I've often wondered what goes through the mind or consciousness of animals who are trapped in the wild and, before they know it, find themselves in the unfamiliar territory we call a zoo or wildlife park. One day they are living out the life of their DNA and biology; the next they are display items in an exhibit for human gawkers.
Zoos have made many improvements over the years. A good number -- though certainly not enough of them -- have tried as best they can to simulate the creature's natural environment. Alas, simulations are poor substitutes for the real thing!
For all the inherent negatives, most such animals are provided with veterinarian services and human beings that genuinely care about their well-being. Many are doted on and develop close relationships with their keepers. Still, nothing can absolve the fact that they are caged animals.
Awal Gul probably wished, at some point in time, that he could have had it so good. Like a Siberian Tiger or Thompson's Gazelle, Gul was plucked from his natural habitat and thrown into a cage. He remained in that cage for 9 tortuous years, separated from family, friends and his homeland.
Gul finally was able to escape his enforced imprisonment through death.
We treat animals in a zoo far better that poor souls like Awal Gul.
I weep.
Zoos have made many improvements over the years. A good number -- though certainly not enough of them -- have tried as best they can to simulate the creature's natural environment. Alas, simulations are poor substitutes for the real thing!
For all the inherent negatives, most such animals are provided with veterinarian services and human beings that genuinely care about their well-being. Many are doted on and develop close relationships with their keepers. Still, nothing can absolve the fact that they are caged animals.
Awal Gul probably wished, at some point in time, that he could have had it so good. Like a Siberian Tiger or Thompson's Gazelle, Gul was plucked from his natural habitat and thrown into a cage. He remained in that cage for 9 tortuous years, separated from family, friends and his homeland.
Gul finally was able to escape his enforced imprisonment through death.
The Second World War lasted for six years, and at the end of it prisoners of war were released to resume their lives. At Guantánamo, on the other hand, the prison has just marked the ninth anniversary of its opening, and on Thursday the Pentagon announced that Awal Gul, a 48-year old Afghan prisoner, who had been held for nine years without charge or trial and was scheduled to be held forever, died in a shower after suffering a heart attack. Gul had never been held as a prisoner of war, and despite the US government’s assertions that he could be held forever, no one in a position of authority — neither President Bush nor President Obama — had never adequately demonstrated that he constituted a threat to the United States...I have longed questioned our species' humanity by the way we treat other creatures and life forms on this planet. However, as long as gulags like Guantánamo remain open, it seems our humanity toward each other offers just as much as a deplorable indictment.
We treat animals in a zoo far better that poor souls like Awal Gul.
I weep.
Yes, innocents (if he was) in gulags is a terrible situation; so is suicide bombing and Islamic "fascist" repression of women. So much to weep over; be careful not to drown.
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