June is National Zoo and Aquarium month. Did you know that there are around 2,800 zoos and aquariums around the world, 355 of them in the United States?
Let’s explore zoos!
The path to modern zoos began with the capture of wildlife in enclosures, leading to the domestication of those best suited to living in human-controlled herds, such as goats and sheep.
The first recorded collections of wildlife were in Egypt and Mesopotamia around 2,500 BC. The rich collected animals such as lions, monkeys, camels, elephants, and peacocks for entertainment and sport. Sometimes natural habitats such as swamps were created to house species, which was not practiced in modern zoos until 1907, when Carl Hagenbeck denied first zoo without cages in Hamburg, Germany. did you know that People were once exhibited in zoos?
The cage-free zoo Hagenbeck evolved to Immersion exhibitswhere natural, habitat-like environments allow animals to behave like they do in the wild and visitors wander through the natural environment with few other people in sight. The first of these was created in 1976 at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.
Worries about stress and boredom among zoo and aquarium animals led to the concept Environmental enrichment. Solving physical puzzles and finding hidden food stimulates the animals’ brains, species coexisting in the wild are held together for greater diversity, and the environment contains links to natural behaviors such as protrusions for sitting.
Zoos actively participate in the Conservation of threatened species. For example, 150 zoos launched a global captive breeding program to save the golden lion tamarin, and the little monkeys were reintroduced into the Brazilian wild. The program continues as habitat loss continues to threaten the remaining population.
The oldest zoo in the world The oldest modern zoo is the Vienna Zoo in Schönbrunn, which was opened in 1752 by Emperor Franz I to entertain kings and nobles. In 1778, “decently dressed people” were allowed to visit the zoo on Sundays.
Oldest zoo in the USA Although the Civil War delayed the opening of the Philadelphia Zoo until 1874, the Zoological Society of Philadelphia’s charter dates back to 1859, making it the oldest zoo in the United States.
Biggest zoos The Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest zoo in the world by area and species. The Berlin Zoological Garden has the greatest biodiversity.
Largest aquariums The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is the largest aquarium in the world, followed by the Dubai Mall Aquarium. The Georgia Aquarium is home to over 100,000 marine life!
Visit a zoo near you!
If you can’t visit Akron Zoo this summer, you might want to join ours Penguin pen pals Program that runs until July 2021. Get a take-and-make postcard set pre-stamped and addressed to a penguin at Akron Zoo. The penguins will be sending replies to the library, so check back after you’ve mailed your postcard to see if they replied!
Michele Mellor
Michele Mellor is the reference librarian at the main library, where she has endeavored for over 30 years to bring order to the universe of knowledge. She loves helping people, so ask her these reference questions! She enjoys reading micro-stories and books that broaden her horizons, which are soured by brain-sugar-sweet romance novels.
This press release was prepared by the Youngstown & Mahoning County Public Library. The views expressed here are your own.
