Wild Lives: A History of the People and Animals of the Bronx Zoo
To the degree that we come to understand other organisms we will place a greater value on them and on ourselves Edward O Wilson Biophilia ZOO AWAKENING On a cold rainy afternoon in November 1899 Director William T Hornaday flung open the wrought-iron gates of the Bronx Zoo for the first time Horse drawn carriages had arrived carrying important people from all over the city The Bronx Zoo opened its doors for the first time on November 8 1899
Zoo-goers crowd around the bear dens on Opening Day The drivers parked outside the gates and the excited guests stepped out Women in their long skirts and fancy hats men in dark suits and derby caps rushed in and gathered for the opening ceremonies The speeches were brief and the crowds were soon staring in wonder at the bears in their new dens and pressing to get a look at the buffalo elk and caribou in their pens Boys in knee pants and woolen socks hurried to see the storks and pelicans in the Aquatic Birds House Girls in short frilly dresses gasped at the alligator and python in the Reptile House Never had the visitors seen so many strange and fascinating creatures in one place As the years went by New York City grew its skyscrapers blocking out forest and sky the din of its trains and horseless carriages drowning out the songs of birds New Yorkers came to consider the Zoo up in the rural woodsy Bronx a pleasant diversion from the pressures of city life Although zoo-goers enjoyed the excitement excitement of seeing unfamiliar or exotic animals few inquired about the
habitats those animals came from or what their lives in the wild might have been like Most people regarded animals as objects to be captured and tamed or to be hunted and killed for pleasure or profit They regarded wild habitats as places to be subdued or developed for human uses Unless an animal seemed truly abused and miserable miserable in its cage zoo-goers rarely ques tioned whether the confinement of animals could be justified solely for the sake of human pleasure and entertainment William T Hornaday first director of the Bronx Zoo at his desk BROWN PELICAN
