i had a friend once who worked in a zoo. she took me in after hours once, and let me interact with many of the animals. i got to see their personalities and feel their vibe in ways that arent possible in a crowded zoo.

Most of them were pleasant, and even fun. Some of them, when you get up close, are remarkably smart, and you can feel it. The Beluga whale's vibe was particularly amazing.

But there was also a polar bear in there. And i got to look it in the eyes from 6 feet away. That thing communicated very clearly to me, "If i wasnt in this cage, i would eat you."

I signaled back, "yeah, but you ARE in that cage." and turned to walk away. It smashed its paws against the cage to let me know it didnt like that very much.

Yes. I got to talk shit to a polar bear.

But i left convinced some animals really should not be in zoos.