Zoos are amazing places. At their best, the modern forms mix research and spectacle into a melange that has the power to both entertain as well as enlighten. At their worst… well, let us not dwell on that at present. And as to their history; in their previous existence as menageries and indeed, right up into living memory, some have not only been institutions of scientific study, but but also centers of far more social and political influence than we would likely think possible today.

This intersection of science and socio-political influence at the Berlin Zoo is the subject of Professor Gary Bruce‘s forthcoming book Through the Lion Gate; A History of the Berlin Zoo from Oxford University Press. Spanning the zoo’s history from 1844 until 1990, Professor Bruce examines how it, the animals it contained, and the people who came to view them were effected by the dramatic changes the city – and indeed the world – experienced over this 150 year period.