Oliphaunt

These are two of the elephants at the zoo. I could see another one chained in the shed for reasons beyond me. Maybe it was under some medication or something. When we got there it was around 11.30am. Not near lunch time and we missed their show as well. So there they were lounging around their territory watching people gaze at them, while others proceeded to the next showcase. Kids and parents alike took time admiring this pair. And they seem to enjoy the attention. I wonder how long they’ve been with the zoo. They even knew how to pose for the camera.

Then came this man with two big baskets of cut sugar canes. Well what do you know. It’s tea time. Just the way they like it.

Loads of sugar, minus the tea.

Shit loads of fiber, drencehd with sweet pee.

He put some of the canes on a foldable table and waited.
“What the heck is he doing? I wanna see the elephants have their snacks. Throw them canes already” I thought. Then I saw some people taking some of the canes and paid for them. Then I got it. Another good idea to fund these animals and make the Zoo a better place. Kids got excited and begged their parents to pay for the canes. It was delightful to see parents oblige.
“Go ahead moms and dads, make these elephants happy”

Some of the kids were quite small and I worry they might trip over the railing and fall into the drain. Long as the trunks were, the kids tried their very best, stretching out so that the elephants’ trunks could reach the canes. Some kids however, were just plain mean, teasing the elephants, pulling away the canes just when they seem to get it and then making a joker’s face saying “nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh!”. It was bad enough that the elephants were on the edge of the drain, risking a nasty or even a fatal fall. Add this to the frustration these elephants get as they intensely reach over to get a little sweet bite.

Imagine the heartache and helplessness when your happiness depends solely on the mercy of kids who seem to enjoy teasing you by depriving you of your favorite fix.
“For crying out loud kids, they don’t enjoy that as much as you do. In fact, you’re building up stress in their already frustrating caged and chained life. It ain’t pretty and it ain’t unchained melody either. Give them a break and just hand the damned sugar cane over!” I thought, my heart jumped and then immediately sank.

Then it hit me; these elephants can’t possibly be happy here. They don’t belong here. Being chained and caged. I know elephants have millions of wrinkles which make them look very old and that’s normal, but there’s something unsettling about these pair. I could almost see the sadness in their eyes. I could sense they long to be free, roam in the thick lush jungle. Be one with the herd. Have kids and bring them up in a close knit social circle, as seen on Animal Planet.

I never thought about it before but this particular trip to the zoo introduced me to a new perspective that is animal freedom; a newfound appreciation for natural habitat and the right of every species to live in their own, with minimum human intervention and routines.

But the question remains, how are we suppose to begin appreciating if we can’t get close enough, as close as we get in the Zoo? Let’s face it, reading and watching alone is not enough to warrant awareness among the uninitiated.

We could do with a Safari right here in Malaysia. A place where people get the chance to watch animals roam about living in their natural habitat, unchained, unfenced. But then again, how many species could they manage? How safe would it be for both animals and humans?

Do we have enough Zoologists fit for the job? I guess that’s a good place to start. But for now, it seems, we’ll just have to settle for the zoo, sad as it may be. And hey, there’s always that good old Animal Planet, Discovery and National Geographic Channel to let us in on our animal instincts.