Seeking paradise, consciously and unconsciously, intentionally and pushed by our instincts. While contributing to distraction of what that paradise is, our souls, our earth, our purpose … Go back to the basics, and see the paradise you were created for, now and in the eternity 💙
This post was inspired unexpectedly and by an event that encouraged me to stop and think about aspects of our living that seem naturally close to me/us, but not as intentionally considered.
I would like to start on a positive note though 🙂 Nature is amazing, it’s complex, rich, provides great wealth to our lives and is beautiful (very important as it’s nice to have something good look at ;P )The flora, the fauna, the ocean and how it’s all tuned with each other. [Random fact: I have a little tattoo of a wave on my wrist – some trees, mountains and maybe a little sloth wouldn’t hurt too lol)
There’s approximately 8.7 million species on earth (CoML), all different and beautiful in their unique ways; 93% of earth habitat space is ocean (Sand Cloud), and there’s over 3 trillion trees on earth (CNN). Can you imagine the richness of it all? Amazing!
Hippos – one of the strongest and largest out of the animal kingdom occupying habitat on the land; aggressive and fast despite of misinterpretation of their nature due to their stereotypically relaxed lifestyle and short legs. Zebras – all with unique stripe patterns, like humans finger prints, with an excellent eyesight and hearing, confusing colourblind predators with their skin patterns used as camouflage. Elephants – love water and can swim! They carry their babies in their bellies for 22 months before they are born, and live in matriarchal family groups (interesting, huh? 😉 ). And that’s only the beginning 😉
This is how I saw nature on my January trip to Fuerteventura. Up close, beautiful, special 🙂
The photos haven’t been done in the wild. My friend and I took a trip to a place which we expected to be a mini safari. It appeared to be a zoo. In all honesty it was my first trip to a zoo. The entrance was beautiful and maintained to the highest standards. When we got in we were slightly confused on where to go and how it all works. It was meant to be a safari, so where are the animals, and where do we go or how do we stay safe among the wildlife?
One of the first species we saw was some kind of a turtle. Initially, I didn’t take too many photos trying to digest the reality of a zoo, which if you downgrade it from wildlife or a safari, there is plenty to get over.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand zoos try to provide habitat that would mimic the natural one, and protect the animals from the evil that ambushes in the wild, whether it’s hunters or environmental issues. So I took a closer glance. I didn’t want to judge, I wanted to understand and make up my mind. I believe with all the neglect we treat the earth, we should be making an effort to fix what we ruin, and if zoos did that, I’d need to appreciate it and support it. So I continued the journey …
One zoo in Fuerteventura claims: ‘We build enclosures and recreate natural habitats to contribute to the breeding of some species.’ But do cages and fences truly unable animals to live as they would in their natural habitat or even close to that?
Giving an example, gazelles in natural world, live on open plains with ability to run 40 miles an hour. They might be safer protected from the predators when in zoos, but surely they do not have room to live to their full potential and what they physically were created for. Similarly, elephants’s (african elephant is the largest land animal on earth) or other larger animals. Elephants tend to live in groups, forming family bonds with 8 or even 100 individuals. Zoo I visited had 3 elephants at most in a very constrained and concrete fenced area. The animals seemed lethargic and scared, hiding behind poles and buildings.
Animals were being fed, with no shortage of nutrition, however, no animal exercised their skills in terms of food pursuit, or other natural and instinct led abilities. Many was clinging to fences, camels carrying heavy iron seats ready to take on tourist for a ride. I could see sadness in the elephants’ eyes, and annoyance in hippos stare.
While zoos take on a responsibility of education the public about the wildlife and its preservation, from my observation the main aspect of the visit seemed to be flashing photos with giraffes and stroking reptiles at the live shows, being on schedule for the tourist to enjoy them, being carried around like pets.
Zoos breed and prevent species from extinction, but is returning to the wild and protecting the wild really happening and is an actual zoos’ intention? Is caging animals for the purpose of education and entertainment the right thing to do? Can the right treatment of animals in zoos, something we all believe we claim to ensure and give animals on the contrary to the wild natural habitat, be guaranteed? And can animals live their purpose when being taken out of their natural setting? Can they fly, run, hunt and be what they were created to be? Can we sustain wildlife when it’s not wild anymore?
I understand many people will disagree with me, as I saw tens and hundreds of people going through the same zoo, happy to see encaged monkeys, and chained camels; laughing and taking selfies. But I hope some can see in the photos what I saw, enough to begin to wonder.
Fuerteventura, Canary Islands Spain 14-18/01/2017
Magdalena Magola Ciolek 