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Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos

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One need only read the title to know that this handsome book is not a celebration of zoos. It is, rather, a full frontal attack on them. Jensen provides a poetic text written from the heart, and while his bibliography excludes some important writings on zoos, his criticisms are piercing. "Zoos are about power," he says, meaning our power over animals and our control over nature (or at least the illusion of it). He describes the clicking of a grizzly bear's claws on the concrete floor of her cage as she paces back and forth rhythmically, neurotically. This stereotyped pacing will be familiar to practically anyone who's spent time at a zoo, and it's symptomatic of what's wrong with these institutions. "Zoos are a manifestation of this civilizing process: the foreclosure of options, the enclosure of freedoms... A bear is simplified to meat in a sack of brown fur, and not the relationships, desires, and behaviors that make a bear. She becomes a BEARTM."



Zoos are first and foremost commercial enterprises, and the animals' interests invariably play second (or third, or forth) fiddle to the quest for profit. Large, charismatic species are reduced to mere shells by the interminable boredom and lack of stimulation. Average life expectancy is actually short; those statistics of animals living longer in captivity are based on the rare elders who beat the odds, not on average life span. Jensen also rightly rebukes humanity's hypocrisy in romanticizing wildness while simultaneously extirpating any wild creature that gets in the way of our commercial developments. And zoos have precious little to show for their self-aggrandizing claims of benefiting species survival.



Tweedy-Holmes's black and white photos show the dignity and grace of animals despite their artificial surroundings. The images are poignant without any hint of being manipulative. Fittingly, the zoos where the photos were taken are not recorded; instead the species name is accompanied by a list of countries (sometimes only one) where they still cling to a wild existence. I noticed a couple of errors here: the American "Black bear" on page 117 is actually an Asiatic black bear, and I suspect the "Rhesus monkey" on page 76 is a White uakari.



This book will change your next visit to a zoo, if you decide to go at all.

Written Press Action Person of the Year Derrick Jensen and photographed by critically acclaimed artist Karen Tweedy-Holmes, Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos is a protest against human environmental destruction wild habitat, and especially, the incarceration of wild animals in zoos. Questioning the purpose of zoos and what they teach humans about their relationship to nonhuman animals, Thought to Exist in the Wild harshly criticizes zoos for their commercialism, their reduction of animals to the levels of commodities, and the dubious morality of taking away wild creatures' entertainment for novelty purposes. "Bears are not toys. They are not symbols or stand-ins for Native American cultures. They are not attractions. They are not resources to be managed. They are not pests to be exterminated. They are bears... Every bear - every animal, inside or outside of zoos - is an individual. Each one has, believe it or not, a life." The compelling black-and-white photography poignantly illustrates the passionately charged essays in this thought-provoking manifesto.

As I was reviewing the new books at the library, I held two possibilities for my next read, a book on the best zoos in the United States or this book, Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos, by Derrick Jensen and Karen Tweedy-Holmes. As you might guess, I elected to read Thought to Exist in the Wild. And I am glad that I did.

Beautiful photographs from Tweedy-Holmes punctuate the words of Jensen. Jensen is, as you may guess from the title, not a fan of zoos. After reading his words and seeing the pictures, I am less inclined to visit zoos. The only reason I would visit them would be to ask hard questions of the zookeepers and docents. Jensen makes it very clear that zoos exist for man to control nature. But nature should not be controlled by placing animals in cages for our entertainment. They should be viewed in their real habitat. Can't get to Africa to see wild elephants or lions? What about the nature in your own backyard? Birds, deer, rabbits, snakes, and insects that live and visit your area are worthy of your attention as well as your children. In that way, you have a relationship with nature and the things that inhabit it. Taking animals from their homes, killing the mothers and fathers, then shipping the children across the oceans is barbaric. Jensen tells the tale of one famous animal dealer that also dealt in humans (slaves). It is easy to make the inference that we are enslaving the animal kingdom for our own profit and entertainment.

Throughout the book, Jensen debunks the myths brought forward by pro-zoo authors and zookeepers. Tweedy-Holmes' pictures, of caged animals in some of the world's "best" zoos are beautifully done. In most cases, however, she makes sure that you are aware that the animal is in a cage. This is not an easy book to read as it strips bare the prevailing view of zoos and most of the press that they receive. Thought to Exist in the Wild is small but it will alter your perceptions of the caging of animals for your entertainment and the zoo's profits.

Zoos are prisons for other animals. Kind of obvious when you consider it for a moment. Probably most people would at least partially agree. But, how many people think there is anything wrong with imprisoning animals? Maybe they feel a little bad about that, but then there are the usual rationalizations which typically follow moments of mild discomfort and cognitive dissonance. You already heard them for sure, about zoos.

What is needed are books like this that forcefully make their case. That's how it starts. That is how public opinion begins to shift. Bold, brilliant, uncompromising thinkers come forward and say what needs saying, however unpopular or strange it may at first sound to the average person. But as is often the case, the writer might be articulating for the public what a lot of us are already feeling in our hearts, whether we have chosen to realize it or not.

Exploitation of animals who are confined & exhibited for human pleasure and/or entertainment has been around since before the Romans. Derrick Jensen explores the human rational for having zoos. He also discusses how remote we are to the wilderness & the creatures who live in it, & how some people think a trip to the zoo will fix that. The photographer, Karen Tweedy-Holmes, did a super job & her images display the truth of animals in zoos. This is a book that will make you think deeply & try to find an answer. A very thought provoking book that should be in the library of everyone who has children, because they are our only hope.

After reading a number of books on zoos, captive animals and environmental enrichment, conservation efforts... This book presents the author's philosophy/bioethics/emotions more than anything. While I agree w/ his moral position, I would have liked to see even more statistics/studies/history included that debunk the myth that zoos are effective conservation tools. Worth checking out.

I use an excerpt from this book in my English classes as an example of arguments against zoos. Sadly, I also use it as an example of one way *not* to make a strong argument about something.

I would be very open to reading a book or article that clearly shows, with evidence, that zoos are more a curse than a benefit, as I believe zoos must be held accountable -- but this text is not it. Instead, it is a series of passionate, well-intentioned but mainly objective observations about zoos. While it does stress the issue that conditions for animals within zoos can be very poor -- a very important topic! -- and points out other critical issues, such as that the destruction of animal habitat is a problem the media tend to overlook, it does not properly rebut the scientific functions that zoos serve as places of study and tools of conservation; it ignores the possible benefit of a modicum of public exposure to animals to help people make a decision to help with efforts to protect them in the wild on a broader scale -- and thus possibly a necessary evil. It makes no effort at balance and does not allow the readers to make up their own minds. Of course, the images are revealing and tragic, at least to the humans reading it, but it lost me when I saw animals given human concerns, even aesthetic, in a way that does not serve the argument. Too few statistics or other evidence from scientific or other scholarly disciplines are offered to support the author's claims. Jensen's biting descriptions of moments and people observed in the zoo, while heartbreaking and sometimes even poetic, are not sufficient to build a strong case against zoos, even though they succeed in tugging at the emotions and making the reader angry.

I could go to the train station and talk about what I see: filthy sidewalks, sad-looking passengers checking their watches for trains that are forever late, too much smoke and noise, etc. But I would ignore the importance of trains to transportation and commerce, how some people are inspired by trains and become hobbyists or even conductors, the places where train stations are clean and efficient, and so on. Not a great example, but the idea is the same: The facts that the author is white-knuckled with frustration at what he sees and that most people remain ignorant about animals even after reading the card next to the cage, are not enough to show that zoos should be abolished. Thus, ultimately, this piece is too one-sided and does not contribute what it might have done to the public discourse/debate about zoos. It makes me feel a bit manipulated. And thus, in the end, it is also useful to a discussion about bias.