Zoo
collection of assorted wild animal species kept for purposes like: study, conservation and, or, commercial exhibition
A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called a zoological park, animal park, or menagerie) is a facility where animals are kept within enclosures for exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
The term zoological garden refers to zoology, the study of animals. The term is derived from the Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion, 'animal', and the suffix -λογία, -logia, 'study of'. The abbreviation zoo was first used of the London Zoological Gardens, which was opened for scientific study in 1828, and to the public in 1847. The first modern zoo was the Tierpark Hagenbeck by Carl Hagenbeck in Germany. In the United States alone, zoos are visited by over 181 million people annually.
However, animal welfare organizations have expressed criticism of zoos and the conditions in which animals are kept. Concerns have been raised about the impact of zoos on animal welfare, including both housing conditions and the effects of visitor behavior. In recent decades, efforts have been made to improve conditions in zoos.
Etymology
The London Zoo, which was opened in 1828, was initially known as the "Gardens and Menagerie of the Zoological Society of London", and it described itself as a menagerie or "zoological forest".
“Zoo” enters the record as collection of assorted wild animal species kept for purposes like: study, conservation and, or, commercial exhibition. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what assorted, wild and animal can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Zoo” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, assorted, wild and animal provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 17, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q43501. The Library of Congress control number is sh85150003. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1828 and 1847.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Zoo”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Zoo primary sources, Zoo archive and assorted research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Zoo”?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Zoo” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.