Ménagerie du Jardin des plantes

The Menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes began as an act of revolutionary salvation. In the chaos of the French Revolution, the royal animal collection at the Palace of Versailles was abandoned by the monarchy, and citizens began to release or destroy the creatures they viewed as symbols of royal excess. Scientists from the National Museum of Natural History intervened, moving the surviving exotic animals to this site in seventeen ninety four to preserve them for public education and study. This rescue mission established one of the world's oldest zoos, creating a space where the pursuit of scientific knowledge replaced the old tradition of private royal display.