“Z” is for “Zoo” and Closing Words

This is the final post of a very special series created and written by Phyllis Knox, “Alphabetic Musings”, whereby she choose a word starting with a particular letter from the alphabet and injected it with her storytelling magic.

“Z” is for “Zoo”

Here we are, already at the end of the road. I have tackled with our alphabet and the ups and downs of the English language while you have read and on occasion deciphered my run-on sentences...I tend to do that even more in spoken word. I have mixed feelings about seeing the end of the tunnel, but “all good things must come to an end”, as they say EH! More on that towards the end of this post in my closing words. First, let’s take a look at the letter “Z”!

The letter Z is pronounced “Zed” or “Zee”. “Zed” is widely in predominantly English-speaking countries: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Australia, India, Canada, and New Zealand. Only American English pronounces it “Zee”, though some Canadians do too as a personal preference. This last fact reminds me of my thoughts way back at the start of my blog series with “A” is for “America”, EH!

Now, let me get down to the subject of the day: Zoo.

According to tripadvisor.ca, Quebec has 29 zoos (which includes refuges, interpretation centres, aquariums, etc): Zoo Sauvage of Saint Felicien, Zoo de Granby, Aquarium du Quebec, Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre, Miller Zoo, Zoo de Falardeau, Exploramer, CineZoo, Ferme 5 Etoiles, Pavillion de la Faune, Bfly, Havre de la Faune, Familizoo, Zoo Academie, Ranch Dupont, Station piscicole de Balwin-Coaticook, Zoo de St-Edouard (this venue is much-talked about in the daily news and its future is very unsure, to say the least), Centre d’interpretation des oiseaux de proie de Godbout, Zoo de Monsieur Reptile, Fauna Pavilon, Educazoo Qc, Domaine des Trois Vents, Alpagas D’Ham Nature, Bfly Laval, Centre D’Observation Le Nirvana, Le Refuge de Buzz, Ferme Bellarrayo Farm, L’Oie Zoo and lastly, Centre De Decouverte Zoom Nature Desjardins. The parks are varied and the comments put on-line are usually very high-rated ones such as: “...worthwhile visiting, (the) zoo is a wonderful place to spend a couple of days with children...(the) water park is great and the variety of animals is unbelievable,...a great aquarium, started with short movies about the Belugas, the Miller family takes care of everything and everyone...the habitat is awesome”, and about Zoo Falardeau...”the best Zoo I have ever been to.”

Some comments touch on exactly my thoughts about zoos. One zoo visitor from Sherbrooke wrote the following: “Have you ever thought to touch a wolf or a fox? Also took in my arms a raccoon or a brown skunk? It’s the place to do those things. And you can enter in a lynx cage. Seeing Cougars, bears and much more.”

I love animals and visiting zoos took up a major part of my childhood ‘tourism’. I can remember swimming with the Dolphins in Florida, watching intently as I tried to connect with the Great Apes at a zoo in Cleveland, Ohio or getting highly-anticipated tickets to see the animals and their trainers as they put on a three-ring circus at the fairgrounds in Trois-Rivieres.

Today, I see the World very differently, of course! As a child, I never thought, not even once, about the who, what, where, when and why of an animal’s captivity. Nor did I question if they were happy in their man-made environments. They had food, water and shelter, so no problem. It seemed ‘normal’ somehow to put those animals on display, whether for educational, medical or social reasons. I never questioned it. I certainly do now.

Captive animals, particularly those bred in captivity, are longer lived than wild animals, because zoos provide refuge against disease, competition, and predators. Animals brought in from the wild, on the other hand, may suffer from chronic stress even if their needs are well met. While we humans do gain from a better knowledge of the animal world, are zoos and wildlife refuges the answer? I ask myself that question because of my own sense of guilt. Are animals meant to be used as tools for our human enjoyment and needs?

I do not pretend to have any answers, but I do know that looking at the faces, especially into the eyes, of these precious creatures, I feel a kinship. Their basic instincts tell them to protect themselves in every and any way possible. A wild tiger is not meant to roll around and play tricks with its masters (as seen in Los Vegas shows). The freedom to come and go, to live where I choose and be with the people I choose to be with are not just human needs, but the animals ones. I often wondered what our captured ‘friends’ were thinking as they looked at me from their cages.

I read about the Ancient Romans and their very popular animal/gladiator shows in the Roman Coliseum, I believe that we have come a long way towards improving our vision for animals and their place in our society. Yet, I also think about the bull fights still very popular in some parts of the world, or dog fights prevalent everywhere, and I then wonder, just how far we have really come. Just a little ‘food for thought’.

My Closing Words 

In closing, I would like to first thank those of you who took the time to: #1. read my blog and #2. send in a comment on a particular subject. Let me mention the names of the ‘kind’ people who have stood by me through the good and the not-so-good times in my writings as I tried (sometimes, desperately) to make sense of an ever-changing world. Those friends, colleges, strangers and family members are: Dan Fleury, Lucie Hebert, Debra Dorey, Tina Anderson, Tanya, Carol,  Annie Falardeau, Tricia Giovannetti, Gina Lavine, Allen Charland, Mary Pichon, Dani, and Carol Thibeault.

In a world full of information and opinions... where the 24-hour info network is available to us all, I am happy to have shared a small corner of our world and a few minutes of your week through the twenty-six letters of our alphabet. It has been a pleasure to share my world view: the World as I see it while using the A, B, C’s, and the X, Y, Z’s of every-day life. I have no illusions of grandeur about my opinions. They are simply a 75-year-old woman’s experiences as she has lived and enjoyed them, nothing more and nothing less. The St. Maurice Valley and the Centre du Quebec were my main ‘targets’ of exploration, sometimes a step back into the past or within our present-day 21st Century, and sometimes, a step forward into the unknown... our future.

Thank you to those who have read my thoughts and have stayed with me to this jucture! I have arrived “at the fork in the road”, and I must now take it just as each of you must too. I wish each and every one of you good health and lots of happiness as you pursue your own dreams in this sometimes complicated and complex - yet always interesting and fabulous - world.

P.S. Thank you and as they say in French... Au Revoir.

Phyllis Knox