Thoughts on Zoos and Suburbia

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is the zoological standard to which all others are held. It is 1800 acres where various types of animals can run…well, if not free, then with sufficient space to avoid boredom and an environment just controlled enough to mitigate against sudden death. While zoos used to place exotic species in concrete cells for the public’s viewing pleasure, many now serve the dual functions of entertainment and preservation, and try to emulate San Diego. Instead of bare concrete, they provide tigers with an island of greenery, things to climb on, things to play with, and intellectual challenges. Nevertheless, most of the tigers I’ve seen still pace along the edge of their moats.

Living in a major metropolitan city and surrounded by hundreds of miles of suburbs, I often feel like the tigers. Sure, there are lots of activities and parks, but it is all so tame. There is no discovery involved. We’ve bull-dozed the world and built ourselves the perfect artificial habitat, air conditioned to the ideal temperature. Even the trails we’ve built traversing our “undeveloped”, “open” spaces are well-groomed and often paved.

Argh! WHAT IS THIS OBSESSION WITH PAVEMENT???

Not only are our parks designed by committee to provide maximum amusement to the general public, but they are all circular, self-contained, and oh god, so boring. Trails are no longer built to a destination, they are the destination. They’ve become an amusement park. How can you have an adventure when you are traveling in a carefully controlled, safe circle?

In building suburbia, we’ve destroyed our natural environment. It’s like building a zoo featuring rainforest species on top of pristine rainforest! Why?!

There are some exceptions to this tendency. The Appalachian Trail runs the length of the East Coast in an unbroken line of forest. But that’s one trail! What if I want to go somewhere the AT is not? I got very excited today when I learned of the American Discovery Trail…a whole non-paved trail across the country…on the exact route that I would choose to take if I planned it myself.

Road trip! Only not confined to the artificial bubble that is the American highway. I want to see the land. I want to meet the people. I want to stand on top of a mountain and have the option of going in any direction I choose. That is freedom.