Need More Space?

Have you ever been to the zoo, watched the animals lie in the sun, and wonder, do they sunbathe in the wild, too?

If you've felt awkward asking that question, then don't--because you're not alone! Countless times I've pondered the same issue, especially when I go visit the San Diego Zoo.

I'm striding along the path with my family, enjoying all the beautiful small animals minding their own business, until we see the bigger animals. Cheetahs are sprawled across logs. Lions are sleeping on a large platform. Tigers are lazily strolling along the riverbank. The zookeepers come and toss in a hunk of meat, and the animals hungrily stride over and begin to eat. As I watch, I'm thinking, They shouldn't be here! If they're cooped up in these fences all day long, they'll never get to show off their hunting prowess. 

As you can see in the picture above (hopefully), these cheetahs will never really have room to hunt at top speed--which is what they're known for! Unless their exhibit is the size of an Olympic Pool, I doubt anyone, much less the keepers, will be able to see the cheetahs run at 90 kilometers per hour.

The same goes for lions and tigers, as well as other larger, wild-at-heart animals. The tigers at the zoo sometimes have a better environment than the lions do, because of the big cliffs and jungles that are provided, but lions can't really do anything in a 600 square feet enclosure. Throw some big trees here and there, and they'll have even less room to show off their instincts (though it does make their surroundings more like Africa).

Personally, I feel like the Safari Park (another branch of the San Diego Zoo) is a better place to keep wilder and bigger animals. The Safari Park is a huge valley(s) that is completely wild and original, all clear of construction so that wild animals could roam freely, like they do in the wild. An occasional little building here and there make good shade and food/water storage for the keepers, and the animals are not separated from each other; so if a giraffe and rhino come face to face, visitors can see the natural and instinctive reaction, rather than watch the two stare at each other through chain-link fences.

Fortunately, my art teacher agrees with me. She also stated that, "big cats should not be kept in zoo enclosures, because people cannot see them hunt and run like they do in the wild. All they do is lie there and do nothing behind fences. They don't have enough space."

What do you think? Should bigger animals be kept in tighter enclosures? Feel free to leave comments below, start a Socratic discussion if you like!

Picture taken from <http://eastangliadaytrips.blogspot.com/2008/06/banham-zoo-apr-07.html>.