Description
My life is nearly a picture on your wall
And yours, is a wall hiding my life
My hands are worn out,
Scratching the bars of freedom
*****
This is not a cry for you to destroy the city zoo, just an expression I keep feeling, visiting a zoo, and looking into their eyes.
That's how I feel, though in some cases, living in captivity saves their lives.
What kind of life is this for them? I know I wouldn't want to live that way....
G
BTW
Thanks to fade-out suggestion, I updated the picture with slimmer borders. I agreed with his comment, they were too big.
"My hands are worn out,
Scratching the bars of freedom."
This is beautiful.
Modern zoos actually create very fulfilling environments for animals (not all zoos are modern of course). Animals don't necessarily range because they like too, it's mostly based on how much land they need to mate and secure food sources. When animals aren't seeking territory, food, or mates, a great deal spend most of their time sedentary of just playing with each other in a small area.
There are instances of animals being "set free" only to return to their enclosures willingly. I have seen monkies try and slam a enclosure door shut - because they felt safe in their enclosure and didn't want anything coming in. The trick is, the spaces have to be created in such a way that the animals have the area they need to play exercise - different for each animal, and stimulation available to them to keep the mind active and soul satisfied.
Think of it this way - if an alien race came down and took a family out of their suburban home, then set them down in a forest and were told "You're free!", it probably wouldn't go over very well. These animals are accustomed to health care - better health care than most humans get. To being safe from predators. Having flees, ticks and other parasites removed, if they get them at all. There is all the food they can eat, and the nutrients they need to keep healthy. If they have a tooth ache, it's fixed. If they have an infection, it's medicated. If there is an aggressive animal in their enclosure upsetting them, they are separated. Some are even accustomed to having their heated rocks to nap on.
I think it's important communities support zoos that want to spend the money and transform their spaces to better meet the animal's needs.