A few days ago I wore giraffes. Today it's elephants! I'm making up for missing the International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos, scheduled annually on 8 June. When I was growing up, one regular summer activity for our family was visiting the zoo in Philadelphia, PA, where we watched elephants in an outdoor concrete yard, chained in place with iron shackles around their feet. Things have changed enormously since then! Elephants in most (?) zoos now are given open green spaces to roam freely, and in many cases they can get some privacy (away from prying human eyes) if they desire it. But there is growing action worldwide to reduce the harboring of elephants (and other animals) for human entertainment. It's not realistic to return them to their Asian and African homes, but many options have been created to care for "retired" elephants from circuses and zoos.
No comments:
Post a Comment