Zoos of the 19th Century: Animal and Human

Zoos of the 19th Century: Animal and Human

by Ian Stevens

    The Philadelphia zoo showcases 16 different animal exhibits in its 42 acre property. (Philadelphia Zoo, 2018) The animals in these enclosures have space to live and receive daily care for their health. But zoos were not always this way. In fact, it wasn't until the nineteenth century that zoos started to become similar to what they are today. Even then, some zoos had exhibits straight out of the Twilight Zone.

    Before the 19th century, zoos were more like royal collections than the public attractions of today. "Wild animals [had] been kept in captivity for thousands of years, often as symbols of power or religious significance." (The Zoological Society, 2018) Although some zoos had opened in countries like Vienna, Paris, and Madrid, it wasn't until 1828 in London that what could be called the first modern zoo opened. Rather than being isolated, the London Zoological Society built their zoo in the middle of a booming city. At first, the Society wanted the zoo to serve a purely academic purpose. "However, they began to that the fellows were constantly writing permissions for their friends and acquaintances to visit the collection, so they began to open it up to visiting days for a broader public." (Phillips, 2015)

    After the zoo went public, it became a very popular source of entertainment. However, very little was known about the health needs of animals. "One of the major concerns of zoos at that time was that they couldn't keep animals alive very long," quotes Phillips. "They didn't know very much about their biology, about their diets, ... or about the group compositions they should be kept in." (Phillips) In fact, the majority of the land was devoted to gardens meant to picnic in, rather than space for the animals. The animals were, instead, kept in cages that were often too small for them. Open-enclosure designs weren't even considered until German, Carl Hagenbuck, designed them in 1907. 17 years earlier "he had become the figure in the international trade of animals." (Phillips) 

    This same man, however, was also one of the first to introduce a much darker type of zoo: the Human zoo. Several sources describe human beings kept in captivity much like, and sometimes along with, animals. These were often groups of people from less developed cultures, such as: Samoans, Samis, Nubians, and Native Americans. (Wikipedia) Along with animals, Hagenbuck himself would take "a group of indigenous people from Australia or North America." (Phillips) These "exhibits" were often just as, if not more, successful than exhibits featuring animals.

    Overtime, zoos began to focus more on preserving the animal's lives; placing them in enclosures suitable to their biology and physical needs. It is good to see that conditions for these creatures have greatly improved over time, though sad to remember what they once were. It is unfortunate, however, that we are still keeping people in cages, but that is a subject for another day.

References

Philadelphia Zoo. (2018). Exhibits. retrieved from https://www.philadelphiazoo.org/Explore/Exhibits.htm

The Zoological Society of London. (2018). Introducing the Modern Zoo. Retrieved from https://www.zsl.org/education/introducing-the-modern-zoo

Phillips, Keri. (2015, October 21). The Ethical Evolution of Zoos. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/the-ethical-history-of-zoos/6869776

Wikipedia. (2018, October 2). Human Zoo. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_zoo