动物园的发展历史

A History of Zoological Gardens

说到动物园的起源。可以追溯到新石器时代，然而“动物园”（zoo）这个今天人们耳熟能详的词汇，仅在一百多年前才为公众知晓。19世纪下半叶，英国伦敦的音乐厅里活跃着一支名为“狮子丑角”的乐队，他们演唱的一首《逛逛动物园》（Walking in the Zoo）颇受市民喜爱。歌中有段合唱：“到动物园逛逛，到动物园逛逛，在星期天的下午，去动物园逛逛是一件多么惬意的事!”欢快的歌声把“动物园”一词带入了人们的生活。

People began raising exotic animals more than 4000 years ago.The royal collections of exotic animals were not exhibited to the public until the feudalist power was overthrown.A modern zoological garden should contribute to scientific research and public education,which is a tradition of the Age of Enlightenment.