Matt Scott, age 10, of Burlington, Vt., for his question:

WHO BUILT THE FIRST ZOO?

A German named Carl Hagenbeck is called the "father of the modern zoo." Hagenbeck was born in 1844. His father, an amateur animal trainer, gave Hagenbeck some seals and a polar bear when he was 14 years old. These were the first of many animals to be added to his collection.

As a young man, Hagenbeck went with hunters and explorers to the jungles and mountains of the world. He captured animals in almost every land.

In 1875 Hagenbeck first exhibited his animals in Europe's large cities. He also trained animals that he sold to circuses.

Hagenbeck's Circus, as his show was called, was one of the most popular exhibits at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

Hagenbeck dreamed of a permanent exhibit where animals could live in surroundings much like their natural homes. His dream came true in 1907 when he opened his great zoo near Hamburg. Germany.

Hagenbeck's idea is followed today by most large zoos.