See this giraffe? She looks bored, right? So did the lion at the Lincoln Park Zoo, where I took Eamon today because the weather was perfect. I have such mixed feelings about zoos. The Lion House does it to me every time -- those cats, some of them the fastest animals on land, just lie around on their fake rocks, looking so down, with nothing to do but lick themselves clean. The jaguar sometimes paces, as if he's still angry about being captured, though he was more than likely born at another zoo. Either way, I think he might know what he's missing and knows just how fast he could be. His image is used a hood ornament on a really nice car, for Pete's sake. I don't think I've ever been there to see the lion not taking a nap, completely checked out from the rest of the world. Because his world is a 20' x 30' expanse of professionally landscaped foliage and damp cement, with one whole side consisting of a wall of humans pointing and staring at him while he snores.
Despite my cynicism, I do appreciate a good trip to the zoo. Eamon loves seeing all the animals up close, and those gorillas do seem to be having a good time in the new ape house. The last time we were there, a zoo worker was on hand at the wolf habitat to explain to us how they breed the wolves and virtually brought the red wolf back from extinction right there in downtown Chicago. (Being the smart ass that I am, I asked if any coyotes ever come into the zoo at night to taunt the wolves with their freedom to roam the Chicago forest preserve system.) So they are doing good things at the zoo, even if the animals are trapped, bored and maybe a little depressed.
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