This past weekend was a very busy time for us which culminated with a Sunday afternoon visit to the Indianapolis Zoo accompanied by our daughter and her husband to celebrate Mother’s Day. It has been some time since I have been to the Indianapolis Zoo. I remember visiting the zoo at the old location by the fairgrounds when it was little more than a petting zoo. Since it moved to the White River Park location in 1988, it has expanded into a wonderful place to explore and enjoy family time.

Seeing animals in captivity is fun in some respects but is sad in some others. Watching a tiger continuously circle it’s enclosure is a constant reminder that this is not the environment in which it is meant to live.  It is obvious that some of the animals lack the muscle tone of their counterparts in the wild. And yet, for some of these creatures, which are threatened with extinction by poachers and human encroachment, the zoo is a haven of sorts.

The picture of the elephant with this blog is one that Michelle took while we were on a morning safari at the Victoria Falls Game Preserve in Zimbabwe in 1999. To see animals that close with only a range rover between the two of you is exciting and informative as well. Unlike the zoo experience, it is obvious in this environment who is visiting whom. That is, we are the ones who need to respect the power of the beast rather than watching from a comfortable distance with a fence and trench between us.  It is both fulfilling and a little frightening at the same time. Unfortunately, the safari experience is not readily available in central Indiana. And so we go to the zoo and imagine what the animals might be like in their natural environment.

I expect that many of us like life served up in the zoo experience style – just interesting enough to engage us but at a completely safe distance.  One of my wife’s childhood friends published a book a few years ago titled “The Glass Between Us: Reflections on Urban Creatures” (Rebecca Norris Webb) in which she photographs animals in various zoos around the world.  She shows that “in a certain light, the glass between us can be a window and a mirror.”

So, my  visit to the zoo has reminded me that we are both fascinated by and a little wary of those things that are radically different from our world. And maybe we should be careful about lions, tigers and bears. But there is also something to be said for seeing things without barriers or at least looking into the reflections in the glass between us as we look through the glass.  It might have something to tell us about who we are and how we look at the world.

We had a great time at the zoo, by the way.  And although there is a small pool where you can pet a shark, I chose not to do that. I think I’ll keep the glass between me and that experience for the time being.