公共動物園被引入臺灣的歷史才僅一世紀之久，但在這短短的百年之間，它的樣貌已歷經多重改變。1910年代起臺北動物園本是總督府博物館下的一支，後移入圓山成為都市公園的一角，再後是遊樂園與動物表演的娛樂場，到1980年代下半加入學校校外教學輔助場域的功能，並利用物種的保存基地（「方舟」）口號建構自我的存在意義。而在經營主體上，臺灣的公共動物園多以市級公立機構的形式經營， 20世紀初是作為帝國（國家）或地區城市的文明設施，園中動物成為市民的共同寵物；而在1970年代起受全球環境政治影響，動物園組織集團化，知識交流頻繁，動物的飼養、登錄、繁殖、交換等各項管理更具有國際視野，園內動物在全球生態系中的自然資產價值也被強調。 在探究動物園急欲與過去的娛樂歷史劃清界限的原因的同時，本文擬在探討國家、社會對圈養野生動物的利用面向之外，也思考被圈養的野生動物在不同時期的處境，牠們（或牠們的血統來源者）如何從棲地被帶到城市？在動物園這個空間如何被安排融入人類社會，成為人類社會生活的一部分？因此本文的書寫方式並不是一部單純的動物園園史或動物園經營史，而是期望從動物文化史的角度談動物園的歷史。 無論是前述各種對動物的資源化運用，或基於環境主義對瀕臨絕種動物的保育以及環境教育的新目標，動物園內的動物作為生命個體的意義在何時開始被注意到、甚至受到重視，都是值得關切的動物園歷史問題。動物園中的動物在人們眼中並不等值，受重視者生前、死後在園中都經過特意的文化儀式處理，包括命名、婚配、標本化與在展示中意欲喚起人們對該動物在人類社會扮演的角色的記憶。本文除思考圓山動物園自開園以還，園內動物被施行肉體虐待的問題，並提及戰爭結束前，幾位名人遊客描寫圓山動物園內人氣動物在圈養中身心困頓的處境，也探討動物園經營者自1970年代開始承認空間規劃等管理與動物福祉的直接關聯。雖然戰後1950年代臺北動物園的職員已創組愛護動物協會，但是其對愛護的觀念，是侷限在購買更多的珍奇動物、訓練動物表演、作動物展覽等娛樂人們的活動，與考量動物本身需求的關愛仍有相當的距離。更多探索動物與人類社會相遇的歷史，必有助於吾人思考真正的人與自然關係和諧之道，這也是本文撰寫的主要動機。 / The concept of public zoo was first introduced into Taiwan about one hundred years ago in 1910s. Although the zoo history in Taiwan was short, its role and function was still vital and changed many times. The Taipei Zoo was originally established as an adjunct to the Taiwan Governor Museum; however, it was later made accessible to the public as a park in Yuan-shan and transformed to be a playground and a place for animal performances as well. In the late 1980s, zoos in Taiwan, taking the responsibility for educating visitors especially young students, became a spot for field trip and started to be aware of the need to engage in species conservation (like the ark) so as to construct its meaning and importance. Most of public zoos in Taiwan were governmental institutions. At the beginning of 20th century, a zoo was a facility which represented civilization of a progressive empire, country or city. Animals in zoos were like “pets” for all citizens. In the 1970s, global environmental and political situations influenced ways to manage zoos. The collectivization of zoos became popular. Many of them cooperated and shared zoological researches with others more frequently. Besides, there showed a more international vision in nursing, registering, breeding or exchanging animals in zoos. Their values and positions in the global ecosystem were eventually emphasized. In addition to exploring the reason why zoos strived to make a clean break from their past, this thesis intends to discuss how the country or the society utilized captive wild animals and to examine situations of captive wild animals in different periods as well. How were they (or their ancestors) brought from their habitats in the wild to cities? How were they arranged to integrate into human society and became a part of people’s social life? Therefore, this study is not a history of a particular zoo or about zoo management. Instead, this thesis attempts to demonstrate the zoo history from a viewpoint of a cultural history of animals. In the field of the zoo history, it is worth considering when animals in zoos were treated or respected as individual subjects since they were often used as resources to meet people’s needs. The development of environmentalism strengthened the idea of conserving and breeding endangered species and also evolved new thinking for environmental education. In fact, there still existed a hierarchy to classify animals in zoos. Those who were carefully chosen and raised would experience specific cultural rituals such as naming or pairing during their lifetime. After they died, they would be preserved as biological specimen and displayed to the public to intentionally recall people’s memory of their roles in human society. This thesis not only examines issues like animal abuse from the opening of Taipei Zoo in Yuan-shan but also refers to some celebrities’ descriptions of popular animal stars’ physical and mental illness due to being confined within enclosures before the end of World War II. Moreover, it reveals that from the 1970s managers of zoos began to pay attention to animal welfare when making spatial planning or managing the zoo. Even though in the 1950s staff in Taipei Zoo founded a society for animals’ care and protection, they still strictly focused on buying precious animals, training them to perform tricks for visitors or exhibiting them in order to entertain human beings. These behaviors could be scarcely comparable to those caring actions designed to meet animals’ real needs. To explore history of human-animal interaction more fully can surely help us to think about how to live more harmoniously with nature. This is indeed the main goal for this thesis.