 zoo eagle – foto by Smith Went to the Cleveland Zoo yesterday. I haven’t been to a zoo since I spent 10.5 months in jail 39 years ago because it bothers me seeing things in cages unless they’re politicians, CEOs, priests, Halliburton’s killers, or the military. The good news is many of the animals are in enclosed natural environments rather than cages. The bad news is the animals are sad, lethargic, unhappy, and stay as far away from the visitors as possible. I was surprised at how few animals the zoo actually had. One of the more interesting aspects was looking through fenced enclosures and bars and seeing people and thinking “damn right, they deserve to be caged for what they’ve done to these animals and the planet.” Still, it was an enjoyable and educational outing. Thousands of people there – never seen so many wee ones in baby strollers, nor so many over-fed adults. The day before we went to an English professor’s house for dinner so she could give us some feedback on our book, and we saw chipmunks, blue jays, robins and a raccoon in her backyard. That was a cool day because we had a good meal, good people, and good conversation too. I was afraid when I sent her an electronic copy of the book I’d never hear from her again because she’s a nice woman, good values, and I thought the drugs and crimes in the book would chase her away. Instead she said she’d like to have Lady and I come read and speak to her class. Cool. You just never know.  zoo fish – foto by Smith  grizzly bear – foto by Smith  polar bear – foto by Smith  zoo goose – foto by Smith  zoo bird – foto by Smith  zoo fish – foto by Smith  tortoise – foto by Smith  giraffes – foto by Smith  our non-zoo loaner cat Mandy – foto by Smith |
Great shots of the crowd at the zoo. Too bad they don’t know how to use tools to unlock the cages or tear down the fences. Course that would mean death a few minutes later. Is a few minutes of freedom more desireable that a lifetime of captivity? Probably is to them, they’d take in an instant.