Copenhagen Zoo and the Destiny of Mother Nature
You may have heard of the bruhahah over the culling of a young giraffe at the Copenhagen zoo some weeks ago. You may have heard how people condemned the zoo-keepers for what appeared to be a brutal, insenstivie further act–that of giving the dead giraffe’s body to several lions to eat. The worst was that incidental children and unsuspecting adults were made unwitting witnesses to the autopsy of the giraffe and the lions’ feast later. I was one of the people outraged by the whole thing. I signed the online petitition and railed online against the apparent callousness of the entire decision by the zoo-keepers. I am still not over the shock, but it has been revealed that many zoos, under the unction of a world zoo organization take such actions to reduce their herds of aging, unblendable, or sick animals. I do not believe I have ever thought about what happens to excess, ill, or otherwise unkeepable animals. But I still do not like the idea of just killing them, humanely or not.
Last week, for good reason approved by a governing zoological-keepers organization, the Copenhagen zoo killed several of the lions that had eaten the dead giraffee. The beat goes on. And I kid you not. Today ,I went to the Copenhagen zoo with my Danish class. We students were to have written a piece in Danish about an animal of our choice. We were to give that report on camera in front of our classmates. I wrote about the elephant. Oddly enough, I was less cross about the infamous zoo decisions as I wandered from exhibition to exhibition. I love animals. They have so much to teach us. But I was given a shock when I saw a decapitated head of a horse being eaten by a scavenging bird that flew in from elsewhere. It occurred to me that this is the way of life in the wild and the zoo cannot change the intent of nature to feed itself.
But I think now, animals have no place in zoos. No matter how generous the space or appropriate to their environment, at the end of the day, they cannot roam free as they do in the wild, taking their chances and flowing with nature as it dictates. The giraffe, the elephant, the tiger, the bear, the leopard, the camel, these are peripathetic animals. Our efforts to preserve them for our education and to conserve their existence just denies them the destiny of Mother Nature. Seals, hippopatomus, otters, sharks and snakes need the far flowing waters to exercise of their impulses. It hurts me as a living being to think of having my life circumscribed in such a way. Remember the fb photo of the little African girl child in a zoo stall being feed treats by a not-of-color crowd as if she were a little monkey? That reaches down into me and stirs my fundamental passion against racial superiorities and for soul born freedom. It so rankles me that it fires my Voice. Hence this speil. I forgive the zoo. I forgive all zoos and zoo-keepers. But I think I am done with them for this lifetime. I cannot support the limitations of the animals nor the certified practices of the zoo-keepers world wide. This, I believe to be my Guidance for today. Here’s the Daily Word:
Thursday, April 3, 2014
GUIDANCE
I claim the wisdom of divine guidance.
If I lose my way while traveling, I stop to get my bearings. Likewise, on my journey through life, if I stumble or feel uncertain, I pause to re-center myself. I do not allow fear or anxiety to take over my thoughts. With each calming breath, I claim the wisdom of divine guidance, always available in that peaceful place within.
As I breathe, I release thoughts that I may be lacking anything necessary for my good. I affirm: As I let go of the tension of uncertainty, I claim the wisdom of God’s guidance. Nothing is more powerful than Divine Mind. I am one with its infinite wisdom.
As I speak these words of Truth in prayer, I open the way for the guidance I seek.
Your words have supported those who were stumbling, and you have made firm the feeble knees.—Job 4:4
By the way here’s what I wrote about the elephant–elementary–my dears–elementary
Elefanten
Elefanten kommer fra prehistorisk tid. De er storste dyr i hele verden.
De kommer fra Saharan-Afrika, Syd Asien og Sydoest Asien.
De kan blive 4 m høj og veje 7000 kg.
Elefanten har et unik ansigt, ører, og krop. Deres ansigt har en lang snabel. De bruger den til at drikker, og hente, og vejrtraekning. Deres ører er også store .De bruger ørerne til at afkøle kroppen.
Elefanten fra Afrika har store ører og konkav ryge. Men den asiatiske elefant har små ører og en flad ryg.
Elefanten spiser blade, og grene og salt. De bliver nær vandet. De elsker vand fordi deres skind er meget følsom.
Elefanten lever ikke sammen han og hun. Moren er “cows”. Faren er ”bulls”. Gruppen er ledet af en kvinde. Hun hedder den ”matriarch.” Normalt, er hun den ældste.
Elefanten kan leve op til 70 år i det vilde. De kommunikere med berøring, syn, lugt, og lyde;
Elefanten er intelligent. De taenker,og elsker familien, og andre elefanten.
De er kendt for at huske, og skubbe ting, og elsker deres unger og ældre.
Den Afrikanske elefant er truet paa grund af ivory trade. De er draebt for deres stood taender (ivory tusks). Deres levested er også i fare.
