(no subject)
Adam and I went to Edinburgh zoo on Monday and had a great time- I hadn't been for about ten years and probably enjoyed it more this time round as I now have a greater stamina for walking around 4 hours solid. As well as having developed a greater interest in birds since then. Most kids find the birds boring.
However I can't really decide how I feel about the concept of zoos. They help protect, preserve and research many species, as well as sparking public interest in wildlife. As the character in 'Life of Pi' argues, animals in the zoo have it made- they are fed, watered, treated when ill and can live in total ease without fearing predators.
Most of the animals looked very content, yet there were some that made us feel uneasy, in particular a honey badger that seemed to be continually running laps round its small enclosure, surrounded by failed attempts to burrow into the shallow wood chip floor covering. The jaguar had an equally small enclosure for such a large animal, and it was quite sad and unnatural to see it urgently run to the glass window at the sound of a truck going by- potentially bringing food.
One species that really does seem to have it made is the penguins. In the wild penguins will travel hundreds of miles and suffer months of harsh winter conditions to experience a few weeks of paradise swimming in the arctic sun- the zoo penguins have similar conditions to this all year round, without the constant threat of hungry seals.