1. Animal; animal kingdom or kind
2 [Greek os; akin to Greek ]; motile

(abbreviation for zoological gardens) Place where animals are kept in captivity. Originally created purely for visitor entertainment and education, zoos have become major centers for the breeding of endangered species of animals; a 1984 report identified 2,000 vertebrate species in need of such maintenance. The Arabian oryx has already been preserved in this way; it was captured 1962, bred in captivity, and released again in the desert 1972, where it has flourished.
Notable zoos exist in New York, San Diego, Toronto, Chicago, London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow, and Beijing (Peking). Many groups object to zoos because they keep animals in unnatural conditions alien to their habitat.

The file extension that identifies compressed archive files created with the zoo file compression utility. See also zoo210.

1. A park in which animals are put on display for study and for the interest of the public.
2. Any scene of chaos or disorder.