Poetics of Display, Essay Example

I have gone to many zoos, circuses, and other animal exhibits, but I never really thought about if the animals were happy. The exhibit I chose to pay close attention to for this assignment was the elephant display at a local zoo. The first thing I noticed was that the elephant looked to be well fed and taken care of. That was important to me because I feel it would be savage to have any animal in captivity and not properly feed it.

The area that the elephant was in is rather large. There is even a manmade lake in the display.  The first thing that I noticed was that there were small metal pipes running the circumference of the display. There was a thin wire running from each pipe. I believe that the wire was electrically charged to keep the elephant from crossing it. Outside of that perimeter, there was a barbed wire fence. The final perimeter was a wooden fence. To me, the perimeters should have been more humane. The wooden fence should have been the one closest to the elephant, and then the electric wire, and finally the barbed wire fence. The display was an outdoor display. No covering was over the top, so the elephant did have access to natural sun, rain, and fresh air.

The inside of the display simulated the elephant’s natural habitat. There was grass growing inside the display. Rocks and dirt covered the ground. Big boulders were situated inside the display. The manmade pound gave the elephant access to daily baths. However, in plain view directly across from the display was a brick building and above the display ran power lines. To me, this took away from the natural habitat of the display. Also, there was only one elephant in the display. I know that elephants live in herds in the wild because they form strong attachments to their families. I felt it was inhumane for the elephant to be alone all the time.

Listening to people talk about the elephant on display, many mentioned that the elephant was alone. Even small children asked their parents where his family was. Others mentioned that the elephant did not really look happy, but just content.  Nevertheless, the majority of the people and children were excited about seeing the elephant. The zoo workers were inside the display working and bring in more grass and the elephant does not seem to even notice them. He continues to eat and never looks their way. The elephant was accustomed to them being inside the display. Possibly, he looked forward to the interaction because there were no other elephants. The onlookers could not interact with the elephant because of the fences.

The exhibit is very large and the elephant has many areas that he can go into to be out of view of the onlookers. The exhibit is very naturalistic. There is dirt, rocks, grass growing, and a pound inside the exhibit. Because the exhibit is outside, the smell is very minimum. Upon looking around the display, I did not see any visible piles of feces inside the display. Other than being surrounded by the fences, the exhibit has a very natural feel. I did notice that there was a ball inside the exhibit. However, the elephant was not playing with it. There was a strange looking tarp on some metal poles. The tarp was a triangular shape and I was unable to figure out what purpose it served.

My impression of the elephant was that he was just content, not happy or sad. During my visit, the elephant never made any sounds. He made little eye contact with the onlookers. One group of children were there making a lot of noises and their depictions of elephant sounds. The elephant looked up and watched the children until they left the exhibit. The elephant did seem a little bored to me. I believe that if he had other elephants in there with him, he would have been happier.

Is it humane or not? Animals in zoos are taken away from the natural habitat and confined behind walls and cages, often having limited space and interaction with other animals. The definition of inhumane is causing misery and suffering. When animals are taken from their natural home and placed in confinement so that people may look at them, does not show compassion. When confined, animals do not learn survival skills and therefore are domesticated. Many of the animals do not get proper exercise and have become accustomed to waiting on their males. For a long time, I was straddling the fence with this issue. I was unsure if zoos were humane. I believe animals are meant to be free just like humans. Yes, there are domesticated animals that depend on humans for survival. Only these animals should be kept. Wild animals should be wild and roaming their natural habitat freely. In the wild, elephants live in herds. They mourn death and have strong connections with herd members. They play and run freely in the woods. In confinement, this elephant does not have access to any of that. Animals should not be caged. I believe zoos are inhumane. All wild animals should be free in the wild. Yes, there are instances when endangered species need assistance from humans; however, after being assisted these animals should be released back into their natural habitat. Animals are not just things; they have feelings, emotions, and family just like humans. Consequently, being in a zoo can have a psychological affect on animals. Animals have been known to suffer from depression just like humans. This zoo that I visited is by far one of the best I have seen. It was large, clean, and the animals seem to be well taken care of. There was a minimum of bad odor.  Zoo officials say that zoos are educational. The zoos that I have attended over the years have not been any more educational than reading. You are able to view the animals and read a passage about the animal. With technology today, you can do that on the internet. Consequently, I believe zoos are purely entertainment, not educational.