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https://theconversation.com/punch-the-monkey-isnt-the-first-lonely-zoo-animal-to-capture-our-hearts-or-raise-troubling-questions-276622>
"For weeks, the story of Punch the monkey has tugged at heartstrings around the
world. Videos of this lonely baby monkey at Japan’s Ichikawa Zoo have triggered
global outpourings of empathy, grief and outrage.
Abandoned by his mother, the young macaque has been seemingly bullied by other
monkeys. His only comfort is a stuffed toy he drags around his concrete
enclosure. The response online is unequivocal: “STOP BULLYING LITTLE PUNCH”.
Punch is not the first captive animal to spark such strong emotional reactions.
Moo Deng, a baby pygmy hippo, drew thousands of fans to her enclosure in
Thailand, and Joey, a rescued sea otter pup in Canada, became famous during
COVID lockdowns thanks to his YouTube livestream.
Australia has had its own famous zoo animals, who, like Punch, evoked strong
emotions – and forced visitors to reckon with what captivity means. We long to
see and connect with these animals, but the only way to do so up close is to
hold them against their will. Here are three historic examples."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
