Earlier in the summer, my family and I took a trip to Seattle, Washington. The first full day that we were there we went to the zoo. We spent almost the whole day there, and I took a lot of pictures (some better than others). I realized while I was there that being at the zoo makes me kind of sad. This picture (below) is a good illustration of why that is.
It's not a very good quality picture, and there is a good bit of reflection in the glass, but it is the subject of the picture that tells the story. While we were there, this gorilla just sat with his (or her, I don't know) back to the glass staring into the distance. He just seemed sad and like he was really tired of having people look at him all the time.
I know that there is value to zoos, and that, as a general rule they take good care of the animals and protect them. But especially when it comes to seeing primates in captivity it makes me
feel like I'm visiting a jail just to gawk at the prisoners. It just
feels wrong and it makes me sad.
Oh well, I'm just a bleeding heart anyway, so I guess there is no surprise that I'd feel that way. . .
