THE ZOO
When I was young, my parents took us to the San Diego Zoo. We were walking along a path searching for the elephants and giraffes. I looked ahead of me and saw a small, rectangular cage. There was a cougar in it. She was pacing... and panting. The cage was so small, her paces were only four steps long until she had to turn around again. Her elbows were calloused. Her coat was dull and dirty. She was alone. I imagined her, hour after hour, DAY AFTER DAY... pacing in that cage... watching stupid humans walk by, pointing at her and taking pictures...
I stood there looking at the cougar, and I remember thinking, "she must be going insane." What a torturous existence! I could feel her pain and frustration. It made me sick to my stomach, thinking about her life in that cage.
The stupid humans and their bratty kids finally moved on. It was just me and the cougar. She stopped pacing and looked at me. Her eyes were HUGE and SO BEAUTIFUL. I couldn't believe she was looking at me.. I looked back into her eyes. She was broken. She was so sad and alone and there was nothing I could do to help her. I felt tormented. I didn't want to leave her. I wanted to run and find the zoo keeper and make him let her go.. I just wanted to get her OUT OF THAT CAGE right then, at that moment. But she would spend the REST OF HER LIFE in a cage. This makes me VERY VERY SAD and also VERY VERY ANGRY.
I stayed with the cougar until it was time to leave the zoo. I told my parents I would never go to a zoo again. A piece of my heart died that day. My disappointment in HUMANITY had only just begun...
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