I remember the old Bronx Zoo when the heart of it was gorgeously sculpted marble palaces for the elephants, lions, tigers, and monkeys.

I brought my black-and-white monochrome camera to try to capture some of those images.

It didn’t occur to anyone then that these buildings were inadequate for wild animals, years later the zoo pioneered in the building of huge and natural spaces where the animals can hide and disappear if they wish. The zoo had a polar bear for 26 years, he died two years ago and they have decided that zoos are not a good place for polar bears.

There won’t be anymore.

The animals were kept in beautiful but small cages and enclosures, very different from the sweeping habitats they inhabit at the zoo today.  The exhibits were designed with people in mind, today, it’s just the opposite.

The Bronx Zoo is the largest zoo in America and it fascinating to see how this zoo and others have evolved in the way they understand animals and show them to a world disconnected from nature.

The old sculptures still speak to me, though, they are beautiful and evocative. I’ll post some photos over the weekend, but I remember this one from my childhood and it has always remained in my imagination.

I love these statues and friezes, this was a world of craftsmanship and feeling. The sculptures captured the power and dignity of the animals, even if their enclosures didn’t.