ZOO AN INTRODUCTION 1 How did the modern zoo originate? Why do you think we need zoos? or Do we need zoos? What do Zoos do for society? BEFORE THERE WERE ZOOS... LONG BEFORE THERE WAS THE ZOO, THERE WAS THE MENAGERIE. MENAGERIES HAVE EXISTED SINCE MEDIEVAL TIMES AND WERE PRIVATE COLLECTIONS OF ANIMALS FOUNDED AND OWNED BY ARISTOCRATS OR ROYALTY. THE MENAGERIE AT VERSAILLES, 17TH CENTURY 2 aristocrats: the highest class in certain societies, esp. those holding hereditary titles or ofces One of the earliest known zoos was established by Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt about 1500 B.C. About 500 years later, the Chinese emperor Wen Wang founded the Garden of Intelligence, an enormous zoo that covered nearly 1,500 acres (610 hectares). Between 1000 and 400 B.C., rulers in northern Africa, India, and China established many small zoos that were designed to display their wealth and power. MENAGERIES THESE MENAGERIES WERE NOT USED FOR EDUCATION OR FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDY. INSTEAD, THESE ARISTOCRATS WANTED TO ILLUSTRATE THEIR POWER AND WEALTH; EXOTIC ANIMALS, ALIVE AND ACTIVE, WERE LESS COMMON, VERY DIFFICULT TO ACQUIRE, AND LOUIS XIV, KING OF FRANCE VERY EXPENSIVE TO MAINTAIN. THE OLDEST EXISTING ZOO, THE VIENNA ZOO IN AUSTRIA, EVOLVED FROM AN ARISTOCRATIC MENAGERIE FOUNDED IN 1752 BY THE HABSBURG MONARCHY. 3 It was like owning a ferrari or an original Monet or a private jet... it showed how powerful you were... nobody else has a zebra in their backyard. TRAVELING MENAGERIES BY THE TURN OF THE 18TH CENTURY, THE FIRST TRAVELING MENAGERIES APPEARED IN ENGLAND. THEY WERE RUN BY SHOWMEN WHO DISPLAYED THEIR ANIMAL COLLECTIONS TO THE COMMON PUBLIC. FIFTEEN YEARS LATER, THE FIRST EXOTIC ANIMAL SHOWS BEGAN TO TOUR AMERICA. ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS WAS JAMES AND WILLIAM HOWES’ NEW YORK MENAGERIE, WHICH TOURED NEW ENGLAND WITH AN ELEPHANT, A RHINOCEROS, A CAMEL, TWO TIGERS, A POLAR BEAR, AND SEVERAL PARROTS AND MONKEYS. 4 Some of these traveling menageries became circuses... the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus advertised their shows as the “World’s Greatest Menagerie”. THE FIRST ZOOS THE FIRST PUBLIC ZOO WAS THE MÉNAGERIE DU JARDIN DES PLANTES, FOUNDED IN PARIS IN 1793 PRIMARILY FOR SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL REASONS. EARLY ZOOS HAD ONLY LARGE, IMPRESSIVE ANIMALS, BUT EVENTUALLY, THE COLLECTIONS EXPANDED TO ENCOMPASS ANIMALS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. OVER TIME, ZOOS BECAME PLACES WHERE ZOOLOGISTS COULD COME TO STUDY, AND THE GENERAL POPULACE COULD COME TO OBSERVE ANIMALS FROM EXOTIC AND UNFAMILIAR LANDS. 5 EARLY ZOO ENCLOSURES EARLY ZOOS USED SMALL CAGES TO ENCLOSE THE ANIMALS. ANIMALS WERE SEPARATED FROM THE PEOPLE BY STEEL BARS, AND THERE WAS LITTLE OR NO CONCERN FOR THE ANIMAL’S WELFARE. OLD LOS ANGELES ZOO/FLICKR 6 These are contemporary images from the old Los Angeles Zoo, built in the 1930’s. The exhibits did not relate to the animal’s natural habitat. CONSERVATION AND THE MODERN ZOO WHEN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION EMERGED AS A TOPIC OF PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE 1970’S, A FEW ZOOS BEGAN TO CONSIDER MAKING CONSERVATION THEIR CENTRAL ROLE. SINCE THEN, ZOO PROFESSIONALS HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY AWARE OF THE NEED TO ENGAGE THEMSELVES IN CONSERVATION PROGRAMS, AND THE AMERICAN ZOO ASSOCIATION SOON DECIDED THAT CONSERVATION HAD TO BECOME ITS HIGHEST PRIORITY. 7 Conservation biology, or conservation ecology, is the science of analyzing and protecting Earth's biological diversity. Protecting, preserving, or restoring the natural environment, ecosystems, vegetation, or wildlife... to prevent them from disappearing from the Earth. MODERN ZOOS MANY ZOOS IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA KEEP ANIMALS IN ENCLOSURES THAT ATTEMPT TO REPLICATE THEIR NATURAL HABITATS, FOR THE BENEFIT OF BOTH RESIDENT ANIMALS AND VISITORS. THEY MAY HAVE SPECIAL BUILDINGS FOR NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, WITH DIM LIGHTING DURING THE DAY, SO THE ANIMALS WILL BE ACTIVE WHEN VISITORS ARE THERE, AND BRIGHTER LIGHTS AT NIGHT TO ENSURE THAT THEY SLEEP. SPECIAL CLIMATE CONDITIONS ARE CREATED FOR ANIMALS LIVING IN RADICAL ENVIRONMENTS, SUCH AS PENGUINS. SPECIAL ENCLOSURES FOR BIRDS, INSECTS, REPTILES, FISHES AND OTHER AQUATIC LIFE FORMS HAVE ALSO BEEN DEVELOPED. 8 MODERN ZOO GOALS MOST MODERN ZOOS IN EUROPE AND NORTH AMERICA DISPLAY WILD ANIMALS PRIMARILY FOR THE CONSERVATION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES AND FOR EDUCATIONAL AND RESEARCH PURPOSES, AND SECONDARILY FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT OF VISITORS. 9 CONSERVATION ZOOS AREN’T JUST ABOUT SHOWING ANIMALS TO VISITORS; THEY ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN CAMPAIGNING AND RAISING MONEY FOR A VARIETY OF CONSERVATION GROUPS WHO WORK DIRECTLY WITH ENDANGERED ANIMALS IN THEIR HABITATS. THESE CONSERVATION GROUPS CAN USE THE MONEY THAT HAS BEEN RAISED BY ZOOS TO: BUILD AND MAINTAIN RESEARCH CENTERS, BUY EQUIPMENT FOR THEIR ANTI-POACHING RANGERS OR THEIR SCIENTISTS, EDUCATE LOCAL PEOPLE ON THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR NATIVE WILDLIFE, AND BUY FOOD AND MEDICINE FOR ANY SICK OR INJURED ANIMALS THEY CARE FOR. 10 Conservation biology, or conservation ecology, is the science of analyzing and protecting Earth's biological diversity. Protecting, preserving, or restoring the natural environment, ecosystems, vegetation, or wildlife... to prevent them from disappearing from the Earth. CONSERVATION THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF ZOOS CAN EVENTUALLY BE BOILED DOWN TO CONSERVATION. MOST ZOOS HAVE AT LEAST ONE PROGRAM THAT WORKS TOWARD REINTRODUCTION OF ANIMALS INTO THE WILD. FOR EXAMPLE, IN 1975, THE SAN DIEGO ZOO CREATED THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTION OF ENDANGERED SPECIES, OR CRES, TO HELP MANAGE THE ZOO’S REINTRODUCTION PROGRAMS. IN THE LATE 1980'S CRES SAVED THE CALIFORNIA CONDOR FROM EXTINCTION. IN 1985 THERE WERE TOTAL OF NINE CALIFORNIA CONDORS IN THE WILD. CRES AND THE SAN DIEGO ZOO’S WILD ANIMAL PARK BROUGHT THE FINAL NINE INDIVIDUALS INTO CAPTIVITY AND HURRIEDLY SET UP A BREEDING PROGRAM. BY 1992, THEY HAD DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF CALIFORNIA CONDORS IN THE WORLD AND IN JANUARY RELEASED THEIR FIRST FLOCK INTO LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST IN CALIFORNIA. CONDORS WOULD LATER BE RELEASED IN SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, ARIZONA, AND BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO. TODAY THERE ARE NEARLY 290 CALIFORNIA CONDORS WITH ABOUT 140 LIVING IN THE WILD. 11 Controversy: some people would argue that we should let nature take its course EDUCATION AND RESEARCH ZOOS OFFER ZOOLOGISTS AND OTHER SCIENTISTS ACCESS TO STUDY A VARIETY OF ANIMALS THEY MAY NOT BE ABLE TO EASILY STUDY IN THE WILD. CONSERVATION CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH STUDY AND RESEARCH. WITHOUT THOROUGH AND CONSTANT STUDY OF HABITATS AND INDIVIDUAL SPECIES, PROPER CONSERVATION PROCEDURES CAN NOT BE FOLLOWED. ZOOS HAVE TAKEN THE RESPONSIBILITY OF STUDYING ANIMALS TO PROVIDE THEM WITH THE MOST APPROPRIATE HABITATS AND ADEQUATE ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES. TODAY, RESEARCH FIELDS HAVE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE FIELDS SUCH AS: CYTOGENETICS, MOLECULAR GENETICS, REPRODUCTIVE PHYSIOLOGY, APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOR, DEMOGRAPHY, AND CONSERVATION BIOLOGY. ALL THESE NEW FIELDS OFFER MUCH MORE INFORMATION INTO HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY PRESERVE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTS FOR BOTH HUMANS AND NATIVE PLANTS AND ANIMALS. 12 VISITOR IMPACT ASIDE FROM ALL THE SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL ASPECTS OF ZOOS, THEY HAVE TO BE FUN. VISITORS TO THE ZOO NEED TO LEAVE AT THE END OF THE DAY WITH A SMILE ON THEIR FACE AND A HAPPY FEELING IN THEIR HEART. AS TECHNOLOGY PROGRESSES, OPPONENTS OF ZOOS HAVE INCREASINGLY RELIED ON THE ARGUMENT THAT BOOKS, VIDEOS AND PHOTOS CAN EASILY TAKE THE PLACE OF ZOOS TO TEACH PEOPLE ABOUT THE WORLD’S WILDLIFE. WHILE THESE METHODS CAN GIVE STRAIGHTFORWARD INFORMATION ON THE SPECIES IN QUESTION, THEY CANNOT COMPARE TO THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF BEING AT THE ZOO. IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW HIGH DEFINITION YOUR TELEVISION SET IS, OR HOW MANY MEGAPIXELS THE CAMERA THAT TOOK THE PICTURES IS, THESE MEDIA CANNOT CREATE THE SAME ATMOSPHERE OF THE ZOO OR ENTICE THE EMOTIONAL BOND MADE BETWEEN A VISITOR AND AN ANIMAL WHILE AT THE ZOO. YOU CAN LOOK AT THE PICTURES OF THE PANDAS ON THIS WEBSITE, BUT TRY TO IMAGINE THE FEELING WHEN YOU ARE LITERALLY INCHES AWAY FROM ANIMAL SEPARATED BY ONLY A PANE OF GLASS. OR TRY TO IMAGINE THE JOY ON A CHILD’S FACE WHEN A GORILLA COMES TO THE GLASS TO GREET THEM AND THERE IS REAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE TWO. THERE JUST IS NOT A FORM OF MEDIA THAT CAN REPLICATE THAT EXPERIENCE. 13 Help people develop an interest in and appreciation for animals "People only love what they understand, and they only protect what they love." Are books, photographs, television programs, or even a “Panda Cam” enough to create the same feeling as being feet or even inches away from a wild animal? BIBLIOGRAPHY: FAULK, JOHN H., AND ERIC M. REINHARD. "WHY ZOOS & AQUARIUMS MATTER: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF A VISIT TO A ZOO OR AQUARIUM." AZA.ORG. 2007. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION. 6 APR. 2008 <HTTP://209.85.165.104/SEARCH?Q=CACHE:B2HGOT4GQKAJ:WWW.AZA.ORG/CONED/ DOCUMENTS/WHY_ZOOS_MATTER.PDF+WHY +ZOOS&HL=EN&CT=CLNK&CD=2&GL=US&CLIENT=SAFARI>. "KID TERRITORY: WHY DO WE NEED ZOOS?" SANDIEGOZOO.ORG. 2008. ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF SAN DIEGO. 6 APR. 2008 <HTTP://WWW.SANDIEGOZOO.ORG/KIDS/ READABOUTIT_WHY_ZOOS.HTML>. "MENAGERIE." WIKIPEDIA. 6 APR. 2008 <HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/MENAGERIE>. "WHY WE HAVE ZOOS." WHYZOOS.COM. 6 APR. 2008 <HTTP://WWW.WHYZOOS.COM/INDEX.HTML>. "WHY ZOO'S." COLCHESTER-ZOO.CO.UK. COLCHESTER ZOO. 6 APR. 2008 <HTTP:// WWW.COLCHESTER-ZOO.CO.UK/INDEX.CFM?FA=EDUCATION.HOMEWORK.WHY>. "ZOO." WIKIPEDIA. 6 APR. 2008 <HTTP://EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG/WIKI/ZOO>. 14 QUIZ 1. WHAT WAS A MENAGERIE? 2. WHAT WAS A MENAGERIE A SYMBOL OF? 3. WHAT IDEA CHANGED THE DIRECTION OF ZOOS FROM MOSTLY ENTERTAINMENT TO A FOCUS ON PROTECTION ON THE ANIMALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT? 4. LIST AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OLD ZOOS AND MODERN ZOOS. 5. WHERE DOES A ZOO SPEND THE MONEY THAT IT MAKES? 6.