"The modern human animal no longer lives in normal conditions. It is not imprisoned by a hunter of animals for zoos, but by its own cerebral intelligence, it is trapped in a huge unbearable zoo, where it is constantly at risk of collapsing due to exhaustion.

However, despite the pressing constraints, [...] the world of the zoo, as a giant father, protects its food: it provides food, [...] healthy living conditions, and medical care."

In "The Naked Ape," Desmond Morris placed humans in their true place, among 192 other species of primates and humanoid primates. In "The Human Zoo," Morris places humans in the urban environment, a familiar and exotic environment, hospitable and dangerous at the same time, and records with scientific accuracy their reactions to conditions of pressure and stress. How much freer is the human of the protected urban environment from the animals of the enclosed zoo?"

"Impressive and fascinating. Morris focuses his interest on the constraints that emerge between biological and cultural substance, as they are expressed in power, sex, social position, and war games."

("New York Times")