
18/08/2025
When i was in school, i had been to zoo several time. That was quite common in those days. I remember we had to buy tickets and then we would enter the zoo. Crossing each and every cage, one by one, looking at those animals who are dangerous, and thus, confined behind the bars. Many people from the crowd felt happy and looked amused. I was too young to understand. And I always felt tired under that scorching sun. As time passed I grew up and felt a little uncomfortable during the visits. I never realised why i didn't feel happy. Or, perhaps, i never thought about it enough. After my school life, i was able to skip the zoo visits. Children visit zoo. with their parents or relatives or friends and often, they are taken to by their schools. Teachers take the initiative to make them aware of the wildlife. They get to learn about the different kinds of animals, the mammals, the reptiles, birds and amphibians and all. Yes they have already seen the pictures, studied their habitats and so many other things pertaining to the wildlife, which are there in their syllabus. The only difference is, in the classroom they see in their pages of the books, and here at the zoo they see them trapped behind the bars.
I as a mother never took my daughter to the zoo. She is 22. But she has never been to a zoo. And i am happy and i feel proud about it. Why ? I never wanted her to witness those animals spending all their life in a prison. The same mornings and same evenings getting minimal food and trapped in a small area, enclosed and cloistered far away from their natural ecosystem. We call them wild. But we keep them inside a cage? Zoos were made for studying the animals, initially, but not for our entertainment. Now, despite the better circumstances, we keep them like untamed pets for our weekend visits, instead of letting them enjoy their wild habitats, the places they are supposed to be in? Now many are going to ask about our children? Many are going to claim they learn and get to know about these animals. Yes true. But could we not learn about them from places like sanctuaries, where are free in their birthplace, enjoying their rights and liberty.
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