Tigers. They strut around the jungle proudly and elegantly, showing off their tattooed skins and a mouthful of their latest conquests; a fresh catch soon to relished and devoured after a hard day’s work. Their beauty remains unseen, hidden within the depths of the forest and camouflaging amidst the crowding trees. Their powerful gaze bites and consumes all who are weak; be it an honorable hunter or a frightened rabbit, the eye of the tiger instills a cold fear into one’s soul.
A tiger in a zoo is like a fish out of water. It’s suffocating and painful. It doesn’t belong. The tiger falls in a void of darkness where no ray of light sheds upon it. Caged and imprisoned in a tiny cubicle only to be presented to civilians as a trophy, but no one will be as satisfied and entertained for the tiger will have lost its majestic traits. If you look into the eye of the tiger, you will feel the agony it goes through. The gaze, still intense, but sorrowful. It longs for the days it will finally be free. It longs for the air to be fresh and crispy, for the cool breeze to kiss its nose, for peace and quiet, for a place it can call home. It dreams of running down endless paths, silently predating over other beings, fighting fearlessly and fiercely for dominance. It dreams of having a life of its own. Through the bars of the prison cell, the tiger looks out to see that no one is petrified; the children jump and scream from excitement rather than fear, everyone else stands before it and watches, but doesn’t run. The tiger feels weak. It fails to send shivers down the spine. It no longer feels powerful. The glass wall or the cold metal bars shield the people and exposes the shy feline. It is exposed and naked; stripped of its pride. A tiger deprived of its soul.
The tiger I painted was found in a zoo in Prague. Having never seen an actual tiger in its natural habitat, I still knew for a fact that this was not how it was supposed to be. Keanu, as I named him, paid no attention to the outside world. Yet at the same time, he wasn’t living his own either. He lost his soul and there was no hope shining in his eyes. He had accepted his fate and with every day passing by, he merely lived. Where is the entertainment in witnessing something so depressing?
Zoos are expected to educate the world about the various species they accommodate by spreading awareness and enlightening everyone about the fascinating features and characteristics of the animals. They are believed to provide the animals with basic medication, to ensure that they are healthy. Those endangered will undergo breeding programs, or so we believe, to guarantee the perfect offspring. Some may be lucky enough to be rehabilitated into the wild, but some aren’t. And what about them? They continue to spend the rest of their lives cooped up in a cage where even a hummingbird would feel claustrophobic, because “they can’t survive the wild.” If they are lucky enough, they get a slightly larger enclosure. Yes, some zoos must be doing all that they can for the animals, but some just see it as an opportunity to fill their pockets. These zoos associate with circuses rather than breeding programs. Precious lives are being treaded upon like dirt and just being thrown away like garbage. Instead of focusing on the main aspects of survival, the animals are taught different tricks like leaping through a ring of fire. From this, it is no surprise that animals reside in a zoo all their life. They are oblivious to their natural instincts.
Conservation, I believe, is to ensure that the animal’s rights must be fulfilled. Health, protection and prevention of extinction. All that matters, but so does its happiness and freedom. Breeding programs are for the purpose of a guaranteed future for the species, but what about the present individuals? What about their future? Their future should not lie the dark cold cells. What is a tiger without its freedom? And for that matter, what is any animal without its freedom?
It is for this reason that I adore national parks. The looks in the animals’ eyes are entirely different. Their strides are more confident. They are free and protected from the vicious poachers. When in dire medical need, health is provided, but nature is also allowed to take its course.
The equilibrium is maintained. More than anything else, I hope that more national parks are introduced, as compared to zoos. It is extremely difficult, especially when it comes to preventing poaching even with all these legislations, but their joy is worth it.
