1750-1849 - The first zoos

(Vienna zoo, Austria) opens as a part of the imperial gardens of Schönbrunn castle, and is thereby the worlds oldest zoo. That day the emperor sat his foot fore the first time here and since he and his familly has enjoyed many days here, having his morning coffee in the Café, wich still stands. So does many of the old enclosures.

The french revolution started 1789 and the king had animals at Versailles. Most where aten, some where killed, but a few animals survived and these where the beginning of this zoo. First director was the botanist Bernardin de Saint-Pierre. When it opened, the menagerie housed only 58 animals: 32 mammals and 26 birds (including a lion, a quagga, a hartebeest, peacocks, fallow deer, sheep, goats, monkeys, bears, a camel and a bull)

(London, London, United Kingdom) London Zoo was the first the zoo with the name Zoological Gardens and was found by Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of the city of Singapore. In the beginning it was a garden only for scientific research and first opened for the public 1847. There has been an aquarium at the Zoo since 1853 and was the first aquarium to be established in the world. The word 'aquarium' also originates at London Zoo, beforehand the term for a fish enclosure was 'Aquatic Vivarium'.Today you finde more than 750 species here.

(Dublin, Ireland) This is the first Zoo in the contryside, today though a capital zoo. The first animals came from London Zoo. It only has a small collection of animals, though many are quite rare

(Bristol, South West England, United Kingdom) This is the 3rd still surviving Zoo in the former UK an the 2nd in England. It is videly known becourse of its fine breedingresults, like the first squirrel monky in any zoo. 2022 it moved to the present site.

(Amsterdam, Netherlands) This is the first real zoo opening outside of the UK. The 'Zoological Society Natura Artis Magistra' was founded on 1 May 1838 by bookseller Gerardus Frederik Westerman, commission agent Johann Wilhelm Heinrich Werlemann and watchmaker Jan Jacob Wijsmuller. The aim was to bring nature closer to the well-to-do citizens, both in living and non-living form. The core of the current zoo property, then the "Middenhof" estate, was purchased by the board by the zoological society in the Plantage, which was then a rural area on the outskirts of Amsterdam.The last quagga world wide died in this zoo.

(Antwerp, Belgium) This Zoo opened just 5 years after the kingdom of Belgium was recognized officially. Although the Antwerp zoo first opened its doors to the public on July 21, 1843, the contract of the very first director Jacques Kets was already concluded on June 19, 1841. It was not until March 1, 1843 that the first one and a half hectares of land in the then fifth district of Groenenhoek was purchased. At that time there was not much to see besides Kets' collection of stuffed animals: only some goats and horses. Today its most known building is the old pachydermhouse, built like an egyptian temple in 1856

(Berlin Zoo, Berlin, Germany) The first animals were donated by Frederick William IV, King of Prussia, from the menagerie at Pfaueninsel island and pheasantry of the Tiergarten. Especially known is the Antilope House formed like a mosque. But also a lot of the other houses are build like houses frome Asia and old time Europe.