Zoo

The "Tiergarten Schönbrunn", Vienna, was founded in 1752 and is the oldest still existing zoo.

A zoological garden, zoological park, or zoo is a place where many different species types of animals are kept so that people can see and watch them.^[1]

Modern zoos try not only to be for people's entertainment, but for education, research, and the conservation and protection of animals. Many zoos are centers where rare animals are preserved when they are in danger of dying out. These modern zoos also want to give the animals a natural life, so that they are healthy and behave normal. This is done for the animals, but also that people can see the animals as if they were in nature, and not in a zoo.

Zoos cost money. They educate the public on the biological diversity that makes up the world. They help people and wildlife successfully coexist. They pursue continuing research and education for people. They preserve crucial natural resources. They work to ensure zoos can provide the most natural environment possible for wildlife in its care. Without enough money they cannot do these things.

Many zoos are not like the modern type of zoo. There the animals are held in bad conditions. They are kept in small cages, and they are bored and get sick.

Types

There are different types of zoo all over the world. They are:

Giraffes at West Midlands Safari park

In a safari park visitors can drive their own vehicles or ride in vehicles given by the park to see the animals. Sometimes, visitors can feed the animals through the car windows. The first safari park was Whipsnade Park in Bedfordshire, England. It was opened by the Zoological Society of London in 1931.^[2]

The main aquarium at Dubai Mall Aquarium

A public aquarium has many aquatic animals and plants for people to see. Most public aquariums have very large tanks. They may also have smaller tanks. The first public aquariums were made in the mid-19th century.^[3]

Child petting a domestic goat at the "Little Kids" Children's Zoo in the St. Louis Zoo in St. Louis, Missouri, US

A petting zoo has domestic animals and some wild animals that are very calm so that the visitors can touch and feed them. Most petting zoos feature very calm herbivorous domesticated animals, such as: sheep, goats, pigs, rabbits or ponies, to feed and touch them safely. Few petting zoos have wild animals (such as pythons or baby big cats) touch. These are rare and usually found outside Western countries.

An animal theme park is a combination of a theme park and a zoo. It mainly built for entertainment, amusement, and commercial reasons. Many animal theme parks combine theme park elements, like entertainment and amusement rides, with zoo elements such as live animals kept inside cages so that visitors can see them.^[4]

Pictures

Giraffes in the Tiergarten Schönbrunn, Vienna.
Penguins at London Zoo.
Giant Pandas in Chiang Mai Zoo.
Toucans at Bronx Zoo.

Zoo Media

Sea Lion and Keeper at the Welsh Mountain Zoo
ViewoftheZoologicalGardens
The Tower of London housed England's royal menagerie for several centuries (Picture from the 15th century, British Library).
The Versailles menagerie during the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century
Annual report of the Zoological Society of London, 1836
"Wild" horses in the Erlebnispark Tripsdrill wildlife and theme park near Cleebronn in Southern Germany
Bear in Silesian Zoological Garden in Chorzów, Poland
The largest tank of the Afrykarium in the Wrocław Zoo shows the depths of the Mozambique Channel, where sharks, rays, and other large pelagic fish can be viewed from this 18 meter long underwater acrylic tunnel
A Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) at Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki, Finland