a visit ....

to the Wildpark near Poing in Germany brought mixed emotions.

Today I offer an unremarkable image of a remarkable animal.

I was distressed, for more than a few awkward minutes, watching kids AND adults screaming and shouting into the relatively small wolf enclosure, trying to gain some rise from the occupants.
I imagined how they would react (just after a year, never mind a life time) if they were placed in the same environment as the wolves, a small bare enclosure, taunted for most days by those on the outside whose language and tone they could not interpret.

Some kids were apparently overheard getting a well balanced education about the wolves from their elders ... "these are dangerous animals, they will kill you" ...... I wonder how many times the kids have been sat down and told that about their own species.

I understand the appropriate "need" of capturing and holding animals, I just wish we as the so called more intelligent species could do it better as some try so hard to do.

Despite my own anger and distress at the plight of the wolves, I do enjoy coming to this Wildpark, as do many others.
I particulary like visiting the pig and wild boar enclosures where normally I can collect a heap of sleeping piggies by scratching them one by one behind their ears. One visit I had three of them asleep at my feet, not this visit though, failed miserably! The "Pig Whisperer" is losing his touch!

At the end of the day after most of the "Screamers and Shouters" had left, Isabelle and I returned to the wolves. We sat quietly in the cold against the chain fence and waited; and were rewarded for our reverence when a number of the wolves gently padded their way to us.
In an attempt at encouragement, I didn't stare at the nearest animal but cast occaisional side glances as a dog would do. For a few minutes it kept us company, and allowed us the privilege of taking a number of photos..... typical human, can't just enjoy the moment for what it is, he's got to blip it as well!