The zoo, a place I have been many times in my life. As early as I can remember I have had a deep love for animals that goes beyond the common love. My life was dedicated to them prior to college. Often times I would bring frogs, wild mice and stray animals home only to be forced to get rid of them. To satisfy my desire to be surrounded by animals my dad would often take us to the zoo. The grand entrance blocked off by gates and brick buildings. The pure site brings excitement to my whole body. I would quickly drag my siblings and dad from exhibit to exhibit reading each and every sign mentioning the animals. I craved to learn as much as I could and absorb the most. In the large fields I would search for every animal listed often pulling my dad's shirt in begging for a quarter to look through the telescope so I could see all of the animals.
My dad soon signed me up for the zoo news letter and I ran to the mailbox every week to find my new issue leaving all other mail sitting in the mailbox. Before even sitting down to do homework I would soak my eyes into every word and photo. I adored the behind the scenes information on the animals. As I grew into a preteen the visits to the zoo became less and less. In order to satisfy my desire to help animals and be surrounded I started to volunteer at the humane shelter. I would spend hours socializing cats to not scratch and bit then train dogs to sit and stay. I was happy every day I spent with animals. Soon I started to shadow vets and even teach my own dogs several tricks.
One day my heart changed and my eyes started to view things differently. I was watching animal planet and a documentary on captive animals. Their lifestyles in the zoo are so much different than the wild life outside of bars and cages. More than just zoo animals but aquariums as well. I decided to visit the zoo with a friend of mine to see if I could look at the animals with a new point of view. Unhappy animals pace and are often very anxious but these animals are relaxed and lazy. I walked over to the tiger exhibit. They are my favorite of all in the animal kingdom and very beautiful creatures. I knew very well that they aren't roaming creatures. They have a territory and will live in that territory till forced out by another, stronger tiger. The tigers at the zoo seemed lazy and lacking in luster. I was almost convinced that the documentary was right but suddenly a large white tiger stands from it's cool spot in the shade. It walked over to the water and suddenly jumped in. It started to swim around for only a couple minutes to cool off before getting off. This encouraged the other tiger to take notice. The two tigers suddenly transformed into adorable kittens bouncing around chasing each other before they both laid down next to each other for a long cat nap. I was so amused watching them seem so happy and carefree that my heart felt at ease.
During my recent trip to the zoo with my classmates, excitement filled my heart just as when I was a child. I invited a friend to accompany me and once we were set free to explore my heart soared. The sky lift was my first goal. It gave a good view of the animals that I had only experienced once before. Taking photos of the animals only grew the excitement but my eyes always fix on the back area where they keep the animals that aren't on display in their exhibit. The cheetahs, who are often inter-exchanged with the hyenas have their own private exhibit that they enjoy. Throughout all off these years the behind the scenes is still where my mind wanders off to. The lioness who stays in her outdoor cage sleeping in the sunlight brings joy instead of disgust as I've seen from documentaries. The zoo animals often live many years longer than those in the wild and their value of existence is not a bad one. There are many wildlife sanctuaries that cage the animals up into enclosures but the animals do not suffer. They never fear starvation or attack from another larger animal. They don't fear to walk out into the open. Many of these animals even form strong bonds with their trainers. Although it is not like a dog with it's trainer it is important to many of these animals none the less.
The monkeys who seem bored and quiet out in their exhibit enjoy to tease and harass the trainers behind the scene always working their minds to find new ways to throw poop at their trainers. Many of the animals get puzzles and toys to play with to keep their minds active. The zoo is a pleasant place for people and animals alike and it will always be a place the my childlike heart craves to visit no matter how many times I've been before.
My dad soon signed me up for the zoo news letter and I ran to the mailbox every week to find my new issue leaving all other mail sitting in the mailbox. Before even sitting down to do homework I would soak my eyes into every word and photo. I adored the behind the scenes information on the animals. As I grew into a preteen the visits to the zoo became less and less. In order to satisfy my desire to help animals and be surrounded I started to volunteer at the humane shelter. I would spend hours socializing cats to not scratch and bit then train dogs to sit and stay. I was happy every day I spent with animals. Soon I started to shadow vets and even teach my own dogs several tricks.
One day my heart changed and my eyes started to view things differently. I was watching animal planet and a documentary on captive animals. Their lifestyles in the zoo are so much different than the wild life outside of bars and cages. More than just zoo animals but aquariums as well. I decided to visit the zoo with a friend of mine to see if I could look at the animals with a new point of view. Unhappy animals pace and are often very anxious but these animals are relaxed and lazy. I walked over to the tiger exhibit. They are my favorite of all in the animal kingdom and very beautiful creatures. I knew very well that they aren't roaming creatures. They have a territory and will live in that territory till forced out by another, stronger tiger. The tigers at the zoo seemed lazy and lacking in luster. I was almost convinced that the documentary was right but suddenly a large white tiger stands from it's cool spot in the shade. It walked over to the water and suddenly jumped in. It started to swim around for only a couple minutes to cool off before getting off. This encouraged the other tiger to take notice. The two tigers suddenly transformed into adorable kittens bouncing around chasing each other before they both laid down next to each other for a long cat nap. I was so amused watching them seem so happy and carefree that my heart felt at ease.
During my recent trip to the zoo with my classmates, excitement filled my heart just as when I was a child. I invited a friend to accompany me and once we were set free to explore my heart soared. The sky lift was my first goal. It gave a good view of the animals that I had only experienced once before. Taking photos of the animals only grew the excitement but my eyes always fix on the back area where they keep the animals that aren't on display in their exhibit. The cheetahs, who are often inter-exchanged with the hyenas have their own private exhibit that they enjoy. Throughout all off these years the behind the scenes is still where my mind wanders off to. The lioness who stays in her outdoor cage sleeping in the sunlight brings joy instead of disgust as I've seen from documentaries. The zoo animals often live many years longer than those in the wild and their value of existence is not a bad one. There are many wildlife sanctuaries that cage the animals up into enclosures but the animals do not suffer. They never fear starvation or attack from another larger animal. They don't fear to walk out into the open. Many of these animals even form strong bonds with their trainers. Although it is not like a dog with it's trainer it is important to many of these animals none the less.
The monkeys who seem bored and quiet out in their exhibit enjoy to tease and harass the trainers behind the scene always working their minds to find new ways to throw poop at their trainers. Many of the animals get puzzles and toys to play with to keep their minds active. The zoo is a pleasant place for people and animals alike and it will always be a place the my childlike heart craves to visit no matter how many times I've been before.