Thoughts on Public Zoos

The lion is called the king
Of beasts. Nowadays there are
Almost as many lions
In cages as out of them.
If offered a crown, refuse.
-Lion, by Kenneth Roxroth

I had reason to muse this morning on the fact of my never having visited a zoo.
When I was younger my mother promised to bring me to a zoo some fine day. It never came to pass; time rolled along the way that it does and ideas melted into oblivion the way that they do, and we forgot all about it.
On reflection I think that I am glad to never have attended a zoo.
Once, in California, Spouse and I went along to a store that sold fish- a unique opportunity to sample genuinely fresh food. It was convenient to go there because one could buy large amounts of meat or fish for far better prices than those found in an ordinary supermarket.
As we waited in line to order what we had chosen, I raised my eyes to an aquarium inches from my face. It was filled with frogs and, I stress, crowded to maximum capacity. One would have had difficulty inserting so much as a straw into the tank. The frogs were crushing one another; there were flies hovering sleepily over the creatures and worst, some of the amphibians were yet moving.
I wished each one of them to be dead but a number were staring glassy-eyed, trying to breathe and unable to do so pressed up against the wet glass.
There were streaks on the tank that brought shame to my eyes and heart. It was one of the most dreadful sights that I have ever witnessed. No, it was not a zoo but it was further proof that what we humans do to animals is at times unforgivable. Whether a zoo or a filthy, heaving aquarium, it is nevertheless contemptible.
I treasure some words from one of my favourite books, 'West With The Night' by pioneer aviator Beryl Markham. To this day I remember those frogs with revulsion and I firmly believe this sentiment:

"To an eagle or to an owl or to a rabbit, man must seem a masterful and yet forlorn animal; he has but two friends.
In his almost universal unpopularity he points out, with pride, that these two are the dog and the horse. He believes, with an innocence peculiar to himself, that they are equally proud of this alleged confraternity.
He says, 'Look at my two noble friends- they are dumb, but they are loyal.'
I have for years suspected that they are only tolerant. "

Animals born into captivity are not necessarily suffering: zoos have standards and regulations and are bound by laws to treat the creatures with affection and care; and my example of the aquarium is an extreme one.
Justification might, I expect, arise from the necessity to share exhibited exotic animals with city dwellers, to experience the diversity of nature.
Still, to witness such creatures in their natural habitat and there only is the most educational endeavour a person can undertake: to watch the wildlife in the very wild they belong in and not in a man made enclosure that in all likelihood tampers with the course of things and influences animals beyond their natural inclination.
I have seen what sickening things careless, greedy business owners can do. As a result I cannot help but think that the very act of caging animals for entertainment and putting them on display is far from honourable and humane, and a long stretch from being natural.
I am thankful now, with hindsight, that my mother never brought me to a zoo. If I desire to see animals I will instead watch the trees outside my window or take a long drive with Spouse and a camera. Photographs and memory are the only kind way to capture an animal.