When and where did the first zoos originate? 0 11

In the largest city of Egypt, dating back to the ancient predynastic period of Nekhen (known as Hierakonpolis in the Hellenistic era), located south of Luxor, an animal burial site was found, dated to approximately 3500 BC. In 2009, remains of 10 dogs, a baby hippopotamus, a cow antelope, a cow with a calf, and an elephant were discovered here. In total, this burial contained over a hundred individuals, including two elephants, three hippopotamuses, 11 baboons, and six cats.

It appears that the animals were kept in captivity: the baboons, cat, and hippopotamus showed signs of fractures that had clearly healed with human assistance. The 10-year-old elephant calf was fed both wild and cultivated plants, indicating that it was being fed by humans. The animals were buried with honors in a privileged cemetery — in the same place where the burials of the city’s rulers and their families were found. The bison were lying under mats, and figurines of people were found nearby. One of the elephants was on a reed bedding and was covered with linen cloth.

According to scientists, this was not a public zoo, but a private menagerie of the ruler, after whose death the animals were sacrificed to the gods.