Every year, on April 8, Zoo Lovers Day is celebrated. This is a perfect day to visit the zoo.
The first zoo in history opened in 1752 in Vienna, Austria, on the orders of Emperor Franz I. It was originally intended for viewing only by the emperor's family, but was opened to the general public later in 1765.
Ten years later, another zoo opened in Madrid and then in Paris in 1795. The enthusiasm for zoos in Europe was immense. The people wanted to see strange and exotic animals that came from distant places that could not be seen anywhere else in those days without TV and internet.
What was once a demonstration of the power and wealth of aristocratic families, who kept captive animals to boast about, often in poor conditions and far from their natural living conditions, has over the years become rather a place to save and preserve extinct species. Today, the zoos try to provide, nurture and protect the animals that live in them an environment that is as similar as possible to the environment from which they came.
Interesting facts about zoos:
Chile has a zoo where people are the ones in a cage and the animals are free. (Link)
At the beginning of World War II, London Zoo workers feared that the zoo would be bombed and its venomous snakes would flee to the city and therefore killed everyone.
The other animals were moved to other, more protected places. During the war the zoo was indeed bombed, but no animal was harmed. Only one zebra escaped to the city but was captured and returned to the garden.