Just a little bit further.
He pressed his nose against the fence that kept him hemmed in and separated from the rest of the world.
The enclosure he lived in was designed for his protection, the humans said, though it often seemed as though he needed protection from the very humans who, it appeared, had appointed themselves his saviors.
Born into a world of wide open plains and savannahs, his world was now restricted to a barren, boxed-in space that hardly measured a few meters. His herd of brothers and sisters were long gone and he had no idea if they were still alive; if they, like him, now lived in captivity; or if they continued to run wild.
Just a little bit further. He pressed his nose against the fence, yearning to reach the clump of grass that grew outside.
It was ridiculous that he should be brought so low, craving dry, tasteless shrubs that were a far cry from the luscious greenery that grew on the banks of the rivers and lakes he once knew.
As he strained to reach the grass, he thought of the thumping sound of thousands of feet running together, striped bodies kicking up thick clouds of dust in the search for the best spots to feed. Echoes of yesterday. Today, the only company he kept was that of the brazen rats who ran boldly around in his enclosure.
Human voices drew close. He snorted but otherwise ignored them. Ignoring his humiliation, excited boys jostled each other for chance to pet him. Humans were so selfishly obtuse: interrupting his peace to snap pictures, flash lights and capture moments while he stood feet splayed, nose pressed against a cold fence, struggling to get a taste of a bit of grass, and then moving on because he was "not exciting enough", not when there were regal lions and tigers and tall, imposing giraffes waiting to be peered at as well.
Finally, head bent at an unnatural angle, he gripped a bit of the grass, pulled at it and began to chew slowly."
Oh well, he thought. This has come to be the sum total of my life. "Another year's come and gone and I'm still doing the same old thing. Stand over here, trot over there. Eat some grass. Walk back over here." (Madagascar)
In the words of the French: c'est la vie.
It's been a while since I've written anything, my friends.
It's been vacation time in my country and I've been preoccupied with kids and parenting duties running between camps and extracurricular classes, and getting prepared for a new school year. I've been yearning to return to writing more consistently though. Maybe things can improve a bit this month. I'm hoping.
The above piece was conceived during a recent visit to the zoo. Have you ever wondered about the thoughts or feelings of animals in captivity?