zoo

the facility where wild animals are housed for exhibition

A zoological garden, or zoo for short, is a place where animals are restricted within artificial environments and exhibited to the public.The first zoos were private menageries, usually belonging to kings. King Charles I started a zoo with a large python snake as the main attraction. The first public zoological garden was created in Vienna in 1752, when the Habsburg Emperors decided to grant public access to the former privately-owned Schönbrunn Palace menagerie, now called Tiergarten Schönbrunn Zoo ViennaTiergarten Schönbrunn. After the French Revolution, the Paris zoo was opened to the public. Over time, the mission of zoos has shifted from simply displaying animals for the wonderment of the public, to scientific study, and, later, to breeding them, and in particular maintaining populations of animals that are endangered speciesendangered or even extinct in the wild. The first scientific zoological garden in the modern world was founded in London in 1828 by the Zoological Society of London. It was opened to the public in the same year, as a way of funding its scientific work. Londoners soon shortened "zoological gardens" to "zoo." It was the Zoological Society of London, too, which was to be the first to create an open wild animal park, with the establishment of the Whipsnade Wild Animal Park on the Chiltern Hills in 1926. The famous naturalist Charles Darwin enjoyed visiting the London Zoo in order to observe the behaviour of its animals. The first live gorilla to be exhibited there created quite a sensation and reportedly influence some of Darwin's thinking on evolution and on emotions and intelligence in non-human primates.Some highly developed zoos harbor research groups, which have extremely valuable initiatives in the preservation of endangered species, in the study and reproduction of rare animals (such as white tigers), in the discovery of new techniques for maintaining animals in captivity and feeding them, in veterinary medicine of exotic species, and so on.Most modern zoos keep animals in enclosures that attempt to replicate their natural habitats. Many zoos now have special buildings for nocturnal animals, with dim red lighting during the day, so the animals will be active when visitors are there, and bright 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, fishes and other aquatic life forms have also been developed and are used in many zoos.A ''petting zoo'' (also called children's farms or children's zoos) features a combination of domestic animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. Petting zoos are extremely popular with small children. In order to ensure the animals' health, the food is supplied by the zoo, either from vending machines or a kiosk nearby. In addition to independent petting zoos , many general zoos contain one.'''Sometimes monkeys are not separated from the public, e.g. in the Apenheul Zoo in Apeldoorn. Peafowl are also frequently allowed to roam free in zoos.Most large cities in the world have zoos, though of drastically varying size and quality. Modern zoos are very dynamic, and are always breeding animals, promoting conservation, and building new exhibits. Major zoos are important tourist attractions, sufficiently so that governments may underwrite or subsidize the zoo's operating expenses. Public funding of zoos is also justified by their educational value, and they are a common destination for school field trips. Even so, many zoos have signs that provide little more information than an animal’s species, diet, and natural range. Most zoo funding primarily comes from donations and entrance fees.Zoos vary in size and quality—from drive-through parks to small roadside menageries with concrete slabs and iron bars. Birds’ wings may be clipped so that they cannot fly, and many animals who live in large herds or family groups in nature are kept alone or in small groups. Natural hunting and mating behaviors are virtually eliminated by regulated feeding and breeding regimens.More than 135 million people visit zoos in the United States and Canada every year, but most zoos operate at a loss and must find ways to cut costs or add gimmicks that will attract visitors. The ''Wall Street Journal'' reported that “nearly half of the country’s zoos are facing cutbacks this year … attendance, meanwhile, is down about 3% nationwide.”

See also -

List of zoos

Wildlife park

Aquarium

Marine park

Bird park

External links -

zoo-talk.com - Zoo-talk features zoo and animal news from all over the worldwiktionary !Category:LandmarksCategory:Zoo logyCategory:Zoos da:Zoologisk havede:Zooeo:Zooes:Jardín zoológicofr:Parc zoologiqueit:Giardino zoologicohe:גן !חיותnl:Dierentuinja:動物 園pl:Ogród? zoologicznypt:Jardim !zoológicosimple:Zoosk:Zoofi:E läintarhasv:Djurpark'''

Hotel AURUM an der Gedächtniskirche
Genießen das besondere Flair einer Großstadtmetropole ... Hotel „ AURUM „ befindet sich in Altberliner Haus, in der ruhigen Rankestraße –direkt an der Gedächtniskirche. In nur wenige Gehminuten sind Sie am Kurfürstendamm, mit zahlreichen Geschäften, Restaurants und Cafes mit einem vielfältigen Angebot an deutschen und internationalen Spezialitäten, Kinos, Theatern und Diskotheken. Aufgrund der zentralen Lage erreichen Sie alle Reiseziele in kürzester Zeit.
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The Pascoe Group Inc.
Engineering and Construction services for Zoos and Aquariums worldwide
http://www.thepascoegroup.com/

World Ocean Network
Caring for the Blue Planet, you can make a difference. The WORLD OCEAN NETWORK's mission: to inspire Public individual behaviour change and action for a more sustainable management of ocean resources.
http://www.worldoceannetwork.com/

NetVet Veterinary Resources
Collection of veterinary medical, and animal related Internet resources.
http://netvet.wustl.edu/

National Zoo
Part of the Smithsonian Institution. General information, animal webcams, videos, and photos, educational games, online animal demonstrations, a virtual zoo tour, and online presentations by the director and other staff.
http://natzoo.si.edu/

Birmingham Zoo
General information, list of Species Survival Program animals, schedule of events and education program summary.
http://www.birminghamzoo.com/

Philadelphia Zoo
1800 animals. America's first zoo. General information, program and event summary, a complete list of animals with photos, descriptions, videos and webcams, and information on sponsorship.
http://www.phillyzoo.org/