A Michigan Zoo Was the First To Ever Do THIS, And It Changed Zoos Forever

For years and years, people have been fascinated by exotic animals from around the world, many of which don't live near them and could, if they chose, tear them apart in a heartbeat. Nowadays, zoos are very humane, and the animals are well cared for. But for much of history, circus animals and early zoo animals were, quite literally, captive in their enclosures, living behind thick metal bars.

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Even as enclosures expanded over time, it wasn't until the Detroit Zoo completely revolutionized zoo design that zoos got rid of these bars and gave the animals the ability to move around freely, shaping modern-day zoos.

Detroit Zoo, The "Exhibit Without Bars"

When the Detroit Zoological Park opened in 1928, it was unlike any zoo in the United States. Inspired by German landscape designer Carl Hagenback, known for creating zoo exhibits without bars, the Detroit Zoo made the monumental choice to design a zoo that was completely open to the air.

READ MORE: America’s Oldest Aquarium Can Be Found In Michigan

Rather than putting up walls and metal bars, the zoo let the animals roam freely, allowing children to grow up eye-to-eye with apex predators like lions, bears, and elephants (later, the Detroit Zoo was also the first to "decide on ethical grounds to no longer keep elephants").

The zoo designers kept the animals naturally separated by moats and "rocks" made from reinforced concrete, according to the Michigan Historical Center. As shown above, the moat keeps the elephants within their region without physically trapping them.

Outside of birds and animals small enough to escape, the animals were free to roam, and the zoo remains this way to this day.