The leopard and the lion are both in cages at Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon, Mass.
Which one looks happier to you?
It is tough to reconcile the “This is the best day of my entire life!” affirmations of a four hour visit to this zoo with this question.
Obviously, the lions appear to have adjusted. If that isn’t a relaxed stance in lion posture, forgive me. But, on the face of it, or better, on the tummy of it, I’d say their cage and people gawking at them, doesn’t irritate 24/7. On this sun filled day surrounded by happy companions, I know this luxurious posture, too.
The leopard, on the other hand, paced back and forth up a narrow pathway of about 40 feet. He had more territory to escape to or through (tunnel) but he just kept going back and forth on this well worn path. Sometimes, he lay down but then, quickly got back up and resumed pacing. I looked around to see if anyone else was as alarmed as I was. No. No one. I wasn’t anticipating his jumping over the very tall fence. I’m bad at guesstimating distance but the fence was as tall as two story building.
But, what I was recognizing was that caged, anxious feeling that comes across me sometimes without apparent reason and in fact had come upon me two days previously. Only small hands had kneaded the knot loose and did the cage open.
I must have groaned/sighed at the leopard exhibit and was asked why. I didn’t want to alarm my deliriously happy companions with my concerns. So, I simply said, “Well, he looks a bit frightened to me.”
Cages. Some are built for animals that are meant to be wild but only some adjust to the height and width of their cage. Others are inner cages-invisible but impenetrable none the less. One piece of wire at a time, sewn together intricately by fearful hands, silently working inward, attaching its tendrils around objects in a slow, sure grasp, sometimes in moonlight like morning glories.
Nuala O’Faolain, recently deceased, wrote in her memoir, “Are You Somebody?” about how people list the most important events of their life. She said number one on her list: “When I learned to read.” She remembered the details as one would their first love. She ended the chapter with “Novels were about what I cared about. They asked the questions I wanted answered. How do lives get lived? How is love found?”
Leopards and lions and humans answer these questions with difficulty on some days, pacing back and forth, dread their only companion, and on other days, with apparent ease, effortlessly, at least from a distance, with paws and tummies up, warmed by the rising sun.
A trip to zoo is about humans and animals getting through the day the best we can.
©Pat Coakley 2008
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We visit our local zoo quite often, and our leopard is the same way. Always pacing. Never content to settle down and just sit.
There was a song several years ago by the 77s called “Self-Made Traps” that compliments your post nicely. What do we do when we find ourselves caged in by fences we’ve erected?
Excellent post.
Brian
Zoos are soooo yesterday and I think their days are numbered.
They hearken back to previous centuries when people were far less conscious of the fact that animals have feelings as well. I feel the same way about circuses and that’s why I sometimes still go to them. It’s like getting in touch with another long distant age. It reminds me of how far we have come and how far we have yet to travel.
I think that there is a certain amount of Schadenfreude when people look at animals (particularly dangerous ones) in cages. I was reminded of an old quote from roman times by Lucretius (99-55 B.C):
“It is pleasant, when the sea is high and the winds are dashing the waves about, to watch from the shores the struggles of another”
As for freeing oneself from feeling caged, I guess the first step is recognizing ones situation. The hard part is actually doing something about it.
Beautifully put, that caged feeling for me is the sense that my freedom is being taken away, I become agitated and jumpy like the leopard, I just want to break free. The symbology in your writing is beautiful, the leopard and the lion are also two different cats, in the wild they are also very different.
The lion is far more adaptable in the wild, he has been known to dig holes in the ground to create protection and safety, will change direction if it means that he will get food.
The leopard on the other hand is more stuck in his ways, protection for him is always up a tree, if there are no trees he tends to have a slight melt down and becomes jumpy. It always hunts pray in a similar way, it is very rare that it changes its course or tries a new tactic to get food.
This is why there are more lions in the world and why the leopard’s numbers are dangerously close to extinction.
Great post Pat, incredible actually and really beautifully put, I like the way your mind visualises and puts it into words!
Tysdaddy: Thank you for the musical reference. I’m going to see if it’s on Itunes today. Thx.
Razz: Your comments about Schadenfraude made me think of a comment by Gore Vidal which relates to this concept as well. He was talking about what success feels like, I think and (not exact words but close I think) : “It’s not enough to succeed, friends must be perceived to have failed.” Love the Lucretius quote. I’m such a wanker that I’ll be dropping this at the watercooler as soon as I locate a watercooler.
Sanity, this information about the lion/leopard deepens my perception of what I saw. Thank you for this. Like Lucretius from Razz, I’ll be passing this information along nonchalantly at some watercooler as if my knowledge of the animal kingdom informs my every thought. Of course, I won’t tell them that I thought the leopard was the cougar and had to match my px of the animal with the ones on Wikapedia of both animals!
Gore Vidal also said “Whenever a friend succeeds a little something in me dies”.
Lol I only know the difference because we were taught as kids what to look out for while walking in our mountains, we have a few wild ones roaming :)
A leopard never changes it’s spots, I love mine, how bout you? :D