History of Zoos in Latin America article

I found this interesting article the other day on the history of zoos in Latin America written by a scholar at Oxford University, UK.

It chronicles the the ancient / Pre-Colombian history of zoos in the region, the colonial and post-independence periods and the modern history of these institutions going forward to the present day / 21st century.

Some topics covered in this interesting paper (apart from general history) are the conservation-education role of zoos in Latin America, the challenge of modernizing these institutions and the difficulties zoos face from animal rights activist movements, political and social instability, and financial crashes etc.

Zoos discussed include : Chapultepec zoo in Mexico, Havana zoo in Cuba, Buenos Aires zoo in Argentina, Zoodom in the Dominican Republic, Parque de las Leyendas zoo in Peru, Santiago zoo in Chile, São Paulo Zoo in Brazil, Montevideo zoo in Uruguay, Asunción zoo in Paraguay and the notorious Hacienda Nápoles of Pablo Escobar (yet strangely no mention of one of the best zoos in Latin America and Colombia, the Cali Zoo).

There were quite a few suprises for me when reading this. For example, I had no idea that Zoodom in the Dominican Republic had played such a foundational role in forming the Latin American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (ALPZA).

Link is posted below.

Enjoy

Zoos in Latin America - Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Latin American History

 

Interesting to read, thanks for the link.

I agree on the case of Kivu, he was kept in for sure one of the worst or maybe even the worst enclosure (cage) I have ever seen for a lion or other big cat in a zoo worldwide.