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Observation of Henry Vilas Zoo

Henry Vilas Zoo is home to many exotic and wild creatures. I have grown up alongside this zoo; both physically as I lived for many years just a few blocks away, and existentially so. In my life I have often felt like an unintentional exhibitionist for others to gawk and stare. Thusly, I resonate deeply with the animals, for whom this was, is, and continues to be their reality.

One of my favorite animals at the zoo is the African Lion (Panthera Leo). The lion they have has always seemed very intentional with its actions, unbothered by the many onlooking visitors. It exudes a sort of dignity and self-assuredness unmatched by the other zoo residents. I liken this attitude to that of a conquered emperor who awaits death with no fear or regret. I aspire to be the lion, but perhaps I am the zoo keeper.

An incident at the playground

At one point in my early childhood, I recall the zoo recieved some large sum of money so that they constructed a huge playground several stories high. While there were no animals to be housed in this area, the new playground would reign as the best playground around, my peers and I thought, at least until my elementary school followed suit several years later. In retrospect, I wonder why the zoo adminstrative board did not put the money towards improving the enclosures.

I remember going to the zoo when I was a wee lad and climbing on a climbable rock they had built next to the main structure. In that time of life, I still gleamed with juvenile jubilence; my only concerns: fun, food, and adolescent love. Alas! Gripping another hold, I felt underneath my hand a nest of wasps. Though I had no quarrel with them--nor they with me-- several wasps emerged angrily to sting my hand and chase me around the zoo. I ran and I cried. Certainly a formative experience at the Henry Vilas Zoo.