London Zoo

London Zoo holds the distinction of being the oldest scientific zoo in the world. When it opened to members of the Zoological Society of London in eighteen twenty-eight, the intent was to create a place for serious academic research rather than public amusement. The founders, who included Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, envisioned a collection where animals from across the globe could be studied to advance biological understanding. For the first two decades of its existence, the gates remained firmly closed to the general public, serving only scientists and those with the right social connections.