I have a lot of ambivalence about animals in cages or pens. It’s born of childhood visits to Como Park Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota, and seeing the pacing cats behind bars in small cages. Fortunately, those cages are long gone now, and zoological parks have generally been upgraded and are more “humane” (ahem). Someone once declared they would keep no creature with them that did not stay of its own free choice (Joseph Wood Krutch? Konrad Lorenz?) and amen to that.
On the other hand, when one considers the effects of poaching — and whatever else one can say about the gorilla in this picture, he has all of his parts still attached, as his creator intended:
Animal parks seem a more viable option.
These pic’s were taken back in Florida on the “Jungle Cruise” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which puts you in open vehicles where you follow a trail around their artfully designed animal pens, so you get views like this:
of the breakfasting giraffes. They get the animals to come close to the vehicles by feeding them near the trail.
Which affords you some pretty good views, ferrinstance, of the rhinocer-wursts.
And life is doubtless safer just outside Orlando, Florida, for an antelope such as this:
or this, with a pair of ostriches:
than it would be on the African veldt. Especially as it seemed the predators had already been fed:
Well, if it’s true the big cats like to sleep for 20 or so hours a day, perhaps that life isn’t too bad. Still, don’t you think that at some point in all that sleeping, they dream of the hunt?
Mrs. Ombud likes flamingoes, who remind her not to take things too seriously (and are a major motif in one of our bathrooms), so views such as this were a welcome sight:
I’m glad they’re safe, and a fellow like this one (below) is in good shape, rather than being poached.
Still, looking through the brush at him, as he looks back at me, there’s no way to ask the big guy what he’s thinking, let alone know what he’d chose: domestic safety, or wilderness danger.
OmbudsBen 
hmmm, I feel much the same. Its such a damning indictment of humanity that we have reduced the options for one of our closest relatives to ‘animal park and no poaching’ or ‘the wild and poaching’.
But yes, the scientist who invents the machine which will enable us to ‘hear’ what animals are ‘thinking’ will be a rich man. Endlessly fascinating.
Strange that the root of “humane” is human, certainly not the treatment animals dream about, I’m sure. Cages and small enclosures — and circuses — upset me, but parks like Disney’s and Bush Garden appear to let animals live a more natural life. Let’s hope they are happy.
I’m a fan of flamingos too. They always make me smile. 🙂
I’m not sure I’d want to be that close to the rhinos.
Robin: flamingos, the secret antidote to over-importance. And yes, at moments like this, I was glad the rhinos are vegetarian. *grin*
Anhinga — humane is a pretty ironic word, isn’t it? And I like it that so many of us, just people in general, all now are beginning to see animals in the same way, as sentient creatures, deserving of better than small pens.
T-woo, I love your idea of a machine to let us hear what they want to say.
Sometimes with my dogs I can see their bodily efforts at communication. They physically relay a readiness for what they want.
We often think of food in terms of pleasure, and by extension offer food to give happiness. But to really hear what Ernie and Edie want to say is to realize that being able to go out, to go for rides and for walks, to be alive in the variety of the outdoors means all the world to them.
Food is ok, but it’s ultimately just fuel. Are they, in some small sense, smarter than we are?
These are fantastic pictures, thanks for taking us along for the ride. I love the zoo. I would love the animal kingdom, and wildlife safaris, too… because, its the only way I get to see such amazing creatures. My ‘real life’ wouldn’t allow for it.
But that’s a pretty selfish justification for keeping wild-life captive. Still, I see that amazing gorilla and I wanna go! I wanna go where you’ve gone.
They have really powerful derrieres, gorillas, don’t they? Never noticed that before.
Amuirin, to be close to these guys is to see they pretty much have powerful *everything*. They’re so muscular, I’m glad they’re vegetarian, too. Although I wouldn’t mind too much if they turned the tables on a poacher or three.
I bet you’d get a kick out of Disney World. Compared to Anaheim, it’s huge. If you’re a Disney fan, plan on going for several days.