Zooland

[amberdreams]

Paul loves zoos, I'm not so keen - seeing some of the animals in such small spaces (even when the zoo is clearly doing a great job looking after them) makes me feel melancholy. However. They are beautiful creatures and so I took some photos.

Zoo pic spam!
Lovely to see the tigers out in the sunshine

It's a woluf!

Wot?

Too blooming cute!

And one that makes me tear up - 50 year old orangutan Rajang takes a vague interest in Paul's hand. Apparently he's reknowned for being fascinated by bellies, particularly pregnant ones, but in lieu of that, a hand is better than nothing.

I know zoos do good work for breeding and conservation, and many of the animals' habitats are under threat, and many of the ones being kept in the zoo are rescued, but this chap is an intelligent creature and is effectively imprisoned with only a younger male (who's kind of antisocial) for company, for his entire life. And that is sad.

Comments

[onlythefireborn.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately - especially for those animals that are endangered due to poaching - zoos are safe places. Wish there were more animal sanctuaries available. But even those are no guarantee. I read an article a few days ago where someone who works in Africa with the various national reserves said that, basically, there is no wild Africa anymore, no wild land - it's all in the reserves. And *still* the poachers bribe the people who are supposed to be guarding the reserves to let them in and kill elephants, rhinos, what have you.

I don't know what a good solution would be, short of locking the humans in cages and zoos, and letting the animals roam free. . . .

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's pretty depressing.

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

I don't know what a good solution would be, short of locking the humans in cages and zoos, and letting the animals roam free. . . . I'll go with that solution, and have a select few ho have been properly checked out being allowed to roam free.

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

I know you don't love zoos, hun, and I completely get why, but the pictures are beautiful.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I like aspects of them, but some animals just need to be wild. It's wholly our fault they can't be! One day, perhaps.

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

Yes, I feel very much the same. As a child we never went to many zoos as my parents both have similar viewpoint on it, but we did go to Jersey zoo, which at the time I think was a rehabilitative zoo, but I'm not sure if that's still true. Saying that, the pics are lovely.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Jersey was Gerald Durrell's zoo, wasn't it. Based on conservation - I was such a huge fan of his books when I was a kid.

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was. To honest, I really don't member too much about it. My parents took me when I was little and then we all went back when I was in my early teens and all I can remember is that brother was fascinated by the gorilla. I'm not sure if it's still a conservation zoo or not, but it's the only time I can remember going to a zoo.

[hugemind.livejournal.com]

Beautiful pictures!

Yeah, simply closing down all the zoos would not really solve the underlying issues. I and the hb visit zoos, but I really do wish that they are one day made obsolete, because wild animals should be allowed to live wild and unhunted.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Those are great pics, and I'm with you - I know zoos have their place, but it's still sad to see any 'wild' animal in a cage.

[sillie]

Very pretty pictures bb.