Fight Against Cruelty to Animals at Emperor Valley Zoo

I recently visited the Emperor Valley Zoo and it was more like the Valley of Death than an actual zoo. I was saddened by this situation and ever since I have been trying to see what can be done.

Emperor Valley Zoo - Zoo or Animal Graveyard? I have not been to the zoo for years and was expecting to see huge roaring lions, playful monkeys, dears and all the other unusual animals. As I wondered around the zoo, I got more than what I expected, the adrenalin rushed to my head my heart started pounding and my body became frigid with shock, not did I only get to meet the animals but their valley of death. These animals are not only kept there for the viewing pleasure of the public, but also to be tortured, mistreated, harmed, abused and neglected! My eyes were suddenly filled with tears, trying to picture myself in these poor animals places, and it hurts, just thinking about it. The animals just like every other human being has feelings too. It makes you question, why have a zoo, why have zookeepers, why display pain to the public and most important of all why have a Minister of Environmental issues. Does any of this make sense? Does our country only consist of people? All those that are part of the Zoological Society of Trinidad and Tobago should walk with their heads down in shame, because they have to be mentally sick to have the heart to ill-treat animals. You would have to be a HATER!

I have visited several countries and it's so nice to see how wholesome their environment is, almost makes you want to stay, and then I begin to think about driving through the streets of our islands as I am then escorted by stray dogs, dead dogs, vagrants and much more. Oh how proud I am of my country and my government. A government is put in place to take charge of the country and I do believe that it includes caring for all environmental matters and a lot of this begins at the zoo. The government thinks that they are making the every attempt to get rid of crime, but they themselves along with those that are involved with the environment department fail to realize that they are criminals too! They are individuals that do not see animal cruelty as a problem.

There should be animal cruelty laws, are there? If you look at the channel 39 on cable (Animal Planet), there is a program especially dedicated to deal with animal brutality, they literally arrest and press charges against people who can’t look out for animals. They take the animals away from them and carry them to an animal hospital, where they are treated with care and then carried away to homes where they can be loved.

Can you actually tell me you go to the zoo and enjoy looking at sick animals? I have seen with my own eyes animals that are meant to live an aquatic life, live without water and if there is water, it looks like it hasn’t been cleaned for months, since the moss seems to enjoy it more than the animals. It took me five minutes to find the dears, which were all cuddled up in a corner of their water-less den lying on the not so freshly cut grass looking as though they were on the verge of death. As for the three lions or maybe just two with one looking like a corpse, at least that is what it looked like, were trapped with an already eaten, but rottening bone. So very few lions we have, wonder if these strong, as they are known to be, creatures have the strength to even mate. Yes, it’s that bad, unbelievable but true. The visitors of the zoo on the other hand and the zookeepers I must add, had to enjoy a great deal of the foul smell, coming from the monkey’s cages. From what I gathered, this zoo will eventually be an “Animal’s Cemetery” Animals need to be nurtured, meaning to take care of, for those that don’t know. I just had to give the meaning of that word, because a lot of us really do not know.

This is not only a letter of complaint, but a plead to please fill these animal’s bowls with water, cut the grass, give them a need to run around in their dens, swim in their ponds, feed them, clean their homes, this has been their homes for quite some time, shower them love and attention, give them life and a chance to create a life. I would also like everyone to know that I am not stopping here; I am going to continue pleading until all this comes to a stop, by gathering those that are willing to help fight against this terrible situation, by addressing the Minister of Environment and others associated and I urge you to do your part to bring this to an end.

Fighting Against Animal Cruelty,
AM.