The recent article in all the media regarding Bolt adopting a cheetah cub, that is paying for its upkeep, has made me think on something that has bothered me for a great many years. Hope Zoo.
I first visited Hope Zoo the very week it opened. I could not have been more than five or six but even then I think I knew subconsciously that something was not right. I much preferred the flamingos and the deer to the lions. In other words, those that gave the impression of being free and were allowed some small space to move around in, were more appealing.
I lost interest by the time I was about ten but, in my early twenties, I decided I would show some rural schoolchildren the animals they had only seen in picture books. I loaded them all into a bus and brought them down to Hope. The outing was probably a great success from the point of view of the children but for me was one of the most painful events of my life. The animals at the Zoo were by then not just caged, but neglected. Lack of funding and probably lack of interest showed mournful, improperly fed creatures, staring through the wire, begging to be free.
Now, I am not a rabid activist; I believe that properly laid out and properly funded zoos serve a useful purpose by helping to educate our children about places and animals they might otherwise never see. At roughly the same time as the incident with the schoolchildren, I visited the new Miami Metro Zoo. The lions were not in a small concrete pen but instead had an acre or so of landscaped grounds to wander on, they were properly fed and there was a veterinary team on site. This was what a zoo should be!
 |
 |
Am I the only one who sees a difference?
For years now we have been hearing about plans to rehabilitate Hope Zoo. I even applied for a position there thinking I could do my small part. I was turned down; I daresay I did not have the required qualifications. I even found a proposal online from 2001. A small start has been made but still nothing of significance. I suspect that enough people do not have the will; plus our big money corporate sponsors prefer to put their funding into sports which give them greater visibility.
At last I get to the point. The story about Usain and the cheetah cub has made me think. Would it not be a good idea if Zoo officials worked out the annual upkeep of each of the animals in their care and offered them for “adoption?” You or I could cover the annual cost of caring for a flamingo or a spider monkey and those among us with deeper pockets could subsidise the lions, crocodiles, etc. If food and veterinary care of even half the animals were covered then the Zoo could put its limited resources into providing a comfortable habitat for all the animals to live in. If we insist on keeping animals for our enjoyment we are obligated to provide them with a comfortable existence.
"Someone please....Help!.....Is anyone there?"
Read more about Jamaica at Jamaica-Allspice.com
- Tags: Animals, Interesting Facts, Jamaica, Worthy Causes, Zoos
Marguerite Orane
November 6th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Betty,
Thanks for these thoughts and the cry for help for these beautiful animals. Perhaps we should just close the Hope Zoo now until we are willing to commit to something more humane. I stopped going there years ago, from when my children were small. The first thing that greeted me were the crocodiles in the concrete mud pool. Such a contrast to these magnificent creatures in the Black River – free and laughing! So I stopped going. I also refuse to attend the circus. And, since visiting South Africa’s Kruger National Park last year and being in an environment where the animals are free and we have to stay behind bars – well – I don’t go to zoos anymore either. We are all interdepended – humans and animals, and we need to start to recognise this and take care of them – or leave them alone!
BTW – if we MUST keep the Hope Zoo, then your idea is a wonderful one!
BettyB
November 6th, 2009 at 11:45 pm
Here’s the problem; closing a zoo is easier said than done for the animals must go somewhere. Even the indigenous ones such as the crocs would need to be acclimatised to their natural habitat. What would become of my poor lion? If the Zoo were closed and the animals kept on site I imagine they would suffer even more neglect. It’s an awful situation either way. I have not been to Hope Zoo for near to 30 years and probably will never go again. And as to circuses, the neglect at zoos pale by comparison. We so abuse all the wonderful things of this Earth that have been entrusted to our care…..
garth delapenha
November 7th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
My own childhood recollections of what should have been a magical place echo yours. Still loved going there though as it made for dreaming of better possibilities. The batonical gardens there and the collection of animals, pathetic as they were have served in the development of my personal sensibilities, a passion for tropical gardening and a love of the ambiance that nature provides. Pained as I was at the condition of the captive exhibits, they still served as inspirations for how it could be done better. I agree with your reservations re closing the complex and think your idea to engender public support is great. That concept accutally goes a long way toward supporting the exhibits at the Miami Metro Zoo but even they and all such enteties in the US face real financial struggles. They are terrifically expensive enterprises, but their value in the contribution they make to humanity is immeasurable