In a message board I frequent, we've been having a discussion about horse racing since this weekend was the running of the Kentucky Derby. It brought up this discussion about zoos.

I am not a big fan of zoos. I've been to a few, and most are awful. The worst I remember was the Indianapolis Zoo. I went when I was a kid living in Indianapolis. Even though I was a kid, I still remember how dirty the place was including the cages. And the cages were tiny. I have heard they made improvements, but I'm sure it hasn't improved much. The best I've ever been to is the National Zoo in D.C. Big, clean cages and very big place.

But, all this zoo talk made me think about my objections to a zoo. The biggest one is the fact that the animals are all in cages. I realize most of the animals were born in captivity. But, that doesn't take away from the fact that they are and should be wild animals fending for themselves. I just really don't like seeing these poor animals caged.

This also got me thinking a bit more philosophically and about humanity's place in nature. I've always felt that no matter how technologically advanced we have gotten with all the gadgets to entertain us and make us feel good about ourselves, that we are still animals and we are still part of nature. This is one of the reasons I am not such a big believer in this whole Global Warming nonsense. If you take humanity as just a collection of animals, then the fact that we pollute the planet is just a fact of nature. Yes, I know, we are thinking animals capable of changing our environment on a massive level. Yes, I know we have an impact on nature. But, again, we ARE a PART of nature.

Anyway, if you want to you may respond.

Disclaimer: This post was written by Mitch Brown and reflect his views. If you don't like them, that's OK. Just don't be a douche about it.