Where was the first zoo in Europe?

The distinction of being the oldest zoo in Europe has, in the end, fallen to Vienna's Tiergarten Schönbrunn, which was founded in 1752 – also by the Habsburgs, and also as a menagerie. Prague, lagging behind most other European capitals, did not get its own zoological garden until 1931.



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The oldest known zoological collection was revealed during excavations at Hierakonpolis, Egypt in 2009, of a c. 3500 BCE menagerie. The exotic animals included hippopotami, hartebeest, elephants, baboons and wildcats.

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Opened in 1828 by ZSL (Zoological Society of London) London Zoo is the world's oldest scientific zoo and the brainchild of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, who was also renowned for founding Singapore.

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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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Have Your Gift MATCHED to Help Animals in Laboratories! There are around 430 zoos in Britain alone and 10,000 worldwide.

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The Tierpark in the Berlin district Lichtenberg is the largest zoo in Europe. It is best to plan a whole day for your visit. Over 8,000 animals live on an area of 160 hectares and there are about 650 different animal species in total - from the Malaysian bear to polar bears.

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The Košice Zoo (Slovak: Zoologická záhrada Košice) is a zoo in Košice, Slovakia in the borough of Kavecany. It covers 292 hectares (720 acres) and is the largest zoo in Slovakia and the third largest in Europe. Visitors are allowed in only about one third of the site.

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