Tuesday, 16 August 2022

Neverending Top Ten #5.2: Chester Zoo


You have to accept that when you visit a zoo, you will spend a lot of time staring into what appear to be empty enclosures, in the hope of catching a glimpse of a creature that's really quite fed up of being stared at. At least the elephants didn't want to hide, especially when they realised it was shower time.


The penguins were pretty happy to come see us too, and put on quite a show.


The rhinos, on the other hand, seemed less happy to be there. And the tigers kept well away. As for the gibbon...


Zoos create conflicting emotions. While it's amazing to see these incredible creatures we probably wouldn't ever get to see in real life, I also feel bad that they're here, thousands of miles away from where they're supposed to be, living a life that's not the one nature intended for them. On the other hand, many of these critters (especially the rhinos and the tigers) are on the verge of extinction, and their numbers are only increasing due to protected captivity. 

There's nothing new to say here. You probably share these same mixed emotions. I guess I want Sam to understand it's an honour and a privilege to share the planet with such amazing animals, and we shouldn't ever take them for granted.



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2 comments:

  1. Anonymous17 August 2022 at 00:45

    Yes, such thoughts never entered our heads when we visited zoos in our childhoods. Nor in Peter, Paul and Mary’s.

    Glad Sam got to see some of the animals.

    Alyson

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  2. Anonymous17 August 2022 at 02:29

    When my son was in middle school he had to do a paper on zoos. The boy chose to defend zoos, but he had to have a paragraph arguing against zoos and follow that up by debunking those arguments. By the end of that assignment our household was more convinced by the opposing point of view. Like you say, mixed feelings, but I have a hunch zoos are on the clock and may be extinct (for lack of a better word) in a few generations. Then again, climate change could play a part in zoos saving some species. - Brian

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