Kid & Gorilla by architeuthis dux

A great photo can evoke many emotions from the viewer, much like the one above.  My first reaction was, “Awww, look at the cute kid at the zoo.”  Do you remember those days, when your parents or siblings took you to the zoo and you couldn’t believe your eyes?  How amazing was it that there was a magical place full of animals that you’d only seen in your books and on TV?  Oh and the only things to eat at this place are snow cones and cotton candy?!  Nice knowing you Mom and Dad.  I’m coming to live here with the elephants and tigers.  I appreciate all that you’ve done for me but the zoo is a bazillion times cooler than our house and I can poop wherever I want to!

My next thought after I’d looked at this photo for a while was, “Damn I feel so sorry for zoo animals, particularly the intelligent ones like the gorillas.”  There aren’t too many things that separate humans from primates, yet somehow it’s OK to keep them locked up in a cage for their entire life.  I know that zoos help protect endangered species and educate the public about animals, but that doesn’t keep me from wanting to let them loose into their natural habitat.

And my my final though, or rather my question, is which of these two creatures is more intelligent?  A 10+ year old gorilla or a wee little toddler?  I bet they’d both rather be on the opposite side of the glass.