keepin' it cool
A friend of mine sent me an email with this picture attached. It definitely makes one say, "awwww." Then I started to analyze. Every time I see a polar bear in captivity I think of Gus, the Neurotic Bear in the Central Park zoo. Gus became a phenomenon a few years back due to his behavior that was documented and at first determined to be some kind of neurosis. Later, it was deemed that he was bored and needed more activities that were natural to his species. I saw Gus and was a witness to his repetitive behavior and I felt really sorry for him.
Since then, I've had mixed feelings on zoos. On the one hand, having animals in captivity is the only way most of us will ever experience the more exotic creatures. But it's more like they are on display. They are in a simulated environment, and in most zoos that I've ever been to, they don't ever seem to have enough room. I don't know, they just don't look happy. What does a "happy" animal look like?
Click here,
Here &
Here.
