What were the earliest known zoos in Egypt?

The first known collections of exotic animals were held by royalty – and were not open to the public. Archaeological digs in the ancient Egyptian city of Nekhen have found buildings from around 3500 B.C. containing the remains of captive hippos, baboons and elephants – animals not native to Egypt.



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Strange animal burials at the ancient Egyptian capital of Hierakonpolis point to the existence of a large, exotic menagerie around 3500 B.C. The 2009 field season produced 10 dogs, a baby hippo, a hartebeest, a cow and calf, and an elephant.

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The first public exhibit of animals may have been created by Egypt's Queen Hatshepsut around 1480 B.C. Researchers think the zoo was started with animals brought home from an expedition the queen sent to a far-off land known as Punt, which may have been modern-day Eritrea.

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The first zoos were created as private collections by the wealthy to show their power. These private collections were called menageries.

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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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