ProCon’s Zoo Quiz

Question: The oldest zoo still operating is found in which city?

Answer: The oldest zoo still operating is Austria’s Vienna Zoo, which began as a menagerie in 1752 in the gardens and park of the Schönbrunn Palace, the Habsburg rulers’ summer residence.

Question: What is a menagerie?

Answer: A menagerie is all of these things.

Question: Jumbo the elephant and Winnie-the-Pooh both have a connection to which zoo?

Answer: The London Zoo received Jumbo the elephant in 1865 and an American black bear cub named Winnie in 1914; the latter inspired the character Winnie-the-Pooh.

Question: How did German animal trainer Carl Hagenbeck contribute to the history of zoos?

Answer: Animal dealer and trainer Carl Hagenbeck (1844–1913) was responsible for all of these developments in the history of zoos.

Question: How did Madame Ningo, the first gorilla in North America and the first one exhibited in the United States, die?

Answer: Born in the French Congo, Madame Ningo was brought to the Bronx Zoo in New York City in 1911. Despite being a herbivore (plant eater), she was fed hot dinners with cooked meat from a nearby restaurant; she refused to eat and died within weeks.

Question: Which of the following is true about captive African elephants compared with wild African elephants?

Answer: Captive African elephants live about half as long as wild African elephants: 16.9 years versus 35.8 years.

Question: Which of the following is not an argument in favor of zoos?

Answer: This is a common criticism of zoos.

Question: The 2013 documentary Blackfish highlighted the life of Tilikum. Who was Tilikum?

Answer: Confined for nearly his whole life, Tilikum became the largest orca (killer whale) in captivity, long kept at SeaWorld Orlando in Florida; he grew increasingly aggressive, eventually killing three people, including two trainers.