But there is an even bigger picture. Should this oil slick reach land, which despite round the clock efforts it likely will, the entire ecosystem of the area will be devastated. Marine life is already suffering greatly. Gulls and pelicans that dive for fish get covered in the oil and drown. Turtles and manatees, already endangered, will die. We must also take into account the time of year. In spring lobsters, shrimp, fish and many other creatures breed. A time of renewal is becoming a time of death. Aside from the roughly 200,000 gallons of oil a day still gushing from the uncapped well, the vast oil slick cuts off light and oxygen so that even those creatures which do not get engulfed in oil may not survive. Those who survive will migrate elsewhere.

Can it get worse? Yes it can. If the oil enters that major current known as the Gulf Stream it can be carried up the North American coastline all the way to Labrador, across the Atlantic to the United Kingdom and northern Europe and south to West Africa. The potential is mind boggling!

And what about us who like to think that all is well in our own little bubble? Well, if oil gets into the Gulf Stream, and even if it doesn’t, it’s only a short distance from Florida to the Bahamas and then to Jamaica. And, by the way, the fish, the lobsters, the gulls and pelicans, the endangered turtles and manatees who ply our coasts are in many cases the very same ones who travel through the Gulf of Mexico!

Read about our endangered species and more at Jamaica-Allspice.com

Into the picture comes a group of wonderful ladies who have been trying to care for the unwanted and unloved animals roaming the streets of Ocho Rios and other nearby towns. This cool and quiet rural setting would be an ideal place to relocate their shelter, The Animal House. Property is leased from the mining company and eventually over a hundred once bruised and battered dogs and cats move in. Life is good for these once neglected animals.

Then comes the news: the mining giant is phasing out and will no longer supply the shelter with power and water but, not to worry, the public utility companies will take over. Suddenly both services are cut off. One hundred and fifty innocent creatures and those who care for them are suddenly without water and power! After five months power is restored but not so water.

Upon investigation it is discovered that a large meat company, which also leases property nearby, had taken over the shared pipes and unceremoniously cut off the Animal House. The National Water Commission no longer intends to take over the lines. The ladies meet with the meat packers, the NWC and various government representatives, they are told to collect rainwater or pay the NWC US$15,000 to run pipes to the shelter. The ladies have no choice; they must buy water by the truckload to care for their wards. This is not cheap but must be done as often as they can afford it.

The Animal House is privately funded and is a no kill shelter.

I'm thirsty!

Please help these defenceless animals by signing their petition addressed to Jamaica’s Prime Minister.

Read more about Jamaica at Jamaica-Allspice.com

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