I had heard that the Beijing Zoo was fairly inhumane for the animals and so I had refused to go there, but I had to go and see the pandas especially after a few people on one of the tours said that the panda habitats were very nice. I went into two other animal sections- elephants and the lions- and the I couldn't stomach any more. It is so tragic at how they treat the other animals. They are in cement cages with no water or food and metal bars. I have included the images only as a reminder of just how far the zoos in the U.S. have come and how animals should NOT be treated.
It is tragic that the stone statues of the animals have better habitats than the real ones. What a travesty. I really think that they could make a better environment for the animals if they charged more- it was only 20 yuan to enter the zoo- including the pandas, which equivocates to only a few U.S. dollars. Raising the admission price wouldn't "break the bank" for the people to see the animals but would improve the treatment of the animals.
2 comments:
Cheryl! I remember going to the Beijing Zoo too and having the same sick feeling. Pandas: yay! Everything else: how could you? It's heartbreaking.
But China! (I just got back onto the blog world again.) Why are you in China? Hope you're having a fabulous time!
You probably don't remember, but the Hogle Zoo used to be very much like that. When we moved to Utah from LA (where the zoos are spectacular) I cried when we visited the Hogle Zoo (mind you I was 14, not 5). A week after our visit, one of the elephants died from being chained up in a cement enclosure with no water, food or shade and they shut down the zoo. I refused to go back when they reopened until last fall (thats a 14 year boycott)and I was relieved to see how improved the place was. And Cheryl, I think you do more stuff in 2 weeks than I do in two years!!! How do you manage?! :)
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