The human race has lost sight of what is natural
The Nation printed two compassionate letters on Tuesday, one from “fbra 2011” (“Try putting yourself inside the mind of a captive elephant”) who says, “Wild animals belong in the wild and not on the stage, zoo, or in an aquarium, or tourist camp.”
One of the worst examples of this was the recent King’s Cup Elephant Polo Tournament in Bangkok, when people cheered as they watched confused elephants forced into submission and fearing punishment, to “play polo”. What could be more unnatural? The human race has a lot to answer for in the way we breed and misuse animals.
The other letter was Jenny Moxham’s “Born to roam the sky, but everywhere in cages”. Sadly, caged animals and birds seem to become “invisible” after the novelty of “owning” them wears off. People go on with their lives, and the captive birds suffer long lives deprived of everything that is natural to them. I too believe that guardianship (rather than ownership) of animals is a privilege, and should only be undertaken when the animals involved are in need of care. Otherwise, creatures should not be taken from their homes in the wild.
Diane Cornelius
South Australia
