Milestones in Zoo History

KCZooFan

KCZooFan

Well-Known Member
I was thinking of creating a loose timeline of zoo history worldwide, but I need some of the major milestones. I could probably come up with some, but I thought asking the question on here would get better responses. So, what are some major events in the history of zoos?
 
Hagenbeck immediately springs to mind! probably one of the major milestones in modern zoo exhibit design!
 
1753: Tiergarten Schönnbrunn is founded.

1907: Hagenbeck opens it doors, the first zoo that uses open enclosures, in stead of cages.

1988: Opening of Burgers Bush, a 13.000m2 rainforest hall, the first attempt to show whole ecosystems in stead of only separate species.
 
  • 1826:- Zoological Society of London founded
  • 1828:- Zoological Society of London opened London Zoo
  • 1836:- Bristol Zoo opened
  • 1931:- Zoological Society of London opened Whipsnade Zoo
  • 1931:- Chester Zoo opened
 
Can't think of the exact year (I think 1993?). Britain stops the holding of its last cetaceans.
 
I would have to check the dates, but on my list would be London Zoo's 19th century import and breeding of both giraffe & hippo, followed by Bristol's keeping a gorilla [Alfred] through the 1930s & early 40s, and their eventual first breeding of Gorillas. Deaths of the last UK Quagga, Thylacine & Passenger Pigeon [do we even know when that was?] would also be on my list.
 
@Tim May, so then we would have to add every opening of a big/important zoo...
@FBBird, except of the death of some now extinct species, the first import from a big species to 1 zoo isn't that important. I wouldn't call them major events in Zoo History.
 
My train of thought was that Giraffes and Hippos, in the days before wildlife films and foreign holidays, were almost unbelievably exotic creatures, and it was a pleasant surprise to find them both keepable & breedable. Gorillas were long held to be impossible to do anything with, so their eventual successful husbandry was a revelation. The three extinct species i mentioned are all iconic 'lost opportunities'. As far as I know, no Quaggas were ever bred in zoos, but they should have been no more difficult than any other Equid. Thylacines would perhaps have been difficult, but Passenger Pigeons bred by the dozen in Lord Derby's collection, to the extent that he was letting them out. I need to research whether London Zoo ever bred them; does anybody know?
 
FBBird said:
I would have to check the dates, but on my list would be London Zoo's 19th century import and breeding of both giraffe & hippo, followed by Bristol's keeping a gorilla [Alfred] through the 1930s & early 40s, and their eventual first breeding of Gorillas. Deaths of the last UK Quagga, Thylacine & Passenger Pigeon [do we even know when that was?] would also be on my list.
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London Zoo's first giraffes arrived in 1836. The first birth was in 1839, although that animal did not live long; the first successful giraffe birth was in 1841.

London Zoo’s first hippopotamus arrived in 1850 (the same year as the first thylacine). London Zoo’s first hippo was born in 1871, although that did not live long; the first successful hippo birth was the famous “Guy Fawkes”, born 5th November 1872.

London Zoo’s last quagga died on 7th July 1872; this specimen is stuffed in the Edinburgh Museum.

London Zoo had about 20 thylacines over the years; the last died in 1931.

I have no idea when London Zoo’s last passenger pigeon died; I will try to find out.
 
lintworm said:
1753: Tiergarten Schönnbrunn is founded.
1907: Hagenbeck opens it doors, the first zoo that uses open enclosures, instead of cages.
1988: Opening of Burgers Bush, a 13.000m2 rainforest hall, the first attempt to show whole ecosystems in stead of only separate species.
Click to expand...
lintworm said:
@Tim May, so then we would have to add every opening of a big/important zoo...
Click to expand...

The title of the thread is “Milestones in Zoo History” and I would suggest that the founding of the Zoological Society of London and the opening of London Zoo and Whipsnade were major milestones in zoo history; every bit as important (probably more so) as the opening of Schönnbrunn and Hagenbecks AND certainly far more historically significant than Burgers Bush.
 
I also agree that Chester's opening should be included. It was very unique at the time (zoo without bars) etc. I would say that if one thing was noted, it would be the first zoo to use an island for apes.
 
Gorilla was first kept long-time in Breslau, currently Wroclaw from 1894, and first bred in 1956 in Columbus.

I am not sure who did eg:
- first free-flight aviary (Zurich? Montezuma zoo in pre-columbian Central America?)
- first nocturnal house
- first long-term keeping of cetacean in captivity (Harbour Porpoises some centuries ago?)
- first birth of a cetacean in captivity
- first smooth-curved aviary allowing birds of prey to fly inside (Rome?).

Tim May said:
opening of London Zoo and Whipsnade were major milestones in zoo history
Click to expand...

Whipsnade was perhaps remarkable as the first safari park, although I am not sure if worldwide.

London zoo is currently B- or C-class zoo and of limited interest outside England. It however should be remembered for:
- the first aquarium in a zoo,
- first reptile house,
- first insect house, although I am not sure if worldwide or in England.

And perhaps the only listed animal exhibit (Lubetkin penguin pool) for which nobody managed to find an animal fit to live inside. ;)
 
Jurek7 said:
London zoo is currently B- or C-class zoo and of limited interest outside England. It however should be remembered for:
- the first aquarium in a zoo,
- first reptile house,
- first insect house, although I am not sure if worldwide or in England.
Click to expand...

Sadly, London Zoo may no longer be one of the world’s great zoos.

However, its historical importance is immense and, whatever you think of London Zoo today, founding London Zoo is without doubt a milestone in zoo history.

Incidentally, I believe that the Insect House that opened in 1881 was the first in any zoo in the world.
 
Some more dates:

1914 Last Passenger Pigeon died at the Cincinnati Zoo
1924 American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (now the AZA) established
1938 Marineland (Florida) opened - 1st oceanarium
1960 International Zoo Yearbook first published
1973 Adoption of CITES and creation of ISIS
1976 Woodland Park Zoo Long Range Plan published
 
@ KCZooFan - Do we smell a book in the making? (You would at least sell a couple dozen copies to ZooChat members).

Although I am not sure Woodland Park (Seattle) long range plan is a milestone, I think their opening of the first truly naturalistic gorilla habitat certainly is worth listing.

I think the future will also show that the meeting a few years ago of elephant holding zoos in the US and the current push to redo the entire elephant policy in the AZA is a true milestone. When else have 50 (or so) zoos in one country decided to spend multi-million dollars each to upgrade or build new exhibits for a single species? (Ok, technically two species with african and asian, but you know what I mean).

I may be wrong on this one, but could Bush Gardens (Tampa, Florida) be considered the world's first animal theme park?
 
1962: William Conway named Director of New York Zoological Society

1981: AZA Species Survival Plan established

1984: Monterey Bay Aquarium opens

1999: Congo Gorilla Forest opens at Bronx Zoo (first exhibit creating direct fundraising link between visitors and habitats of exhibit species).

2007: Tiger at SF Zoo escapes and kills visitor. All hell breaks loose thereafter, and zoo enters a period of steep decline.
 
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