ABSTRACT
Until relatively recently, most zoo histories were institutional biographies, often written by zoo professionals. These works charted the development of specific zoos or circuses, and tended to tell a story of gradual progress over time, with larger enclosures and improved architecture leading to better conditions for captive animals. In recent years, more critical studies of zoos have emerged, posing new questions about zoological institutions and situating them within wider histories of leisure, popular culture and empire. Drawing on these studies, this chapter considers how (and to what extent) the exhibition of exotic animals has evolved over time, what criticisms have been made of zoos and menageries and how menageries have served as emblems of monarchical and imperial power. Three case studies illustrate the changing nature of animal exhibition: a rhinoceros shipped to Portugal from Goa in 1515, a hippopotamus exhibited at London Zoo in 1850, and a panda reared in Chapultepec Zoo, Mexico City, in 1981.
