I'm not going to the zoo, zoo, zoo
Thu Dec 27, 2007 at 02:20:31 PM PDT
I'm sure you've all heard about the tiger at the San Francisco Zoo that recently escaped and killed a teenager. According to the director of the zoo today, the wall height around the 300-lb tigers enclosure was only 12.5 feet, well below the recommended 16.4 feet. This tiger had a history of, well, acting like a tiger and there are reports that she had injured a worker's arm during feeding.
Clearly, someone is at fault here, and it's a human. No matter what, the tiger should not have been able to escape, for both the safety of the visitors and for the safety of the tiger. Who has now paid the price too.
I'm not a big fan of zoos.
Back when we were in college, we went to the Philly Zoo, only to find a memorial set up where the Primates Building used to stand. In 1995, a fire on the morning of December 24th had killed 23 animals including six lowland gorillas, three orangutans and others. The animals died in their sleep from carbon-monoxide poisoning, thankfully none were burned to death.
I cried and cried. And then left. Said, I'll never be back.
I tried to go to a zoo again, about a year or so ago with my kids. Back to Philly, only to be met by activists trying to rehome elephants to sanctuaries. The Philly elephant exhibit is notorious in the animal rights world for being too small for the animals and made entirely of concrete. Activists have been toiling for years to have the exhibit shut down. So far one elephant, who had been spending practically all of her time in a concrete barn, has been moved to a sanctuary. The fight continues to have the rest rehomed.
I'm done with zoos.
What are your feelings on zoos?
