Watching the White Tiger

Watching the white tiger pace restlessly - as noble and magnificent creature as any God has created - I was saddened by his captivity and elated by the opportunity to see him. His mate sat nearby, eyes closed and still as a statue while he traced the same path around the enclosure, over and over again. I sat outside the glass, hypnotized by his blue eyes and entranced by the graceful and delicate way he moved, like a dancer doing a routine he knows by heart. He didn't seem to notice the visitors on the other side of safety but did pause several times to focus on a duck swimming on the grassy side. Lunch! a little boy cried over his grandfather's shoulder, He's thinking about lunch!

I was thinking about extinction and freedom and the cost of each. Here was a glorious animal in a small space, able to see the outside world but not be in it. The enclosure - I found I couldn't really face the word "cage" - was as natural as it could be made. There were trees and a pond, a cave and sunlight but nevertheless it was still enclosed and there was no place to go. I wondered if the tiger had been born in captivity or had once known the wild. Had he ever been on his own or had he always depended on keepers and caregivers. Was the pacing restlessness, boredom, desperation or just something to do. The female yawned, changed her position slightly, glanced his way and then went back to sleep. She was, it seemed, content, or possibly just disinterested.

The leopards were much the same. The female slept on a sturdy tree trunk, her back to the glass and barely stirring except for an occasional flick of her tail. The male below, paced around the perimeter, following the same path repeatedly, his sleek body sliding against the glass as he passed, causing the children to screech with fear and delight. He too moved like a dancer, and it was remarkably easy to forget his size and weight and see only his light and sure steps. He completed his rounds and laid down not far from the glass, his eyes alert but with no sign of curiosity, gave a mighty yawn and stretched out on his side.

After a visit with the cougar and then a few of the smaller cats, I went on to the giraffes and monkeys and hundreds of birds but before left, I stopped again at the cat enclosures. There is something in them that draws me, their power, incredible beauty, their perfect faces and self assuredness, their agility and pride. There is a sense of royalty about them that even a cage cannot diminish. Watching the white tiger gave me hope and peace.