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The Complicated World of Zoos: 9 Titles on Wild Animals in Captivity

Zoos continue to inspire vigorous debate, with advocates asserting their importance for conservation and detractors citing their questionable contributions and the diminished lives of captive animals. The titles below explore the history of zoos and come from both sides of this complex and important discussion.

User from Boston Public Library

9 items

  • Zoo

    a History of Zoological Gardens in the West

    Baratay, Eric
    A copiously illustrated social history of zoos that focuses more on how people have viewed wild animals and their captivity than on zoo architecture or animal care.
    Book, 2002London : Reaktion, 2002. — QL76 .B2413 2002x
  • Savages and Beasts

    the Birth of the Modern Zoo

    Rothfels, Nigel
    A history of the development of modern zoo design, including discussion of the (in)famous Hagenbecks of Hamburg.
    Unknown, 2002Baltimore, Md. : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002. — QL76.5.G3 R68 2002
  • Zoo Studies

    a New Humanities

    "This collection immerses readers in the lives of animals and their experiences of captivity and asks us to reflect on our own assumptions about both humans and animals."
    Book, 2019Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2019] — QL76 .Z66 2019x
  • Zoo Story

    Life in the Garden of Captives

    French, Thomas
    An exploration of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo, covering both its history and its current operations and administration. Also available as an eBook.
    Book, 2010New York : Hyperion, c2010. — QL76.5.U62 T36 2010x
  • Thought to Exist in the Wild

    Awakening From the Nightmare of Zoos

    Jensen, Derrick, 1960-
    An illustrated indictment of zoos, their effects on animals' lives, and the cultural and psychological tendencies from which they are born and which they reinforce.
    Book, 2007Santa Cruz, CA : No Voice Unheard, 2007. — QL76 .J46 2007x
  • The Rhino With Glue-on Shoes

    and Other Surprising True Stories of Zoo Vets and Their Patients

    A popular account of zoo veterinarians and their work. Also available as an eBook.
    Book, 2008New York, N.Y. : Delacorte Press, 2008. — SF995.84 .R45 2008
  • Zooicide

    Seeing Cruelty, Demanding Abolition

    Coe, Sue, 1951-
    A striking graphic work that argues that zoos "are inherently cruel and that the solution is not to reform them, but to abolish them." Also available as an eBook.
    Book, 2018Chico, CA ; Edinburgh, Scotland : AK Press, [2018] — N7433.4.C56 Z66 2018x
  • Babylon's Ark

    the Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo

    Anthony, Lawrence
    An account of zoo animals subjected to the extreme conditions of human warfare.
    Book, 2007New York : Thomas Dunne Books, c2007. — QL76.5.I722 B342 2007
  • A professional journal, offering the gritty details of caring for captive and wild animals. Available through JSTOR with a 5-year lag.
    Journal, 1989–Lawrence, Kan. : American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, 1989-