Did they have zoos in medieval times?

Gradually, rulers began to have private animal collections, near their farms, like Emperor Frederick II in 1194, who was the predecessor of the zoos. He built one of the first animal gardens in the Middle Ages, and collected many different species, which he exchanged with other rulers.



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Evidence of private menageries owned by ancient Egyptian kings and aristocrats puts them as early as 2500 BCE. They were later transformed into public institutions in the 1700s. The late 18th and early 19th century witnessed the formation of zoological societies such as the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

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From the late 1800's to around the 1950's, there were human zoos internationally. From Europe to New York, there were people of color (POC) residing in zoos and museums as living exhibits. They were Africans, Asians, Latin Americans and Indigenous people.

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It wasn't until 1958 that the United Nations condemned human zoos, recognizing them as a violation of human rights. The last human zoo was hosted in Brussels, Belgium, and it closed its doors that same year. This means that human zoos were in operation as recently as 60 years ago, which is a shocking fact to consider.

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