Going to the Zoo

By Sarah

We are lucky enough to have a fabulous zoo here in our city. That is, if you are one to believe that zoos can ever be fabulous. I personally have some issues with zoos, but because I also have a toddler, you will find me at the zoo often. In fact, I have a membership!

See, to me there is something unnatural and perhaps a bit creepy about zoos. I know intellectually that zoos around the world protect many species of animals, and I also know that in some ways it is an honor to see animals like giraffes and hippos and koalas up close. But still, there is the fact the animals are (no matter how good the zoo is) out of their natural habitats and confined to very small spaces. They cannot help but be sometimes bored and sometimes frustrated. In an ideal world we would see more nature refuges and fewer zoos, or better yet, animals protected and respected in their own habitats and lands with little or no human intervention necessary. I know, I know: there I go on about an ideal world again!

What makes the whole thing so complicated is my little girl loves to go to the zoo. Some weeks we go more than once and she doesn't grow tired of it. She loves the lions especially but has a soft spot for giraffes and camels as well. And, I am happy to foster her love of animals. But here's the rub: she thinks all these animals come from the zoo.  That is, she thinks the zoo is their natural home. Perhaps I am making a mountain out of a molehill. Perhaps it is not so important that she understands that those lions come from Africa and most lions still live there. Perhaps it is not so important that she understand that seals and sea lions don't usually live in tanks, catching fish from the hands of the zookeepers. Perhaps what is most important for her right now is just to develop a sense of joy, wonder and respect for the animals at the zoo that can later become a concern and love for the animals in the wild and a desire to protect that wild for the future.

And, if I take my crusade too seriously where do I stop? Books that anthropomorphize animals? Her favorite character is "Little Bear" who, the stories tell her, lives in a house and fishes with a fishing pole. I would never explain away all the wonderful animal characters in the stories she and we love. Yet, my instinct is to explain away the magic she finds at the zoo.

I try to balance the nature-behind-bars with the nature roaming free all around us. At home we watch for birds in trees and listen to their song. We let ants crawl on us and observe their busy-ness. We recently made a little mud for a long earthworm who seemed to be struggling in some sand. We keep an eye out for squirrels and lizards and hike and camp and visit nature centers and wilderness preserves. She is naturally curious about the biggest and tiniest creatures.

Today is shaping up to be a lovely day -- cool and breezy with just a bit of cloud cover. It is the perfect type of day for the zoo. We have not been in a while and I think we both deserve the treat of an afternoon out and a picnic on the grass watching the ducks and peacocks look for food. 

Today I will try to see the zoo through her eyes, not worrying about what brought the animals there or the discomfort they might feel because they're confined. Instead I will watch the sea lions swim up to the viewing windows to smile at us; I will watch the gorilla mother cuddle her baby in a way so similar to the way I cuddle mine; I will watch the zebras stomp their hoofs in defiance and listen to the lions roar with impressive might. I will find the goodness and value in the zoo. Wish me luck.

Sarah Rachel Egelman is a community college instructor and free-lance book reviewer who lives in New Mexico with her husband and daughter.

Comments

[Sarah]

That, is uninteresting (re: naked mole rats and warthogs)...
Thank goodness my dotmoms posts are usually edited for mistakes like that or I'd never make sense!

[Sarah]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts on this post...you have all given me much to think about!
Phil and Maria, It is a comfort to know that other parents are sometimes conflicted about zoos (or at least some aspect of zoos).
Michelle and Amy, I have to reread Life of Pi now---thanks for reminding me of that book!
Jay, your comments are so thoughtful and really, for me, sum up so much of the problem (and potential greatness) of zoos. I have to say one of my biggest pet peeves is parents at zoos who talk about how ugly or disgusting or yucky or whatever certain animals are. The whole point in my taking my daughter to the zoo is to foster an appreciation of ALL types of animals not just "cute" ones. It is difficult to describe how cool the naked mole rats and warthogs are when the people around us dismiss them as interesting because of how they look.

[Jay]

Thanks for posting this and thinking on it. I think that keeping animals in a zoo is not a black and white good/bad issue-- there are many shades of grey. Elephants, great apes and other large animals should simply not be confined in this manner, nor should animals be kept in areas that are dramatically outside of their home range climate. For example, in what turned into a suprisingly contentious move, the Detroit Zoo sent its elephants to a sanctuary which is in a more temperate location in Tennessee after concluding that the animals' welfare would be best served by such a move. I visit zoos sometimes but it is hard- so many people react to the smell of the animals - "Daddy, it smells yukky in here"- or the fact that the animals aren't doing anything in particular - "This is boring, lets get some ice cream." This reaction doesn't engender a sense of urgency for the endangered species on display! Zoos try to ensure that the public believes that they play an essential role in species preservation. However, what really imperils most wild endangered species is habitat destruction and the resulting human/animal conflict. If zoos are truly interested in assisting in conservation, as they all say that they are, they should also be putting resources into safeguarding their animals' wild relatives' habitat and continued safe existence. Finally, one more comment about the fact that some zoos display animals that outside of the facility are treated in a very different manner. For example, the National Zoo has a prarie dog exhibit. Prarie dogs are considered pests in many areas of the country and are eradicated in some pretty horrible way. No mention of this is made. This zoo also has a farm animal exhibit, where kids can pet cows, goats and other farm animals. No mention is made of the fate of most cows in our nation-- either raised on feedlots and slaughtered for beef or milked 3x per day for dairy and then sent to slaughter for beef. There is a serious disconnect here if we are supposed to view zoo animal exhibits as special but continue to treat the animals in such a completely different way outside of the zoo.

[michelle]

The book "The Life of Pi" makes an interesting point about animals in zoos. I suppose none of us are likely to ever know exactly what the animals actually think of being in a zoo, but the main character in the book took an interesting position. It was his belief that living in a zoo was somewhat of a relief to the animals. In the wild, animals spend every second of the day working to simply survive, whereas those animals in a zoo no longer have that worry. The character's explanation is a little more complex than that, and I'm not sure if I actually believe it, but it is inetersting to think about.

[Amy]

I think that you should read "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. I know that people disagree with his take on zoo animals but it did REALLY make me think about animals in zoos. It's a slow read and deals with religion (all religions) as deeply as it does zoos (his father is a zookeeper) but it did make me think differently about zoo animals...and how healthy they really are. I will forever debate it in my mind!

[Maria P.]

Oh I thought I was the only one who felt that way about zoos! I sometimes feel guilty taking my kids in there because I am supporting something I don't completely believe in. We still go there too though. It is a lovely place to visit otherwise.

[Phil]

My kids both have a deep interest in animals of all kinds because of several things. One, of course, was Steve Irwin, who introduced all sorts of creatures to my kids over the years. But the other was our frequent (almost weekly) trips to the Boise Zoo when we lived down there. I never had a problem with most of the cooped up animals there because they don't have many large animals. The little ones, like the fox, porcupine, bobcat, and the monkeys all had spacious enclosures and looked like they were comfortable. But the bears... Oh, here I felt bad. The bears were crazy from the the small space. We usually just skipped their area.