A zoo (short for zoological garden ; also called an animal park or menagerie ) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
100-544: Paignton Zoo is a zoo in Paignton , Devon, England. The zoo was started as a private collection by avid animal collector and breeder, Herbert Whitley , in the grounds of his home Primley House . It was opened to the public on a number of occasions, originally as Primley Zoological Gardens , and closed twice due to disputes with the tax authorities. The commercialisation of the zoo came when animals and attractions were relocated from Chessington Zoo during World War II , and
200-664: A menagerie or "zoological forest". The abbreviation "zoo" first appeared in print in the United Kingdom around 1847, when it was used for the Clifton Zoo , but it was not until some 20 years later that the shortened form became popular in the rhyming song " Walking in the Zoo " by music-hall artist Alfred Vance . The term "zoological park" was used for more expansive facilities in Halifax, Nova Scotia , Washington, D.C. , and
300-751: A 1,500-acre (6.1 km ) zoo called Ling-Yu, or the Garden of Intelligence. Other well-known collectors of animals included King Solomon of the Kingdom of Israel and Judah , Queen Semiramis and King Ashurbanipal of Assyria , and King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia . By the 4th century BCE, 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. The Roman emperors kept private collections of animals for study or for use in
400-400: A Congolese pygmy , displayed in a cage with the chimpanzees, then with an orangutan named Dohong, and a parrot. The exhibit was intended as an example of the "missing link" between the orangutan and white man. It triggered protests from the city's clergymen, but the public reportedly flocked to see Benga. Humans were also displayed at various events, especially colonial expositions such as
500-525: A closure for bird flu in September 2022, on the first day of reopening, the zoo was evacuated due to the escape of two lar gibbons . The gibbons were recaptured, but opening to the public the following day was also delayed whilst the escape was investigated. Visitors were once again locked down in buildings in August 2023 when a "code red" was declared after a monkey escaped its enclosure. Paignton Zoo
600-482: A consequence, various management tools are used to preserve the space for the genetically most important individuals and to reduce the risk of inbreeding . Management of animal populations is typically through international organizations such as AZA and EAZA . Zoos have several different ways of managing the animal populations, such as moves between zoos, contraception , sale of excess animals and euthanization (culling). Contraception can be an effective way to limit
700-610: A difference in wildlife conservation and education. Humans were occasionally displayed in cages at zoos along with non-human animals, to illustrate the differences between people of European and non-European origin. In September 1906, William Hornaday , director of the Bronx Zoo in New York—;with the agreement of Madison Grant , head of the New York Zoological Society —had Ota Benga ,
800-592: A fountain, a wood-ornamented greenhouse, a forest area, and enclosures and buildings. The first zoological garden in Australia was Melbourne Zoo in 1860. In German states leading roles came Berlin (1841), Frankfurt (1856), and Hamburg (1863). In 1907, the entrepreneur Carl Hagenbeck founded the Tierpark Hagenbeck in Stellingen, now a quarter of Hamburg . His zoo was a radical departure from
900-676: A gas station. The animals may be trained to perform tricks, and visitors are able to get closer to them than in larger zoos. Since they are sometimes less regulated, roadside zoos are often subject to accusations of neglect and cruelty . In June 2014 the Animal Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Iowa-based roadside Cricket Hollow Zoo for violating the Endangered Species Act by failing to provide proper care for its animals. Since filing
1000-509: A lack of natural wild habitat in which to reintroduce animals. This highlights the importance of in situ conservation, or preservation of natural spaces, in addition to the utility of zoo captive breeding and reintroduction programs. In situ conservation and reintroduction programs are key elements to obtaining certification by reputable organisations such as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Efforts to clone endangered species in
1100-461: A matter of public interest in the 1970s, a few zoos began to consider making conservation their central role, with Gerald Durrell of the Jersey Zoo , George Rabb of Brookfield Zoo , and William Conway of the Bronx Zoo ( Wildlife Conservation Society ) leading the discussion. From then on, zoo professionals became increasingly aware of the need to engage themselves in conservation programs, and
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#17327946171121200-448: A model of cooperation for conservation. Loaned animals usually remain the property of the original park, and any offspring yielded by loaned animals are usually divided between the lending and holding institutions. For decades the capture of wild animals or purchasing of animals has been broadly considered unethical and has not been practiced by reputable zoos. Especially in large animals, a limited number of spaces are available in zoos. As
1300-418: A new strategy that sets out the aims and mission of zoological gardens of the 21st century. When studying behaviour of captive animals, several things should however be taken into account before drawing conclusions about wild populations. Including that captive populations are often smaller than wild ones and that the space available to each animal is often less than in the wild. Conservation programs all over
1400-434: A place of refuge . Today, many zoos are improving enclosures by including tactile and sensory features in the habitat that allow animals to encourage natural behaviors. These additions can prove to be effective in improving the lives of animals in captivity. The tactile and sensory features will vary depending on the species of animal. There are animals that are injured in the wild and are unable to survive on their own, but in
1500-481: A population's breeding. However it may also have health repercussions and can be difficult or even impossible to reverse in some animals. Additionally, some species may lose their reproductive capability entirely if prevented from breeding for a period (whether through contraceptives or isolation), but further study is needed on the subject. Sale of surplus animals from zoos was once common and in some cases animals have ended up in substandard facilities. In recent decades
1600-729: A small number of zoos. To solve this organizations like EAZA and AZA have begun to develop husbandry manuals. Many modern zoos attempt to improve animal welfare by providing more space and behavioural enrichments . This often involves housing the animals in naturalistic enclosures that allow the animals to express more of their natural behaviours, such as roaming and foraging. Whilst many zoos have been working hard on this change, in some zoos, some enclosures still remain barren concrete enclosures or other minimally enriched cages. Wild Planet Trust 50°25′44″N 3°35′4″W / 50.42889°N 3.58444°W / 50.42889; -3.58444 Wild Planet Trust, formerly known as
1700-495: A stallion zebra to escape into surrounding woods, where a range of people, including tourists, joined in the hunt. A tapir also escaped, but was found and recaptured within zoo grounds. The largest escapee was in January 1964 when Indian elephant Jumbo escaped and was at liberty for over six hours. The escape came following the death of her long term companion Hospie. Whilst the elephant did remain on zoo grounds, street lighting
1800-547: A suitable alternative. Off-site conservation relies on zoos, national parks, or other care facilities to support the rehabilitation of the animals and their populations. Zoos benefit conservation by providing suitable habitats and care to endangered animals. When properly regulated, they present a safe, clean environment for the animals to increase populations sizes. A study on amphibian conservation and zoos addressed these problems by writing, Whilst addressing in situ threats, particularly habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation,
1900-553: A suitable environment for wild native animals such as herons to live in or visit. A colony of black-crowned night herons has regularly summered at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. for more than a century. Some zoos may provide information to visitors on wild animals visiting or living in the zoo, or encourage them by directing them to specific feeding or breeding platforms. In modern, well-regulated zoos, breeding
2000-501: A trust, and in 1961 WE Francis was appointed as General Manager, along with the zoo's first full time education officer, who was appointed in conjunction with Devon County Council education committee. Attendances continued to grow, with 346k visitors in 1962 and 353k in 1963. The trust continued to add more exotic animals, adding to the elephants that Whitley has brought to the zoo in 1949. This included giraffes in 1968, and baboons in 1976. The trust also built visitor facilities such as
2100-589: A year and have special programs for schools. They are organized by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums . Japan's first modern zoo, Tokyo's Ueno Imperial Zoological Gardens , opened in 1882 based on European models. In World War II it was used to teach the Japanese people about the lands recently conquered by the Army. In 1943, fearing American bombing attacks, the government ordered the zoo to euthanize dangerous animals that might escape. When ecology emerged as
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#17327946171122200-992: Is "the advancement of Zoology and Animal Physiology and the introduction of new and curious subjects of the Animal Kingdom." It maintains two research institutes, the Nuffield Institute of Comparative Medicine and the Wellcome Institute of Comparative Physiology. In the United States, the Penrose Research Laboratory of the Philadelphia Zoo focuses on the study of comparative pathology . The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums produced its first conservation strategy in 1993, and in November 2004, it adopted
2300-718: Is a member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) - holding the vice-chair position until 2025 - and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). Its gardens are members of PlantNetwork, Plant Heritage , the Arboricultural Association, and Botanic Gardens Conservation International . It works with partner zoos and gardens in these organisations on
2400-414: Is controlled to maintain a self-sustaining, global captive population. This is not the case in some less well-regulated zoos, often based in poorer regions. Overall "stock turnover" of animals during a year in a select group of poor zoos was reported as 20%-25% with 75% of wild caught apes dying in captivity within the first 20 months. The authors of the report stated that before successful breeding programs,
2500-455: Is governed by a Board of twelve trustees made up of a selection of professionals with skills and experience in science, commerce, the law and other relevant fields. The trustees are responsible for the oversight of the Trust's management and administration and ensure that the trust' conservation objectives are met. Herbert was born into a family of considerable means; his father, Edward Whitley ,
2600-462: Is of primary importance; for many amphibian species in situ conservation alone will not be enough, especially in light of current un-mitigatable threats that can impact populations very rapidly such as chytridiomycosis [an infectious fungal disease]. Ex situ programmes can complement in situ activities in a number of ways including maintaining genetically and demographically viable populations while threats are either better understood or mitigated in
2700-580: Is the oldest zoo in Poland, opened in 1865 when the city was part of Prussia , and was home to about 10,500 animals representing about 1,132 species (in terms of the number of animal species, it is the third largest in the world ). 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
2800-541: The American Zoo Association soon said that conservation was its highest priority. In order to stress conservation issues, many large zoos stopped the practice of having animals perform tricks for visitors. The Detroit Zoo , for example, 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. Mass destruction of wildlife habitat has yet to cease all over
2900-511: The Bronx in New York, which opened in 1846, 1891 and 1899 respectively. Relatively new terms for zoos in the late 20th century are " conservation park" or "bio park". Adopting a new name is a strategy used by some zoo professionals to distance their institutions from the stereotypical and nowadays criticized zoo concept of the 19th century. The term "bio park" was first coined and developed by
3000-600: The Inland Revenue , who informed Herbert that he should be charging an 'amusement tax' on ticket sales. Whitley declined to do so, stating that his park was educational rather than entertainment. He was then summonsed to appear at court in Paignton, which happened on 21 March 1924, where the magistrates found in favour of the Inland Revenue. Whitley immediately closed the park to the public, posting notices on
3100-547: The National Zoo in Washington D.C. in the late 1980s. In 1993, the New York Zoological Society changed its name to the Wildlife Conservation Society and re branded the zoos under its jurisdiction as "wildlife conservation parks". The predecessor of the zoological garden is the menagerie , which has a long history from the ancient world to modern times. The oldest known zoological collection
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3200-488: The United Kingdom , was focused on providing scientific study and later educational exhibits to the public for entertainment and inspiration. A growing fascination for natural history and zoology , coupled with the tremendous expansion in the urbanization of London, led to a heightened demand for a greater variety of public forms of entertainment to be made available. The need for public entertainment, as well as
3300-1025: The Zoological Society of London in 1931 which today (2014) covers 600 acres (2.4 km ). Since the early 1970s, an 1,800 acre (7 km ) park in the San Pasqual Valley near San Diego has featured the San Diego Zoo Safari Park , run by the Zoological Society of San Diego. One of two state-supported zoo parks in North Carolina is the 2,000-acre (8.1 km ) North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. The 500-acre (2.0 km ) Werribee Open Range Zoo in Melbourne, Australia, displays animals living in an artificial savannah . The first public aquarium
3400-517: The 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition , with the practice continuing in Belgium at least to as late as 1958 in a "Congolese village" display at Expo '58 in Brussels. These displays, while sometimes called "human zoos", usually did not take place in zoos or use cages. Zoo animals live in enclosures that often attempt to replicate their natural habitats or behavioral patterns, for the benefit of both
3500-414: The 19th century, usually using London and Paris as models. The transition was made from princely menageries designed to entertain high society with strange novelties into public zoological gardens. The new goal was to educate the entire population with information along modern scientific lines. Zoos were supported by local commercial or scientific societies. The modern zoo that emerged in the 19th century in
3600-645: The Aztec revolt against the Spanish rule, and during the subsequent battle for the city, Cortés reluctantly ordered the zoo to be destroyed. The oldest zoo in the world still in existence is the Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna , Austria. It 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 . The menagerie
3700-538: The Chessington animals returned to their Surrey home, but the circus remained until 1953, and the miniature railway lasted until 2022. Following the departure of Goddard, Whitley formed a new partnership with local accountant Norman Dixon, and the zoo became Paignton Zoo and Botanical Gardens . When Herbert Whitley died in 1955, the Herbert Whitley Trust was set up to continue his work. The trust
3800-596: The Education Centre at Paignton Zoo . Wild Planet Trust also encourages and supports student research projects across its sites, and provides annual placement opportunities for students. Ex situ conservation In situ conservation Education and advocacy The Trust's zoos are the home of dozens of different species, from tiny poison dart frogs to towering giraffes . All of the animals live in natural-themed exhibits where they conserve their future and protect them from extinction . Wild Planet Trust
3900-686: The Field Conservation and Research Department, it has grown to become a well-known zoo science departments in Europe, with staff engaged in a programme of projects within the zoo, at Wild Planet Trust's other sites in the UK, and at various sites overseas. Projects are carried out at 'A' level, undergraduate and post graduate level. Garden themes and plant collections include a broad collection of temperate hardy trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants arranged by habitat type. The indoor growing areas allow
4000-479: The Nova Scotia public in 1847. It was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. By the early 1860s, the zoo grounds covered 40 hectares with many fine flowers and ornamental trees, picnic areas, statues, walking paths, The Glass House (which contained a greenhouse with an aviary, aquarium, and museum of stuffed animals and birds), a pond, a bridge over a waterfall, an artificial lake with
4100-917: The Trust zoos works within the BIAZA , EAZA and WAZA zoo networks in Britain, Europe and the World as well as having ex situ conservation links overseas. Wild Planet Trust jointly developed the MSc/PgDip in Zoo Conservation with the University of Plymouth in 2004, with the aim of helping students to develop the understanding and skills required for a career in zoos and wildlife conservation. The trust also works closely with South Devon College in Paignton on their FdSC Animal Science and BSc Applied Animal Science programmes with their own classroom in
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4200-972: The U.S. and Canada by Species Survival Plans; in Australasia, by the Australasian Species Management Program; in Europe, by the European Endangered Species Program; and in Japan, South Asia, and South East Asia, by the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the South Asian Zoo Association for Regional Cooperation , and the South East Asian Zoo Association. Besides conservation of captive species, large zoos may form
4300-550: The United States, Europe, and Asia are frequently embedded in zoos and zoological parks. The position of most modern zoos in Australasia , Asia , Europe , and North America , particularly those with scientific societies, is that they display wild animals primarily for the conservation of endangered species , as well as for research purposes and education, and secondarily for the entertainment of visitors. The Zoological Society of London states in its charter that its aim
4400-626: The Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT), is a registered charity , set up to run Paignton Zoo after the death of its founder, Herbert Whitley , who established the zoo on his estate at Primley , Paignton in Devon in the 1920s. Wild Planet Trust also owns runs several local nature reserves in Devon, including Slapton Ley . Since 2003 it has owned and operated Newquay Zoo and Living Coasts . All three of
4500-448: The animal, which was shot dead at close range by Major Simon A Yorke of the 152nd Devon Anti-Aircraft Battery , Royal Artillery using his service rifle. During the return of animals to Chessington Zoo in May 1946, a grass monkey was found to be absent from its enclosure. After a number of hours of armed searching, the monkey returned to the cage by itself. The same zookeeper involved in
4600-737: The animals and visitors. Nocturnal animals are often housed in buildings with a reversed light-dark cycle, i.e. only dim white or red lights are on during the day so the animals are active during visitor hours, and brighter lights on at night when the animals sleep. Special climate conditions may be created for animals living in extreme environments, such as penguins. Special enclosures for birds , mammals , insects , reptiles , fish , and other aquatic life forms have also been developed. Some zoos have walk-through exhibits where visitors enter enclosures of non-aggressive species, such as lemurs , marmosets , birds, lizards , and turtles . Visitors are asked to keep to paths and avoid showing or eating foods that
4700-493: The animals might snatch. Some zoos keep animals in larger, outdoor enclosures, confining them with moats and fences, rather than in cages. Safari parks , also known as zoo parks and lion farms, allow visitors to drive through them and come in close proximity to the animals. Sometimes, visitors are able to feed animals through the car windows. The first safari park was Whipsnade Park in Bedfordshire, England, opened by
4800-434: The animals' needs, but constraints such as size and expense can complicate this. The type of enclosure and the husbandry are of great importance in determining the welfare of animals. Substandard enclosures can lead to decreased lifespans, caused by factors as human diseases, unsafe materials in the cages and possible escape attempts (Bendow 382). However, when zoos take time to think about the animal's welfare, zoos can become
4900-452: The arena, the latter faring notoriously poorly. The 19th-century historian W. E. H. Lecky wrote of the Roman games , first held in 366 BCE: At one time, a bear and a bull , chained together, rolled in fierce combat across the sand ... Four hundred bears were killed in a single day under Caligula ... Under Nero , four hundred tigers fought with bulls and elephants. In a single day, at
5000-404: The argument with the Inland Revenue, a leopard escaped its enclosure after mauling its keeper, John Hockings. The animal stayed on zoo grounds, and repeated attempts were made to lure it into a cage trap with meat. The leopard did not take the bait, and went on the move, killing a flock of rare St Kilda sheep . The risk of the animal moving from the grounds led to beaters being brought in to flush
5100-654: The classical zoo, such as stage shows, roller coasters, and mythical creatures. Some examples are Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in Tampa, Florida , both Disney's Animal Kingdom and Gatorland in Orlando, Florida , Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire, England , and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo, California . By 2000 most animals being displayed in zoos were the offspring of other zoo animals. This trend, however
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#17327946171125200-432: The clowns and acrobats. Whilst Herbert remained involved, Chessington's Reginald Goddard ran much of the operations, operating the site as Devon's Zoo and Circus with a focus on entertainment and profit which had never been part of Whitley's style. The zoo was run as "Devon's Zoo and Circus" and Goddard brought in a wide range of attractions from play areas to bands. After the war in 1946 Chessington reopened, and most of
5300-546: The conservation and observation of animals was expressed in connection with the political construction of republican citizenship. The Kazan Zoo , the first zoo in Russia was founded in 1806 by the Professor of Kazan State University Karl Fuchs . Until the early 19th century, the function of the zoo was often to symbolize royal power, like King Louis XIV 's menagerie at Versailles . Major cities in Europe set up zoos in
5400-717: The construction, renovation, and expansion of zoos when the Great Depression severely reduced local budgets. It was "a new deal for animals." The Atlanta Zoo , founded in 1886, suffered neglect. By 1984 it was ranked among the ten worst zoos in the United States. Systematic reform by 2000 put it on the list of the ten best. By 2020, the United States featured 230 accredited zoos and aquariums across 45 states, accommodating 800,000 animals, and 6,000 species out of which about 1,000 are endangered. The zoos provide 208,000 jobs, and with an annual budget of $ 230 million for wildlife conservation . They attract over 200 million visits
5500-756: The continent of Africa . Housing over 10 thousand animals, the facility's breadth extends from housing insects such cockroaches to large mammals like elephants on an area of over 33 hectares . In the United States, 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 opened in 1875. In the 1930s, federal relief programs provided financial aid to most local zoos. The Works Progress Administration and similar New Deal government agencies helped greatly in
5600-525: The culling proceeded. Although zoos in some countries have been open about culling, the controversy of the subject and pressure from the public has resulted in others being closed. This stands in contrast to most zoos publicly announcing animal births. Furthermore, while many zoos are willing to cull smaller and/or low-profile animals, fewer are willing to do it with larger high-profile species. Many animals breed readily in captivity. Zoos frequently are forced to intentionally limit captive breeding because of
5700-543: The dedication of the Colosseum by Titus , five thousand animals perished. Under Trajan ... lions , tigers, elephants, rhinoceroses , hippopotami, giraffes, bulls, stags, even crocodiles and serpents were employed to give novelty to the spectacle. Charlemagne had an elephant named Abul-Abbas that was given to him by the Abbasid caliph. King Henry I of England kept a collection of animals at his palace in Woodstock which reportedly included lions, leopards, and camels. The most prominent collection in medieval England
5800-442: The dominant male. The zoo euthanised the animal, as it could not be placed safely back in the enclosure, and there were no other zoos able to take it. Three western lowland gorillas escaped from their enclosure into a secure corridor in July 2017, where they were left overnight, during which time they managed to cause thousands of pounds of damage to utility supplies, including water pipes, ducts, and electrical wiring. Following
5900-423: The entrances, explaining the dispute and naming the justices involved in the case. MR. HERBERT WHITLEY (the Owner) DOES NOT INTEND TO DEFRAUD THE PUBLIC BY CHARGING TAX WHERE NO ENTERTAINMENT EXISTS, AND CONSEQEUENTLY, WITH MUCH REGRET, HAS DECIDED TO CLOSE THE GROUNDS TO THE PUBLIC Whitley continued to publicly feud with the revenue and magistrates, including raising a petition, and engaging in publicity denouncing
6000-458: The food is supplied by the zoo, either from vending machines or a kiosk nearby. An animal theme park is a combination of an amusement park and a zoo, mainly for entertaining and commercial purposes. Marine mammal parks such as Sea World and Marineland are more elaborate dolphinariums keeping whales , and containing additional entertainment attractions. Another kind of animal theme park contains more entertainment and amusement elements than
6100-469: The gift of two canaries by his mother as a child, and had inherited a family fortune made in brewing prior to the death of his father, MP Edward Whitley . He moved with three of his four siblings to Devon, and after studying agriculture at Cambridge University, returned and went in to business with his brother, William. They bought agricultural land holdings, and set about breeding prime livestock. Herbert's home, with his mother and sister, at Primley House
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#17327946171126200-410: The high mortality rate was the reason for the "massive scale of importations." One 2-year study indicated that of 19,361 mammals that left accredited zoos in the U.S. between 1992 and 1998, 7,420 (38%) went to dealers, auctions, hunting ranches, unaccredited zoos and individuals, and game farms. The welfare of zoo animals varies widely. Many zoos work to improve their animal enclosures and make it fit
6300-424: The importance of animal conservation, often through letting visitors witness the animals firsthand. Some critics, and the majority of animal rights activists, say that zoos, no matter their intentions, or how noble these intentions, are immoral and serve as nothing but to fulfill human leisure at the expense of the animals (an opinion that has spread over the years). However, zoo advocates argue that their efforts make
6400-425: The last remnant of the Chessington arrivals left when the miniature railway closed. The zoo has a large collection of around 2,000 animals across over 400 species as of 2011 ( mammals , birds , reptiles and amphibians ) across many different, naturally-themed exhibits. During its history, the zoo has had a number of animal escapes and incidents. In January 1939, Whilst back as a private zoo after closing due to
6500-400: The lawsuit, ALDF has obtained records from investigations conducted by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services; these records show that the zoo is also violating the Animal Welfare Act. A petting zoo, also called petting farms or children's zoos, features a combination of domestic animals and wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. To ensure the animals' health,
6600-404: The layout of the zoo that had been established in 1828. It was the first zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats, rather than barred cages, to better approximate animals' natural environments. He also set up mixed-species exhibits and based the layout on the different organizing principle of geography, as opposed to taxonomy. The Wrocław Zoo ( Polish : Ogród Zoologiczny we Wrocławiu )
6700-563: The leopard incident, John Hockings, was badly mauled by a North American brown bear in 1948 after the then 77 year old failed to secure the safety door between the inner and outer cages during cleaning in December 1948. A large black-necked stork escaped the zoo in August 1954, and was living in the marshy areas around Newton Abbot and Exminster , making it as far as Clyst Honiton before being recaptured after around two weeks at large. In June 1956, four boa constrictors escaped their herpetarium , before being found nearby. Intruders to
6800-459: The main restaurant. The first orangutans arrived in 1993 from London Zoo . In 1995, the zoo received £2.9 million from the European Regional Development Fund , allowing major facilities upgrades which lasted until 2001. This included the building of the Marie Le Fevre ape centre, the new elephant and giraffe house, and the Reptile Tropics attraction. In 2003, the trust set about a major expansion programme, purchasing Newquay Zoo and building
6900-405: The management of captive breeding and plant conservation programmes for endangered species. The zoo has a large education team which teaches approximately 50,000 students each year from under-5s to post-16s, as well as adult community groups. The Education Department was founded in 1961 and the Paignton Zoo Science Department was established in 1997, during the redevelopment programme. Now renamed
7000-496: The practice of selling animals from certified zoos has declined. A large number of animals are culled each year in zoos, but this is controversial. A highly publicized culling as part of population management was that of a healthy giraffe at Copenhagen Zoo in 2014. The zoo argued that his genes already were well-represented in captivity, making the giraffe unsuitable for future breeding. There were offers to adopt him and an online petition to save him had many thousand signatories, but
7100-450: The price of admission was three half-pence, or the supply of a cat or dog for feeding to the lions. The animals were moved to the London Zoo when it opened. Aztec emperor Moctezuma had in his capital city of Tenochtitlan a "house of animals" with a large collection of birds, mammals and reptiles in a garden tended by more than 600 employees. The garden was described by several Spanish conquerors, including Hernán Cortés in 1520. After
7200-476: The public as Primley Zoological Gardens . Employees of the Torquay Tramway Company were amongst the first to visit the site prior to its official opening. At opening, the admission was one shilling for adults and sixpence for children, with exhibits including bears, monkeys, zebra, baboons, hyena, and many varieties of bird. In the month of opening, the park was visited by an officer of
7300-445: The public. Entry was one shilling (5p) for adults and sixpence (2.5p) for children. In 1924, a dispute over entertainment tax led to a brief closure of the fledgling zoo. In 1955, Whitley's health started to fail; he died on 15 September, aged 69. He chose his close friend of 20 years, Philip Michelmore, to be his successor. His Will made provision for a scientific and educational Trust to be established. The Herbert Whitley Trust
7400-607: The requirements of scholarly research, came together in the founding of the first modern zoos. Whipsnade Park Zoo in Bedfordshire , England, opened in 1931. It allowed visitors to drive through the enclosures and come into close proximity with the animals. 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. At its founding, it
7500-522: The site was named as Devon's Zoo and Circus On Whitley's death, the zoo was signed over to a trust, now called the Wild Planet Trust , to be run as a public attraction. The zoo has a collection of about 2,000 animals representing nearly 300 species, and cultivates about 1,600 different species of plant. It employs 140 permanent staff, rising to over 200 in peak season. Herbert Whitley was an avid collector and breeder of animals, started after
7600-488: The taxing. This led to replies in local press from the magistrates. Herbert had some history of clashing with authority, having fought the Paignton Urban District over his refusal to allow surveyors to access his land with a view to placing sewage and sanitation works, which he also lost at court and at appeal. In 1927, Herbert agreed to reopen the zoo, and pay the contentious entertainment tax. In 1934,
7700-467: The top 10 zoos in the UK. The Camping and Caravanning Club lists Paignton as one of the 15 'best and biggest' zoos in the UK, along with sister zoo, Newquay Zoo . Zoo The term zoological garden refers to zoology , the study of animals. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek ζῷον , zōion , 'animal', and the suffix -λογία , -logia , 'study of'. The abbreviation zoo
7800-513: The wild The breeding of endangered species is coordinated by cooperative breeding programmes containing international studbooks and coordinators, who evaluate the roles of individual animals and institutions from a global or regional perspective, and there are regional programmes all over the world for the conservation of endangered species . In Africa, conservation is handled by the African Preservation Program (APP); in
7900-403: The world and many species such as elephants , big cats, penguins , tropical birds, primates, rhinos , exotic reptiles, and many others are in danger of dying out. Many of today's zoos hope to stop or slow the decline of many endangered species and see their primary purpose as breeding endangered species in captivity and reintroducing them into the wild. Modern zoos also aim to help teach visitors
8000-516: The world fight to protect species from going extinct , but many conservation programs are underfunded and under-represented. Conservation programs can struggle to fight bigger issues like habitat loss and illness. It often takes significant funding and long time periods to rebuild degraded habitats, both of which are scarce in conservation efforts. The current state of conservation programs cannot rely solely in situ (on-site conservation) plans alone, ex situ (off-site conservation) may therefore provide
8100-516: The zoo in December 1959 cut enclosure wire, causing four wallabies to escape. Whilst three were quickly rounded up, one wallaby named Sue escaped into the wider zoo grounds, and evaded capture for over two weeks. Wallabies once again escaped in 1964, with four going missing in February of that year. A sonic boom at around 2am in the morning over Paignton in 1961 disturbed the animals and caused
8200-429: The zoo opened a new "Tropical House", for which visitors had to pay an extra fee, and this once again attracted the attention of the Inland Revenue, who insisted that the tax be additionally paid on that fee. Whitley once again refused, and once again lost at court, closing the zoo for a second time in protest. Herbert continued to collect and breed, along with his brother William. Around the outbreak of World War II , he
8300-452: The zoo to grow plants from all over the world, ranging from small critically endangered cactus in the desert house, through to the massive Titan arum , giant bamboo and giant water lilies located in the tropical houses. Paignton Zoo was, based on visitor feedback, named by TripAdvisor as the third best zoo in the UK (behind Chester and Colchester ) and ninth best zoo in Europe in 2014. In 2015, The Independent named Paignton one of
8400-432: The zoos they can live out the rest of their lives healthy and happy (McGaffin). In recent years, some zoos have chosen to move out some larger animals because they do not have the space available to provide an adequate enclosure for them (Lemonic, McDowell, and Bjerklie 50). An issue with animal welfare in zoos is that best animal husbandry practices are often not completely known, especially for species that are only kept in
8500-649: The £7m Living Coasts marine aviary on the site of the defunct Coral Island on what was the Torquay Marine Spa site in Torquay. In the Great Gorilla Project during 2013, life-sized gorillas were placed across Devon for charity and £100,000 was raised. The 2016 Great Big Rhino Project raised £123,000 for conservation. Duchess, the zoo's only African Elephant, died in July 2019. In 2022,
8600-571: Was and still is somewhat species-specific. When animals are transferred between zoos, they usually spend time in quarantine, and are given time to acclimatize to their new enclosures which are often designed to mimic their natural environment. For example, some species of penguins may require refrigerated enclosures. Guidelines on necessary care for such animals is published in the International Zoo Yearbook . Animal exchanges between facilities are usually made voluntarily, based on
8700-449: Was considering reducing his collection to just his extensive collection of pigeons. Both he and William were exempt war service on grounds of their health, and when Chessington Zoo needed to evacuate their animals, Herbert agreed to house them at Primley, and so ended up with a large collection. The relocation included not only animals, such as lions and tigers, but also the miniature railway (which ran until 2022) and entire circus including
8800-449: Was designed to cater for the large London population. The London zoo was widely copied as the archetype of the public city zoo. In 1853, the Zoo opened the world's first public aquarium . 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. Downs' Zoological Gardens created by Andrew Downs and opened to
8900-511: Was doused on nearby streets, and people told to stay in their homes, and the army was on stand by. Visitors were locked down inside buildings when a peccary escaped into public areas of the zoo. It was tranquilised and recaptured after around 40 minutes. Two of the same species of wild pig escaped into the nearby giraffe enclosure three years later in April 2008. A lechwe antelope jumped out of its enclosure in September 2016, after fighting with
9000-649: Was first used of the London Zoological Gardens , which was opened for scientific study in 1828, and to the public in 1847. The first modern zoo was the Tierpark Hagenbeck by Carl Hagenbeck in Germany . In the United States alone, zoos are visited by over 181 million people annually. The London Zoo , which was opened in 1828, was initially known as the "Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London", and it described itself as
9100-513: Was formed; in 1991 this became the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust. In 1996 the zoo's name and logo was changed to Paignton Zoo Environmental Park. In 2003, the Trust built and opened Living Coasts , Torquay 's coastal zoo and aquarium, and purchased Newquay Zoo in Cornwall , creating a family of conservation attractions. The Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust became Wild Planet Trust in 2019. Wild Planet Trust supports conservation in
9200-497: Was in 1910, with the arrival of his first monkeys, that the seeds were sown for what was to become Paignton Zoo . In 1921, Herbert discovered that the coastal lagoon known as Slapton Ley , just 20 miles from Paignton, was under threat from development, and bought the land. Herbert also recognised the valuable role that zoos could play in education; in 1923, the Torbay Zoological Gardens opened its gates to
9300-622: Was in the Tower of London , created as early as 1204 by King John I . 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, near the main western entrance of the Tower. It was opened to the public during the reign of Elizabeth I in the 16th century. During the 18th century,
9400-566: Was initially reserved for the viewing pleasure of the imperial family and the court, but was made accessible to the public in 1765. In 1775, a zoo was founded in Madrid, and 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. The planning about a space for
9500-402: Was later renamed to the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust (WWCT), and this was again renamed in 2019 to the Wild Planet Trust . The trust also owns and operates Newquay Zoo and previously also ran Living Coasts on Torquay seafront. His estates also included the site of several local nature reserves in Devon, including Slapton Ley , now also owned by the trust. The zoo continued to grow as
9600-668: Was opened at the London Zoo in 1853. This was followed by the opening of public aquaria in continental Europe (e.g. Paris in 1859, Hamburg in 1864, Berlin in 1869, and Brighton in 1872) and the United States (e.g. Boston in 1859, Washington in 1873, San Francisco Woodward's Garden in 1873, and the New York Aquarium at Battery Park in 1896). Roadside zoos are found throughout North America , particularly in remote locations. They are often small, for-profit zoos, often intended to attract visitors to some other facility, such as
9700-580: Was revealed during excavations at Hierakonpolis , Egypt in 2009, of a c. 3500 BCE menagerie. The exotic animals included hippopotami , hartebeest , elephants , baboons and wildcats . King Ashur-bel-kala of the Middle Assyrian Empire created zoological and botanical gardens in the 11th century BCE. In the 2nd century BCE, the Chinese Empress Tanki had a "house of deer" built, and King Wen of Zhou kept
9800-533: Was the centre of the breeding operation. As well as the livestock, Herbert set about trying to breed many types of animal, and was particularly obsessive about producing blue animals. He filled the large amount of outbuildings of the estate with animals of all types. He acquired an increasing number of exotics, including a chimpanzee called Bonny Mary, who appeared in the press as "the cleverest chimp in England". In July 1923, Herbert decided to open his collection to
9900-574: Was the owner of a brewery empire and also the MP for Liverpool . Edward Whitley died in 1892 when Herbert was six and, like many children of well-to-do Victorian families, he was sent away to boarding school. In 1904, when Herbert was 18, Edwards's widow, Eleanor, moved her family south to Paignton , where they took over the Primley Estate . Herbert and his older brother William were well known locally as breeders of prizewinning livestock , although it
10000-477: Was the world's first scientific zoo. Originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study , it was opened to the public in 1847. The Zoo was located in Regent's Park —then undergoing development at the hands of the architect John Nash . What set the London zoo apart from its predecessors was its focus on society at large. The zoo was established in the middle of a city for the public, and its layout
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