The Zoo

At one time in my life, I would not go to the zoo. I was at a stage when I was developing my stand on things, and taking a stand on freed wild animals seemed as good as any. My position developed from attending poorly maintained, tiny zoos, witnessing pathetic old animals that were bored to death. In later years my opinion on Animals in Captivity has waffled. I went so far as arguing we should "Free the Feedlots" in the early 1990's. Today I am a member of our local zoo.

I've read websites offering scathing exposes of zookeepers mistreating animals. I've thought a lot about what it would be like if I were on the other side of the bars. I've also read up on animals in the wild vs. captivity and for the most part, I think our local residents have it better than they would if they were preyed upon by their peers.

The local zoo, the Sedgwick County Zoo, is a medium-sized zoo. I've visited about a dozen zoos, including the San Diego Zoo. I guess I have a fair basis of comparison. Our zoo is a great place for kids, and like most zoos, a great place to learn a little about animals we don't encounter every day. Like most zoos, it's divided into zones representative of continents, special lifestyles, or parts of the world.

I like our zoo because of a few things that are inconsistent with animal care. Here are a few that I find quirky:

• It is in the flight path of a major airport
• A concert series is hosted at the zoo
• Night of the Living Zoo (for Halloween) is a madhouse

...these little oddities give the place a peculiar charm. Otherwise, I like "wet and wild Fridays," which, while not as exotic/erotic as I'd hoped, remains entertaining, for the fire trucks come and blast hundreds of kids with thousands of gallons of water. I've participated. It's a strange way of having fun. I remember picking up kids who were knocked off their feet, struggling in huge mud puddles, etc. Again, this has nothing to do with the animals, but hey.

My kids always ask me what my favorite animal is. I usually reply with their favorite of the day. This is often some primate that they have interacted with. I have also voted for giant lizards, penguins, tigers, etc. and they never seem to care that my Favorite is ever-changing.

What they don't know is that my favorite animal at the zoo has never been revealed to them. In 7 years of zoo-going (there should be a word for that), I've not once confessed to them what animal I truly most admire at the zoo. This animal might seem neglected, for it is not given berth in any region of the zoo, in particular. It has no sign or story. Nothing about the animal seems remarkable, so far as the zoo might note.

My favorite animal at the zoo: the common sparrow. Worthy of an entirely new entry, I will simply say here that sparrows have the run of the place. Like us, they may marvel at any animal behind bars...but they can also dart inside the habitat and snatch a peanut or peck at a grub worm. They can sit on the back of the big animals and taunt others. The sparrow can come and go as desired, and there is no required pass, permit, hours of operation to which the bird is bound.

This raises the sparrow to an entirely higher plain.