Bertha’s life at the Manila Zoo was one full of boredom, misery and deprivation. It’s a tragedy that she only realized freedom through death, and other animals imprisoned in zoos, including Mali the elephant, continue to suffer. They are denied everything that’s natural to them, and every aspect of their lives is manipulated and controlled. They are told when they will eat, what they will eat, when they can sleep, and who they can mate with. Their enclosures, like Bertha’s was, are tiny fractions of the size of their natural habitats, and their specific needs are neglected. This cruelty will end only when animals are no longer held as living “exhibits,” which won’t happen until people refuse to patronize zoos.
JASON BAKER, vice president of international campaigns, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals