The animal game : searching for wildness at the American zoo

Over The Twentieth Century, As Wild, Tropical Animals Became Familiar Attractions In Urban American Zoos, They Became Rare In The Wild. Americans Who Made Zoos The Nation's Most Popular Attractions, Developed Closer Knowledge Of Tropical Animals, Especially Those From Regions Colonized By American And European Powers. Founded As A Living Taxonomy Of Exotic Nature, Such Zoos Never Achieved The Biological And Social Order Their Founders So Cherished. Workers, Animals, And Visitors Did Not Behave In Ways That Matched Zoo Officials' Or Founders' Visions. Tourists Fed The Animals, Littered, Even Poached. They Sought Tales Of Animal Adventure More Than Science Lessons. This Book Examines The Development Of Zoos And The Animal Trade That Supplied Them And How They Were Both Buffeted By Global Politics, Imperialism, Revolution, And War. Through The Paradox Of Animals That Were Endangered Yet Familiar And Entwined In Our Daily Lives, Animal Empire Fosters A Dialogue Between Those Charged With Conserving The Future, Those Concerned About The Effects Of The Past, And Those Who Gaze At Zoo Animals And Wonder About Places, Nature, And People They Are Unlikely Ever To See In Person. Through Zoos, We Have Learned To Look At Faraway Places, Environments, And Peoples Through The Lens Of Endangered Animals. Animal And Human Lives Dramatically Collided In The Twentieth Century And Animal Empire Is A Global History As It Appeared At The Zoo Through The Life And Death Of The Animals, The Keepers Who Mucked Out Their Cages And Reared Their Young, The Traders Who Captured Animals And The Imagination Of The American Public, And The Zoo Officials Who Have Helped Make The Idea Of Animal Endangerment A Key Indictment Of Our Contemporary Civilization.-- Introduction: The Zoo Parade -- The Elephant's Skin: Animals And Their Visitors -- The Voyage Of The Silverash: The Big Business Of Tropical Animals -- Jungleland: The Money In Wildlife -- The Monkeys' Island: The New Deal Builds A Modern Zoo -- Aping: African Animals On Zoo Stages -- Don't Feed The Keepers: The Labor And Care Of Zookeepers -- The Zoo Man's Holiday: Adventuring For The Zoo -- My Animal Babies: Caring For Endangered Species -- Dangerous Safari: Conservation At The End Of Empire -- Conclusion: Searching For The Yeti. Daniel E. Bender. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Over the twentieth century, as wild, tropical animals became familiar attractions in urban American zoos, they became rare in the wild. Americans who made zoos the nation's most popular attractions, developed closer knowledge of tropical animals, especially those from regions colonized by American and European powers. Founded as a living taxonomy of exotic nature, such zoos never achieved the biological and social order their founders so cherished. Workers, animals, and visitors did not behave in ways that matched zoo officials' or founders' visions. Tourists fed the animals, littered, even poached. They sought tales of animal adventure more than science lessons. This book examines the development of zoos and the animal trade that supplied them and how they were both buffeted by global politics, imperialism, revolution, and war. Through the paradox of animals that were endangered yet familiar and entwined in our daily lives, "Animal Empire" fosters a dialogue between those charged with conserving the future, those concerned about the effects of the past, and those who gaze at zoo animals and wonder about places, nature, and people they are unlikely ever to see in person. Through zoos, we have learned to look at faraway places, environments, and peoples through the lens of endangered animals. Animal and human lives dramatically collided in the twentieth century and "Animal Empire" is a global history as it appeared at the zoo through the life and death of the animals, the keepers who mucked out their cages and reared their young, the traders who captured animals and the imagination of the American public, and the zoo officials who have helped make the idea of animal endangerment a key indictment of our contemporary civilization.-- Provided by publisher The spread of empires in the nineteenth century brought more than new territories and populations under Western sway. Animals were also swept up in the net of imperialism, as jungles and veldts became colonial ranches and plantations. A booming trade in animals turned many strange and dangerous species into prized commodities. Tigers from India, pythons from Malaya, and gorillas from the Congo found their way—sometimes by shady means—to the zoos of major U.S. cities, where they created a sensation. Zoos were among the most popular attractions in the United States for much of the twentieth century. Stoking the public’s fascination, savvy zookeepers, animal traders, and zoo directors regaled visitors with stories of the fierce behavior of these creatures in their native habitats, as well as daring tales of their capture. Yet as tropical animals became increasingly familiar to the American public, they became ever more rare in the wild. Tracing the history of U.S. zoos and the global trade and trafficking in animals that supplied them, Daniel Bender examines how Americans learned to view faraway places and peoples through the lens of the exotic creatures on display. Over time, as the zoo’s mission shifted from offering entertainment to providing a refuge for endangered species, conservation parks replaced pens and cages. __The Animal Game__ recounts Americans’ ongoing, often conflicted relationship with zoos, decried as anachronistic prisons by animal rights activists even as they remain popular centers of education and preservation. Introduction: The zoo parade -- The elephant's skin: animals and their visitors -- The voyage of the silverash: the big business of tropical animals -- Jungleland: the money in wildlife -- The monkeys' island: the New Deal builds a modern zoo -- Aping: African animals on zoo stages -- Don't feed the keepers: the labor and care of zookeepers -- The zoo man's holiday: adventuring for the zoo -- My animal babies: caring for endangered species -- Dangerous safari: conservation at the end of empire -- Conclusion: Searching for the yeti: wildness in the age of extinction