My daughter and I went to the zoo today and all of the animals are so beautifully housed and fed and every effort is made to recreate their natural habits and to keep them healthy and happy. \u00a0 Not too fat, not too thin, but eating like they would in their natural habitats and maintaining an ideal weight. \u00a0 Animals can exercise, get fresh air, sunshine and they aren’t allowed to get overweight or to be housed inappropriately or there would be an outcry from the public.<\/p>\n
But when my gaze turned from the animal’s habitats to the walkways and paths for the visitors, I have never seen so many overweight, obese and morbidly obese people in my life. \u00a0 If 66% of adults in the US are overweight or obese, this morning skewed that percentage some, because it was more like 80% or more who were quite to significantly heavier than their ideal weight. \u00a0 I saw firsthand why we are the most overweight and obese society in the world.<\/p>\n
So what is my point? \u00a0 Zoo animals are being held in captivity against their “will” probably the only plus being that they actually live longer in most cases in captivity. \u00a0 No enemies, no disease, good diets, probably supplements, good veterinary care and so forth contribute to their longevity.<\/p>\n
We, on the other hand, have lifespans that are shortening and we are not held in captivity. \u00a0 We make choices as to where we live and how much exercise we get and what type and when. \u00a0 We eat what we please and when we please and how much we please. \u00a0 We seek medical care by choice or when we can afford it.<\/p>\n
We, too, should be healthy and at our ideal weights, but instead we are not. \u00a0 I saw people out of breath and struggling to go up paths or to take stairs to exhibits in order to see animals in about as perfect condition as they would be outside of their natural habitats.<\/p>\n
We have the largest elephant habitat of any zoo in the country and the elephant keepers place their food in amongst logs so that they have to search for it and inside huge balls that they have to push around to make the food come out. \u00a0 The “visitors” on the other hand congregated where the fast food, ice cream and other sweets were being sold and sat down to eat.<\/p>\n
My daughter and I saw animal mothers and fathers playing and nurturing their young. \u00a0 The human parents seemed to be just sitting and talking to each other and the children tried to play, but since they, too, were quite overweight and one nine or ten year old girl was morbidly obese and couldn’t play at all. \u00a0 We saw no counterpart of hers amongst the residence of the zoo.<\/p>\n
Can’t we take care of ourselves as well as we take care of our animals. \u00a0 If we take our dogs or cats to the vet, don’t they suggest that we put our pets on a diet (and we comply right away) if they are overweight?<\/p>\n
Do we need “keepers” or “owners” to take care of us so that our lifespans are lengthened and so we eat well and exercise enough to be healthy and maintain ideals weights? \u00a0 I guess so because \u00a0 we certainly are not capable of doing it on our own.<\/p>\n