All Creatures Great and Small
Strangely, our class visit to the zoo ended up being spiritual. There we were, in front of the gorilla exhibit, staring straight into the sorrowful face of the head honcho of the fam with me thinking the same thing I’ve thought every year that I’ve taken a grade 2 class to the zoo (4 years) – I don’t think I want to come again next year and marvel at these poor creatures staring blankly back at me – when a small voice piped up from beside me and invaded my private thoughts: “I think…I think it’s better if we went to the jungle and saw these animals there…then they would be happy and we would be happy. I’m not happy seeing them not-happy.”
It was one of my students, one of the lively, rambunctious ones that I’d especially selected to tour the zoo in my group (with the parent volunteers splitting up the less “explorative” rest of the class).
The other students heard this girl’s opinion and a strange silence fell on us. It seemed to be just us 7 and the old male gorilla with his sonorous face and slow-blinking eyes. Why do primates staring full into your face compel such bouts of conscience in us humans?
After that, the students couldn’t stop talking about the feelings of the animals. I was toting around not only gorilla-whisperers, but also elephant-whisperers, camel-whisperers, polar bear-whisperers and even red-tailed green rat snake-whisperers. At one point we went into a mock ranger cabin on the “African Savannah” and those students who were Buddhist and Hindu felt compelled to tell the presenter about some of their views on the sacred treatment of animals. One student gently touched a piece of zebra skin and asked how it had died. I could tell the presenter was a bit flustered. But then she came around and moved about the cabin gamely pointing out all the things that were fake (“See this lion skull? Guess what? It’s NOT real! We made it here at the zoo!” “Well, what about this tusk? Is that real?” “Well, er, yes but…we’re sure the elephant died of an illness…We’re the Zoo, we LOVE animals.”) I’m sure she was relieved when we moved on and the next group of bouncy, less-whispery kids bounded in.
The whole trip was obviously not like that – and as usual, the very same things that happen every year inevitably happened. In front of the spectacular view of the giraffes languidly moving across the field or the lion yawning majestically, the kids energetically pointed out “LOOK! An ant! An ANT!” or “Ms. K! IT’s A PIGEON! A PIGEON EVERYONE!” Every year without fail this happens in front of the most exotic animal exhibits.
But then…as we sat down in a quiet spot under a tree to eat our lunches, I pulled out my translation of Shaykh Al-Amin Ali Mazrui’s collection of hadith The Content of Character. I thought all the kids were involved in chatting with each other but a few of them drew near to me to ask what I was reading. I explained that it was something from my religion. What? they asked. It was about goodness, I explained. The gorilla-whisperer noticed the Arabic on the pages and wanted to hear me read it. So under the tree, amidst all the animal whisperers, I read in a lulling language which they did not understand but seemed content to just listen to without explanation. I read the meaning in my head: Those who show mercy have God’s mercy shown to them. Have mercy to those here on earth, and the One there in Heaven will have mercy on you.
Beautiful Masha’Allah. I stopped visiting the zoo b/c I felt too much like the first animal-whisperer in your story! Animals have so much to tell us –don’t they?
That was lovely. It’s funny how children often make us venture into this realm of thoughts that we wouldn’t necessarily venture into on our own.
Samira, on every visit as soon as I see the first caged animal, I can’t shake the feeling that it’s not right…yet, at the same time, I know seeing them “up close” also allows children to deepen their love of animals – but then if they love animals, will they love seeing them out of their natural habitats? i guess it’s a classic catch-22 situation. I laud you for taking a conscious stand on the issue.
Asmaa, that’s one of the reasons I love teaching – working with children keeps your mind limber and open to the world in interesting ways.
Hello Commonplacer,
Your thoughts reminded me of many trips I have made to the zoo. Now that I think of it, zoos that I have visited take on the flavour of the country and regime they are in I suppose: the zoo in Mumbai was called “Rani-cha baug” which means The Queen’s Garden, after all half the things in India were named after some British monarch. Recently though it has been called Jijamata Udhyan after the mother of the great Maratha freedom fighter Shivaji Raje Bhonsale ( whose image sadly adorns a utensil stall in Gerrard Street and no one recognises it, except my family and I who pay tribute to the great man every time we visit)
The animals live in dismal conditions and nobody notices much. yet World Wide Fund for nature ( WWF India) has a movement going on to better the conditions for the animals. However in India, the question is conservation at whose cost? Often the people who foot the bill for conservation have encroached into the tiger’s land beacuse they have no where else to go. Infrastuctural collapse hits the poorest of the poor hardest. Jim Corbett is revered in wildlife conservation circles in India, I too had my phase of wide eyed devotion as a young University student. yet today I ask questions about cages for all and whether they should be there at all.
Then there was Vietnam. My daughter, all of 4 in 1998 commented as I walked around with her and my infant son. ” The zebra is like us “Mamma. I think he is far away from home. See, his eyes are so sad” It is said in Hindu mythology that when Krishna’s mother asked Him to open His mouth so that she could see if He had indeed eaten butter, she was stunned to see the Creation of the Universe reflected therein. This is what I feel sometimes when children utter these pearls of wisdom. I think the little ones are put on earth to raise jaded adults.
And then there was Singapore. Night Safari is an experience to be enjoyed and absorbed. With 9 different ecosystems recreated in the small space of the park, it is a wonder to be seen. No cages, only wide deep moats. Singapore is a tourists paradise and I often question the checks and balances that are invisible to te eye. This is reflected in the park too, all is glittery and there are wooden “mashaals” (flaming torches) and even kid sized sinks ( universal design? they won my daughter’s activist-y heart right away)
And then there is the Toronto Zoo. Yes, I don’t like the circus. But to the naturalist in me this is one way of preserving these beautiful animals and helping our kids see what wonderful creatures the Creator has shared with us.
We recently took my son and his friend over. They were delighted and it was a pleasure to hear these two 9 year old boys talk so sensitively. ( Adopt a giraffe, I wonder how that works. Do you think it would fit in my back yard? That’s not what they meant, they want you to pay for it like that Worldvision thingy. You cannot take it home, right Mamma” ( my son, the ever pragmatic child!!)
And there were a lot of “remember whens” Mamma do you remember when you volunteered and I was in kindergarten? You had to pick me up then. I can see clearly now on my own!! I am going to NEVER going to let anyone buy ivory, it hurts them. How would you like it if I pulled out your teeth and sold them?” Whoa, good for you Kid.
I don’t have to pick you up anymore do I? , my son? You can see ahead on your own.
That is the value of uncaged minds.
In peace… May we all be free of the chains that bind us, seen or unseen.