Someone told meIt's all happening at the zoo.
I do believe it,
I do believe it's true.
It's a light and tumble journey
From the East Side to the park;
Just a fine and fancy ramble
To the zoo.
You can take the crosstown bus
If it's raining or it's cold,
And the animals will love it
If you do.
[From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/at-the-zoo-p-simon-1967-lyrics-simon-and-garfunkel.html ]
It had been many years since I'd been to a zoo. My intense empathy and compassion for animals has always tainted my zoo visits in the past, so I quit going.
For my seven-year-old granddaughter's sake, however, I decided to go with her to the Portland Zoo recently.
I really disliked the bat cave, flat-out refused to go near the snake building, complained about paying $5 for a bottle of water, and got totally pooped out after a few hours.
I took these photos for you before heading back to the car to wait for the kids.
All in all, for me, it was a fairly fun trip to the zoo; I saw nothing that made me unbearably sad.
Like men incarcerated at San Quentin, the zoo animals appeared to suffer mostly from boredom and of course, lack of room to roam. Fat and lazy describes most of the creatures I saw. But, are they happy? Or are such feelings exclusive to humans?
The confined animals would be far worse off if they were free, I suppose. Life in the wild is dangerous and dinner times are far apart.
But, do you think they would chose to run or fly free -- even if it meant being sometimes hungry or afraid -- if they could?
I do. I do believe it's true.
Hi Donna - Great to see a new post from you. I too do not care for zoos. I think that the animals seem bored as well. Hope that you are well and doing okay,
ReplyDeleteJane
I've not been to a zoo in years either. And yes, the animals do seem bored and unhappy there for the most part. Glad you still had a wonderful time with your sweet girl!
ReplyDeleteGood to see you back here Donna!
Hi Donna,
ReplyDeleteZoos conjure up mixed feelings for me. I cannot believe that they are contented in an artificial environment - especially after seeing them in their natural habitat in Kenya. On the other hand, for many children and adults alike the zoo will be the only opportunity to see these animals in the flesh. Maybe the zoo helps cultivate a love and apreciation for wildlife. Anyway -- you were a nice Glamma to take your grandlet to the zoo and make her day!
I also am happy to "see" you back and hope you had a good summer.
We have a sort of wildlife preserve here, where they keep animals indiginous to the area out in their natural habitat, and I enjoy that and the hike through there a lot more than a regular trip to the zoo. I'm glad you had fun!
ReplyDeleteWe went to the zoo recently with our grandchildren. I hadn't been in about twenty years! I am glad to say that the cats and rats and elephants had lots of room to roam, and the monkeys, et al, were swinging high in the trees--lots of trees. Amen to the Nashville Zoo. They are constantly working on improvements here, which I think translates to improvements for the animals. It's a zoo I am happy to support.
ReplyDeleteModern zoos do not have cramped cages. There are among my favorite places to take the grandchildren. I do subscribe to the notion that taking children to see and interact with nature and animals is a very good thing. Especially if they are growing up in urban or suburban environments. Welcome back Donna!
ReplyDelete