David Hancocks
A Different Nature
The Paradoxical World of Zoos and Their Uncertain Future
$22.95, £13.50 paperback
978-0-520-23676-9
Available Now
301 pages, 6 x 9 inches, 37 b/w photographs, 1 line illustration
May 2001, Available worldwide
Categories: Ecology, Evolution, Environment; Conservation; History of Science; Animal Behavior
May 2001, Available worldwide
Categories: Ecology, Evolution, Environment; Conservation; History of Science; Animal Behavior
"Brilliant. Its clear and unpretentious language and Hancocks' evident passion for and knowledge of his subject made it one of the best books I have read in a long while."—Tim Murray, The Age (Melbourne)
"This brilliantly researched and persuasive book traces the sociology of animal captivity back to Paleolithic times."—Publishers Weekly
"The capture and display of wild animals, an ancient and universal phenomenon, embodies a dichotomy, Hancocks explains in this engrossing history of zoos and their role in society. His critique of the miseries associated with their museumlike warehousing of living creatures is electrifying, the perfect lead-in to his discussion of the slow realization that naturalistic habitats are essential to zoo animals' health and happiness."—Booklist
"[Hancocks] writes authoritatively and compassionately, and fortunately offers some ideas on how to improve zoos for both the animals and the people who visit them."—Christian Science Monitor
"[Hancocks] writes with impressive scholarly authority, and in a lucid style that when necessary rises to feeling and eloquence. Although the book is only 266 pages in length, it feels much longer because it includes so much interesting fact and so many lively opinions."—Washington Times
"[Hancocks] makes his case with convincing passion and unusually elegant prose. Given that declining biodiversity is probably the greatest of all the environmental challenges we face, Hancocks' book has a special urgency. This is not just a cry for the wild, but a call to arms."—LA Weekly
"An engaging tour through the history of the world's zoological parks, from the 16th-century zoos of the Mogul Empire to the Bronx Zoo of today. [Hancocks] forces us to consider the worth and purpose of zoos in modern society from an animal welfare and conservation perspective."—American Scientist
"Excellent survey."—BBC Wildlife
"Fascinating, often eloquent . . . deeply informed."—Seattle Weekly
"[F]izzes and crackles with perception and provocation."—Science
"[A] brilliant, disturbing, and hopeful history not just of zoos but of human relations with nature."—Landscape Architecture
"This brilliantly researched and persuasive book traces the sociology of animal captivity back to Paleolithic times."—Publishers Weekly
"The capture and display of wild animals, an ancient and universal phenomenon, embodies a dichotomy, Hancocks explains in this engrossing history of zoos and their role in society. His critique of the miseries associated with their museumlike warehousing of living creatures is electrifying, the perfect lead-in to his discussion of the slow realization that naturalistic habitats are essential to zoo animals' health and happiness."—Booklist
"[Hancocks] writes authoritatively and compassionately, and fortunately offers some ideas on how to improve zoos for both the animals and the people who visit them."—Christian Science Monitor
"[Hancocks] writes with impressive scholarly authority, and in a lucid style that when necessary rises to feeling and eloquence. Although the book is only 266 pages in length, it feels much longer because it includes so much interesting fact and so many lively opinions."—Washington Times
"[Hancocks] makes his case with convincing passion and unusually elegant prose. Given that declining biodiversity is probably the greatest of all the environmental challenges we face, Hancocks' book has a special urgency. This is not just a cry for the wild, but a call to arms."—LA Weekly
"An engaging tour through the history of the world's zoological parks, from the 16th-century zoos of the Mogul Empire to the Bronx Zoo of today. [Hancocks] forces us to consider the worth and purpose of zoos in modern society from an animal welfare and conservation perspective."—American Scientist
"Excellent survey."—BBC Wildlife
"Fascinating, often eloquent . . . deeply informed."—Seattle Weekly
"[F]izzes and crackles with perception and provocation."—Science
"[A] brilliant, disturbing, and hopeful history not just of zoos but of human relations with nature."—Landscape Architecture
"A well-written and provocative, opinion-rich account of zoos, their history, and their goals and purposes. Hancocks has earned the right to speak authoritatively about these subjects, thanks to his tenure as director of two leading U. S. zoos. This book will appeal to general readers and to all persons interested in zoos and their role in conservation and education."—John Alcock, author of Animal Behavior: An Evolutionary Approach
"Giraffes, elephants, gorillas, snakes, and toucans respond poorly to the usual conventions of human architecture. Zoo architects usually respond no less poorly to the needs of animals. David Hancocks draws on a lifetime's experience working as a zoo director and zoo architect to explore this dilemma, and offers a compelling vision for the future. This is an important book for those interested in conservation as well as for zoo and museum buffs."—William Conway, former President and General Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Bronx Zoo
"For over two decades David Hancocks has fervently tried to reform the fundamental character and mission of zoos. This book is his most thorough analysis of what is wrong with them and his most detailed and compelling plea for improvement. Every conscientious zoo administrator, curator, and keeper should read it from cover to cover with an open mind. Professionals in botanical gardens, museums, and nature parks should also consider this treatise because Hancocks advocates that a fusion of all of these institutions into a new entity better positioned to interpret the entire biosphere."-Mark A. Dimmitt, Director of Natural History, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
"Giraffes, elephants, gorillas, snakes, and toucans respond poorly to the usual conventions of human architecture. Zoo architects usually respond no less poorly to the needs of animals. David Hancocks draws on a lifetime's experience working as a zoo director and zoo architect to explore this dilemma, and offers a compelling vision for the future. This is an important book for those interested in conservation as well as for zoo and museum buffs."—William Conway, former President and General Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Bronx Zoo
"For over two decades David Hancocks has fervently tried to reform the fundamental character and mission of zoos. This book is his most thorough analysis of what is wrong with them and his most detailed and compelling plea for improvement. Every conscientious zoo administrator, curator, and keeper should read it from cover to cover with an open mind. Professionals in botanical gardens, museums, and nature parks should also consider this treatise because Hancocks advocates that a fusion of all of these institutions into a new entity better positioned to interpret the entire biosphere."-Mark A. Dimmitt, Director of Natural History, Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Humanity has had an enduring desire for close contact with exotic animals—from the Egyptian kings who kept thousands of animals, including monkeys, wild cats, hyenas, giraffes, and oryx, to the enormously popular zoological parks of today. This book, the most extensive history of zoos yet published, is a fascinating look at the origins, evolution, and—most importantly—the future of zoos.
David Hancocks, an architect and zoo director for thirty years, is passionately opposed to the poor standards that have prevailed and still exist in many zoos. He reviews the history of zoos in light of their failures and successes and points the way toward a more humane approach, one that will benefit both the animals and the humans who visit them. This book, replete with illustrations and full of moving stories about wild animals in captivity, shows that we have only just begun to realize zoos' enormous potential for good.
Hancocks singles out and discusses the better zoos, exploring such places as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Bronx Zoo with its dedication to worldwide conservation programs, Emmen Zoo in Holland with its astonishingly diverse education programs, Wildscreen in England, and Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, where the concept of "landscape immersion"—exhibits that surround people and animals in carefully replicated natural habitats—was pioneered.
Calling for us to reinvent zoos, Hancocks advocates the creation of a new type of institution: one that reveals the interconnections among all living things and celebrates their beauty, inspires us to develop greater compassion for wild animals great and small, and elicits our support for preserving their wild habitats.
David Hancocks, an architect and zoo director for thirty years, is passionately opposed to the poor standards that have prevailed and still exist in many zoos. He reviews the history of zoos in light of their failures and successes and points the way toward a more humane approach, one that will benefit both the animals and the humans who visit them. This book, replete with illustrations and full of moving stories about wild animals in captivity, shows that we have only just begun to realize zoos' enormous potential for good.
Hancocks singles out and discusses the better zoos, exploring such places as the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, the Bronx Zoo with its dedication to worldwide conservation programs, Emmen Zoo in Holland with its astonishingly diverse education programs, Wildscreen in England, and Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo, where the concept of "landscape immersion"—exhibits that surround people and animals in carefully replicated natural habitats—was pioneered.
Calling for us to reinvent zoos, Hancocks advocates the creation of a new type of institution: one that reveals the interconnections among all living things and celebrates their beauty, inspires us to develop greater compassion for wild animals great and small, and elicits our support for preserving their wild habitats.
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Collections as Status
2. The Eighteenth-Century Concept
3. The Nineteenth-Century Phenomenon
4. Romanticists and Modernists
5. Toward New Frontiers
6. Immersed in the Landscape
7. Agents of Conservation
8. Which Way the Future?
Epilogue
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. Collections as Status
2. The Eighteenth-Century Concept
3. The Nineteenth-Century Phenomenon
4. Romanticists and Modernists
5. Toward New Frontiers
6. Immersed in the Landscape
7. Agents of Conservation
8. Which Way the Future?
Epilogue
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index
Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award in the Science and Technology Category, Los Angeles Times
Read a review at the Christian Science Monitor