Why do people go to zoos? Is the role of zoos to entertain or to educate?

        In this provocative book, the authors demonstrate that zoos tell us as

        much about humans as they do about animals and suggest that while animals

        may not need zoos, urban societies seem to.

      A new introduction takes note of dramatic changes in the perceived role

        of zoos that have occurred since the book's original publication.

      "Bob Mullan and Garry Marvin delve into the assumptions about animals

        that are embedded in our culture. . . . A thought-provoking glimpse of

        our own ideas about the exotic, the foreign." -- Tess Lemmon, BBC

        Wildlife Magazine

      "A thoughtful and entertaining guided tour." -- David White,

        New Society

      "[An] unusual and intriguing combination of historical survey, psychological

        enquiry, and compendium of fascinating facts." -- Evening Standard