“Noone ever told us tigers are real”: zoos as champions of ‘actual reality’ in an increasingly virtual world
Somewhere a few years ago I read a story by, I think, the eminent poet and broadcaster, Ruth Padel, that went something like this:
A school group are visiting the Zoo. The class has been prepared for the educational experiencde with video stuff, computers, books, photographs, the works. But when they eventually reach the tiger enclosure, one little girl runs back up to the teacher, her eyes shining with wonder and says “But Miss….. you never said the tigers would actually be REAL!!!.”
I have been unable to find the reference, but perhaps if Miss Padel picks this up, she can comment in to verify or modify. http://www.ruthpadel.com/index.htm
The point would be do zoos still make enough of the very immediate, visceral reality ( excrement, mating behaviour …. and even death) that we offer the visitor? Only at the zoo can you see, smell and hear fantastic wild animals, and know they are seeing and smelling at you.
John
One Response to ““Noone ever told us tigers are real”: zoos as champions of ‘actual reality’ in an increasingly virtual world”
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Ruth Padel kindly responds
Yes, it’s a true, and sad story – what she actually said was – “You never told us tigers were REAL!”
Kids are so used to fabulous animals from TV.
I was told this story by the teacher when researching my book TIGERS IN RED WEATHER (Abacus Books, paperback – see http://www.ruthpadel.com/pages/tigers.htm)
- in which I explored all tiger range jungles to fnd out what is happening to wild tigers and met en route a lot of the international zoo community who play a key role in the conservation and captive breeding of particularly endangered tigers.
The screen does so much damage…. It is no substitute for the real – but how do kids who do not meet the real thing, know this?
What thrilled that little girl was – that the tiger looked back AT HER.
Ruth Padel