Japan's first modern zoo, Tokyo's Ueno Zoo, opened in 1882 based on European models.

Image source: Ueno Zoo

Atlanta Zoo founded

1886

The Atlanta Zoo, founded in 1886, suffered neglect; by 1984 it was ranked among the ten worst zoos in the United States, but systematic reform by 2000 put it on the list of the ten best.

Image source: Zoo Atlanta

National Zoological Park opens in Washington, D.C

1891

The term 'zoological park' was used for more expansive facilities in Washington, D.C., which opened in 1891, following Halifax (1846) and preceding the Bronx Zoo (1899).

Image source: National Zoological Park (United States)

Whipsnade Zoo opens as first safari park

1931

Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England, opened in 1931 by the Zoological Society of London as the first safari park, which since 2014 covers 600 acres (240 hectares).

Image source: Whipsnade Zoo

Wrocław Zoo opens the Africarium

2014

In 2014 the Wrocław Zoo opened the Africarium, the only themed oceanarium devoted solely to exhibiting the fauna of Africa, comprehensively presenting selected ecosystems from the continent.

Conservation and Reform

Ota Benga displayed at the Bronx Zoo

Sep 1906

In September 1906, William Hornaday, director of the Bronx Zoo—with the agreement of Madison Grant—had Ota Benga, a Congolese pygmy, displayed in a cage with chimpanzees, an orangutan named Dohong, and a parrot. Human displays continued at colonial expositions into the 20th century, including Expo 58 in Brussels.

Image source: Ota Benga

Ueno Zoo euthanizes animals during wartime fears

1943

In 1943, fearing American bombing attacks during World War II, the Japanese government ordered Ueno Zoo to euthanize dangerous animals that might escape.

Detroit Zoo ends elephant and chimp shows

1969 - 1983

The Detroit Zoo stopped its elephant show in 1969, and its chimpanzee show in 1983, acknowledging that the trainers had probably abused the animals to get them to perform.

Image source: Detroit Zoo

UK Zoo Licensing Act comes into effect

1984

Zoos are regulated in the UK by the Zoo Licensing Act of 1981, which came into effect in 1984, establishing standards for animal welfare and conservation.

Image source: Zoo Licensing Act 1981

New York Zoological Society becomes Wildlife Conservation Society

1993

In 1993, the New York Zoological Society changed its name to the Wildlife Conservation Society and rebranded the zoos under its jurisdiction as 'wildlife conservation parks', distancing institutions from the criticized 19th-century zoo concept.

Image source: Wildlife Conservation Society

Most zoo animals born in captivity

2000

By 2000 most animals being displayed in zoos were the offspring of other zoo animals, reflecting the shift away from capturing wild animals.

World Association of Zoos adopts new strategy

Nov 2004

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums produced its first conservation strategy in 1993, and in November 2004 adopted a new strategy setting out the aims and mission of zoological gardens of the 21st century.

Image source: World Association of Zoos and Aquariums

Copenhagen Zoo culls healthy giraffe

2014

A highly publicized culling as part of population management was that of a healthy giraffe at Copenhagen Zoo in 2014, sparking international debate about zoo breeding practices.

Image source: Marius (giraffe)

Responsible Travel stops promoting zoo holidays

2017

In 2017, activist travel company Responsible Travel and the Born Free Foundation surveyed 1,000 UK zoo visitors about conservation understanding; in light of the findings, Responsible Travel became the first travel company to stop promoting holidays that include visits to a zoo.

Key Facts

Ancient Egypt's Queen Hatshepsut established one of the earliest known animal collections around 1500 BCE, while China's Emperor Wen Wang maintained a famous 'Garden of Intelligence' around 1100 BCE.
The Vienna Zoo (Schönbrunn), founded in 1752, is considered the world's oldest continuously operating zoo.
The London Zoological Gardens opened in 1828 as a scientific institution for the Zoological Society of London and became a model for modern public zoos.
Carl Hagenbeck revolutionized zoo design in the early 1900s by introducing barless, naturalistic enclosures that displayed animals in landscape settings resembling their native habitats.
In the 20th century, zoos increasingly embraced conservation missions, with programs like Species Survival Plans helping save endangered animals such as the California condor and Arabian oryx from extinction.

Source

This History of Zoos timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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