Day 162: Why Zoos Make Me Happy and Sad

Because of the recent release of The Tiger King show on Netflix, I think this is the perfect time to share my thoughts on zoos in general. I don’t want to make this about the zoos in Florida and Louisiana that are portrayed on the show. If you have watched it then you know that all of them were doing some shady shit with animals. Despite the entertainment, it was heartbreaking at times. And that is the kicker of almost any zoo, in my opinion.

I think most zoos and zookeepers love their animals and pamper them to the fullest extent. They have the best food and medical care, I am assuming. I love going to zoos to see animals! I am fascinated by all of the creatures on Earth. Naturally, being the curious human I am, I want to see deep-sea fish, pandas, and tigers without having to travel thousands of miles to Africa or the coasts of China. I read all the plaques, so I usually spend a whole day at a zoo or aquarium.

What bothers me about zoos is that the animals do not get to live their life in the wild. Yes, they are well taken care of and basically live like kings. But I would assume that an animal would like to live outside and be free to choose its destiny. I could be wrong. Maybe the animals love not having to hunt or forage for food and sit around all day. (Quarantine isn’t completely terrible yet.)

When I was growing up, I didn’t think twice about the life of the animals I was visiting. I was happy to see animals and I was happy that they were well taken care of. My mind changed when I was 19 and went to the Detroit Zoo. They had a huge open space for the chimpanzees. Monkeys are probably my favorite animal, so I was excited to see so many of them at once. As I walked up to the area, about three chimps were hanging out in a tree. They didn’t seem excited. They weren’t swinging around and throwing bananas at each other. They kind of seem depressed. I watched one for a long time. Eventually he looked at me. He or she looked sad. More people gathered from all sides. Soon there was a crowd of about thirty people. One by one the chimpanzees left the tree and walked close to the walls. There was a trench dug where they could go so that they couldn’t be seen. Every chimp there was hiding.

That moment changed me. I tried to put myself in their position. I felt that I was looking at another human on display. I imagined how boring and humiliating their life must be because they are stuck in this one area of land for their whole life. And all day there are other creatures pointing and staring at them. Then those creatures get to go on their way and move to wherever they desire.

Now, I am not saying zoos are a bad thing. Many of them rescue animals and raise animals that wouldn’t be able to survive in the wild. They provide a way for humans to experience animals of the world without having to travel all over the world. Most importantly, they are providing a home for endangered species.

Having animals in captivity isn’t all bad, but we don’t need all animals in captivity. The fewer the better in my opinion. I am willing to sacrifice my own entertainment and curiosity so that more animals can be free. I'll just watch animal documentaries.

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Author's Note #1: I took the cover photo at a zoo in Florida. I wanted nothing more than to cut open that fence and let that leopard go. He was along and his cage was nothing but a cement slab.