American Zoos During the Depression: A New Deal for Animals

by Jesse C. Donahue

American zoos flourished during the Great Depression, thanks to federal programs that enabled local governments to build new zoological parks, complete finished ones, and remodel outdated facilities. This historical text examines community leaders' successful advocacy for zoo construction in the context of poverty and widespread suffering, arguing that they provided employment, stimulated tourism, and democratized leisure. Of particular interest is the rise of the zoo professional, which paved the way for science and conservation agendas. The text explores the New Deal's profound impact on zoos and animal welfare and the legacy of its programs in zoos today.

235 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2010

Reviews

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually this book should be rated 4.5 stars; it loses a half star as a result of typographical errors. This book provides a good overview of how the recovery programs under the New Deal were used by American cities and zoos to construct and modernize outdated zoos and animal menageries during the Great Depression as part of the effort to provide leisure activities for residents and attract visitors. It does not attempt to provide a comprehensive list of all of the institutions that benefited from these programs and how they did so. Instead the book focuses on providing what can be construed to be case studies using several well-known and lesser known zoos as examples of both beneficiaries, i.e., the Central Park, Prospect Park and Staten Island Zoos in New York City, the St. Louis Zoo, and the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans, and those that failed to take full advantage of them, i.e., the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle.

As an epilogue, the book looks at present status of efforts to maintain these historic structures and current practices for funding zoos in the absence of the funding once provided by programs such as those of the New Deal which were used for capital improvements, and operational and capital funds that were previously in large part provided by state and municipal governments.

Anyone interested in the history of American zoos and how they entered the modern age will find this book to be of interest.