Colombo, Environment

Concentration camps for animals

Some of the recent deaths of animals in captivity in our zoological gardens, had been blamed on the visitors.

The real blame should be accepted by the authorities who manage these prisons. Who collect innocent animals from around the country, and from around the world and who keep these animals in small cages for life. The only escape for the animals is through death. Death would be a really welcome relief for them.

These animals and birds are captured, separated from their parents and siblings and separated from their habitat, their food, their playgrounds, their hunting grounds. We bring animals who live in very cold climates and also from tropical rain forests and deserts. We bring animals who are used to changing seasons, who migrate from one place to another with the seasons, who hibernate. Then we also send our own animals to live in arid climates or permanently cold regions.

We try to train some of these animals to perform circus acts. The animals would never on their own, perform these tricks. They would have liked to play with their own friends and siblings or their parents, but would never want to perform in front of beasts who claim they are humans.

It is time to question if we really do need these concentration camps for animals. Man is always curious to see other exotic countries, animals and birds. But should it not be in their natural habitat?

But visiting them in their natural habitat by all these millions of people would not be the answer, because that would ruin the habitat and the eco-system leading to the extinction of the fauna and flora in these sanctuaries.

We really do not need to cage the animals, or visit them in their home grounds. We can still see them, perhaps study them under better conditions, see them close up, see them as they live their lives, spend hours and hours watching them. We can do this without disturbing the animals or their environment, without harming them, and we can also do this in comfort, and at very little cost.

This is possible with the available audio-visual technology. Then only a very few people have to invade the lives of these creatures, and they can bring these images to our living room, our desk or even our phone. Children can learn more about these birds and animals at their desk, than they could do by glancing at a suffering animal in a cage for a few minutes.

Let us close down all our Nazi type concentrations camps for animals. Let us give them their freedom, which is their absolute right. Let us show them loving kindness. Let us show them that we can be humane if we really want to.