I Just Want to See Penguins

A dear friend of mine recently got to fulfill a lifelong dream of his- to see whales, in person as opposed to videos or pictures. It was a magical moment, especially since it took a lot of work to get there. As a general rule, the only place to see whales is in the wilderness. Between the documentary about orcas and Sea World, the size of whales, and the feeding needs most whales are in the wild. If you’re a Star Trek fan, you know the thickness of the glass alone required for that much water is complicated. And if you’ve seen The Meg 2 or Jurassic World, you’ll know that the ocean-based tanks can still have fatal flaws. In short, the only place to see whales is where they belong- the ocean.

Now, I, on the other hand, would like to see whales someday, maybe, but I have already gotten to enjoy my favorite animal. A lot. You see, I like penguins. (Some of you are now staring at these words with a bit of incredulity that I’ve had to write them as it is super obvious if you’ve been to my home, asked me my favorite animal, or visited an aquarium or zoo with me.) Penguins are often found in zoos, aquariums, or at other wildlife refuge type places. They have antics, they make great merchandise, and they’re adorable. And if we were to visit one of those places together, if asked, my general statement is “I just want to see penguins.” The visit will have been a success and worth my while if I get to see the birds. I’ve written about penguins before and mentioned them in sermons. They may be murderous, devious, little [insert your favorite expletive here]s, but that’s part of their charm.

What isn’t so charming is the reality of a zoo. Zoos can be places with concrete walls, no enrichment, bare bones feeding, and sad animals. When some people think of zoos, they can be saddened. The animals aren’t where they are “supposed” to be. This is a bit of an extreme take, especially since zoos are not what they once were. Accredited zoos are actually based around conservation, focused on rehabilitating injured animals, or using animals that cannot be returned to the wild to offer education to visitors. They care for creatures that have complicated diets, needs, and enrichment requirements. The visitors to their space generate income that goes into paying staff, feeding creatures great and small, and conservation. It’s actually a neat exchange. We get to see animals that would not inhabit our corner of the globe without having to travel there, the animals get a safe space to rehabilitate or live, and zoos get the funds needed to care for the animals. Modern, accredited zoos do not come with the moral implications of a Victorian era zoo- the sad, pitiful animals alone in metal barred cages with concrete floors being poked and prodded by the masses. Those aren’t the moral implications of zoos at this time, though it was once the primary question.

However, these days I cannot leave well enough alone and started to ask myself about the moral, theological, and spiritual implications of a zoo. It would be nice to return to simpler times when I would not think twice about visiting a zoo or seeing an animal in a circus or dropping by an aquarium.

First, we are meant to be good stewards of creation. The fact that animals no longer have sufficient habitats to live in is the fault of humans. I’ve seen a bear encourage me to make sure I don’t start a forest fire, but I’ve never seen a bear dump toxic chemicals en masse into a river destroying its delicate balance and ecosystem. Along the same line, pollution is not something that I as an individual am responsible for. It is we, as a collective whole. We have not been good stewards of creation which has polluted and destroyed habitats, caused extinction for some animals due to lack of food, or we’ve hunted them to extinction. All of these contribute to the fact that many animals who are in zoos are there because they have nowhere else to go.

Next, we are greedy. Again, this we is a collective sort of we. We do not always think about the consequences of building bigger cities, needing more land, or otherwise reducing our wild spaces. I’ve considered the national parks and those lands to be a vital part of caring for creation because we need these spaces for parts of creation to live and thrive. The raccoons who have learned to live off of human trash, the coyotes who are learning to beg humans for food, and the monkeys (not usually in America) who rely on tourists for their learned behaviors is not a good sign. When animals are in a zoo, they are safe from some of these things because they have dedicated enclosures, but it returns back to the first point. Whether we destroy or take habitat away from creation, it has the same end result for the animals.

Finally, I hope this will not discourage you from visiting an accredited zoo or institution. I hope you get to see your favorite animal and smile and laugh or say “oooooh, so cool!” I also hope you do so knowing that being a good steward of creation means learning from mistakes, trying to do better, and listening to experts. One of the best places to do all of these things? At a zoo. God loves us, even when we make mistakes, but we also have to take action. As we head into April (Earth day is coming!) what actions can you take to bring God glory, care for creation, and be a good steward? We have to take good care of it so that future generations of future people can still say “I just want to see penguins” and have the opportunity to do so.