Milestones in Zoo History

Arizona Docent said:
@ KCZooFan - Do we smell a book in the making? (You would at least sell a couple dozen copies to ZooChat members).QUOTE]

I'm working on a book, but it is still in a very early stage. It is kind of a hobby now. Zoo history would be part of it. I let you know if/when it gets published:)
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Arizona Docent said:
I am not trying to be rude, so don't take this the wrong way, I honestly just don't know. Can you explain why this is a milestone?
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Sure. If you were a zoo professional during the period from 1962 to 1999, you would understand. Conway was one of the founders of the independent AZA, led development of the accreditation system, was one of the originators of the SSP concept, was a leading innovator in exhibit design (read his paper "How to Exhibit a Bullfrog" from 1967), built NYZS (later WCS) into one of the world's most effective conservation organizations, and is often credited with single-handedly leading zoos from being living museums to being active agents of conservation. Grizmek, Perkins and Hediger were giants, but Conway's accomplishments are even more impressive.

His exhibit legacy is unparalleled: Aquatic Bird House, World of Darkness, World of Birds, Wild Asia, Children's Zoo, Jungleworld, Zoo Center, Himalayan Highlands, Baboon Reserve, Aitken Seabird Aviary, Congo Gorilla Forest, plus the entire new Central Park Zoo.

His in-situ conservation impact dwarfs anything done by a zoo director at any time--check out any recent WCS project list.

As Elizabeth Hanson author of Animal Attractions wrote: "Conway is frequently and un-ironically referred to by other zoo professionals as 'god.'" While that's pushing it, there is no doubt that zoos as we know them today would be very different without Conway's vision and leadership.
 
@Tim May, I don't agree, that the opening of Whipsnade or London would be as important as the opening of Hagenbeck/Schönbrunn. Tiergarten Schönnbrunn was the first "modern zoo" so that would be one of the major events. And imagine were would the zoo world be without Hagenbeck?? His idea of displaying animals was so revolutionary and has such a big impact on the zoos, that it is probably the major event in the 20st century. The opening of Burgers Bush was the second zoo revolution, cause they showed it was allowed to replicate a natural rainforest and that they could create an whole ecosystem that functions very good without to much human impact. It was a whole new way of displaying animals, not just as cage after cage.

Then where would we be now without the opening of Whipsnade Zoo... In which ways did the london zoo/whipsnade have a great impact on the zoo world? except being the first with an insect house, nocturnal house etc and some first breedings/holdings..
 
lintworm said:
In which ways did the london zoo/whipsnade have a great impact on the zoo world? except being the first with an insect house, nocturnal house etc and some first breedings/holdings..
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Erm, in those ways you list. Not sure about the Nocturnal House but certainly the first Insect House and Aquarium - two fairly significant contributions in themselves.

Even if the opening of the Zoo isn't counted as significant, the openings of those pioneering buildings certainly are.
 
They are indeed significant, maybe that was not clear from my post, but not more important then the opening of Hagenbeck/Schönnbrunn and at about the same level as the opening of Burgers Bush.
 
lintworm said:
In which ways did the london zoo/whipsnade have a great impact on the zoo world? except being the first with an insect house, nocturnal house etc and some first breedings/holdings..
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London Zoo was the first scientific zoo specifically established as such. Schönbrunn was an imperial menagerie. From this point of view, London Zoo can never be viewed as being just another zoo, it has far greater significance, as does Schönbrunn.
 
lintworm said:
Then where would we be now without the opening of Whipsnade Zoo... In which ways did the london zoo/whipsnade have a great impact on the zoo world?
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I knew this thread would get into a heated debate very quickly:D

I think there's a strong argument, as I remember, that Whipsnade pioneered the use of large open air enclosures for exotic animals (when prevailing wisdom was it would kill some of them). I think that's as important as trends started by Hagenbeck and Burgers.
 
The gradual shift from getting animals out of the wild to putting them back, must count as a milestone.
Also, as suggested above, the idea of treating Elephants as biologically functioning breeding animals rather than entertaining clowns that are chained up, ridden and fed buns.
 
1966 Longleat opening, first drive through safari park, outside of Africa in the world!
 
Tama Zoo in Japan had a drive-through lion area before that, but it was in a zoo bus rather than visitors' cars.
 
In the Historia verdadera de la conquista de la nueva España, written in 1568,bernal Diaz del castillo mentions a collection of animals that emperor moctezuma of the aztec empire had in mexico - Tenochtitlan. No comparable menagerie existed in europe at that time. bernal saw it in 1519. Here the spaniards saw their first bison. Many birds were kept, along with diverse felines and canids. Bernal mentions that the aztec emperor kept human freaks and oddities as well.
On that subject let it be sadly remembered that various humans have also been kept in zoological collections before it was considered barbaric. If i remember there was a pygmy who live in an english or american collection and i think also there was a hottentot woman who lived at the menagerie in the jardin de plantes. This in the 17th or 18th centuries.
But of course, remember the menagerie at the jardin des plantes was founded by biologists Cuvier and Buffon after the french revolution in 1794. the animals were confiscated from the late king´s collection. See the wikipedia article.
 
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carlos77 said:
In the Historia verdadera de la conquista de la nueva España, written in 1568,bernal Diaz del castillo mentions a collection of animals that emperor moctezuma of the aztec empire had in mexico - Tenochtitlan. No comparable menagerie existed in europe at that time. bernal saw it in 1519.
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Animals have been kept in private collections and menageries for centuries, especially royalty. They aren't really zoos in the true sense of the word. The collection Diaz saw would have been gone in 1521 when Cortes' army looted the city and slaughtered the inhabitants.
 
Hix said:
Animals have been kept in private collections and menageries for centuries, especially royalty. They aren't really zoos in the true sense of the word. The collection Diaz saw would have been gone in 1521 when Cortes' army looted the city and slaughtered the inhabitants.
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And I wonder: for it to be a "milestone" (and this goes for every incident proposed here) would it not have needed to produce results or have an effect on the future development of zoos? (I think of milestones as measuring a journey, not merely incidents that seem alike).
Did Diaz's reporting of Montezuma's zoo cause something to develop in Mexico, Europe or elsewhere? Anyone know?
The ancient Egyptians had large collections of exotic animals but I am not aware that they influenced zoo history in any way except that they occurred. The London Zoo, on the other hand, influenced a great many zoos that came into being in the mid- and late- 19th Century. Hagenbeck influenced many zoos years before he opened the Tierpark (since he was an animal trader with vast connections and his displays at World's Fairs were influential)
 
lintworm said:
@Tim May, I don't agree, that the opening of Whipsnade or London would be as important as the opening of Hagenbeck/Schönbrunn.

Then where would we be now without the opening of Whipsnade Zoo... In which ways did the london zoo/whipsnade have a great impact on the zoo world? except being the first with an insect house, nocturnal house etc and some first breedings/holdings..
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In Kisling's book he says that the LZS in 1831 (!) established a rural extension for breeding, as the breeding of rare species was one of their missions. It only lasted for a few years, but LZS talked about re-trying it and planned for it for many years. It was with Whipsnade that they finally succeeded!
In that case, Whipsnade must be seen as a huge milestone in zoo history and, IMO, more important at this time than Burgers (since their approach hasn't really been repeated seriously, and is Burgers Bush much more than a wilder JungleWorld? Isn't Randers more of a new stage of development than Burgers?)
 
As hix notes, when the spanish conquistadores destroyed all of tenochtitlan in the name of christianity in 1521, they also destroyed moctezuma´s animal collection.
Modern zoos began in mexico one hundred years ago. The first zoo in mexico has celebrated its centenary and it is Zoologico del parque centenario en merida, yucatan, which was inaugurated by president porfirio diaz to celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of the mexican independence in 1910. Actually, chapultepec zoo in mexico city was inaugurated until 1924, under the work of mexican biologist, Alfonso Herrera, a renowned darwinist in the country and future dean of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico. From zoo founder to university dean, a singular path no doubt.
The subject of the royal menageries is interesting. Consider that both the vienna and paris zoos were based on collections from the royal menageries. However, the London zoo founded by stanford raffles was concieved as a public institution from its very origen and the animals did not come from a royal collection.
 
Zooplantman said:
And I wonder: for it to be a "milestone" (and this goes for every incident proposed here) would it not have needed to produce results or have an effect on the future development of zoos? (I think of milestones as measuring a journey, not merely incidents that seem alike).
Did Diaz's reporting of Montezuma's zoo cause something to develop in Mexico, Europe or elsewhere? Anyone know?
The ancient Egyptians had large collections of exotic animals but I am not aware that they influenced zoo history in any way except that they occurred. The London Zoo, on the other hand, influenced a great many zoos that came into being in the mid- and late- 19th Century. Hagenbeck influenced many zoos years before he opened the Tierpark (since he was an animal trader with vast connections and his displays at World's Fairs were influential)
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I know this isnt very zoochat like but I agree.
 
On the other hand, since KCZoofan was asking about zoo history, maybe the first (known) animal collection in the "New World" does belong on the list. A shame that all we know is what Spaniards bothered to record. They did miss about 20,000 years of New World history. Who knows what fantastic zoos the Mound Builders had? (yes, I'm laughing quietly to myself)
 
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