Zoo (Civ6)/Civilopedia

The oldest known menagerie (or “zoological park,” i.e., zoo) has been excavated at Hierakonpolis and dates to c. 3500 BC; according to archaeologists, it contained hippos, elephants, hartebeest, baboons, and wildcats. In the 12th Century BC the Chinese empress Tanki had a “house of deer,” and the later Wen of Zhou established a 1500-acre menagerie. Alexander the Great had live specimens of unusual animals sent back to Greece to be displayed, and most of the Roman emperors had extensive collections of animals for the citizens to ogle. Humans have always been fascinated by watching caged animals, but no one is quite sure what the animals staring back at the humans are thinking; probably better not to know. The oldest existing zoo, the Tiergarten Schoenbrunn in Vienna, evolved from the exotic animal collection maintained by the Habsburg dynasty and was opened to the public in 1765 AD. Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in England opened in 1931 as the first drive-through “safari” park … a supposed “advance” over the traditional zoo full of cages.