There are places where the world turns upside down. And sometimes going backwards is going in the right direction….
And that’s what we want to tell you about, a place in the world where everything works the other way around. It is a zoo. But here, it is the humans who are locked up in sad cages and the animals who roam free and at ease.
No; we have not gone crazy. This place exists and it is in Chile. Monkeys, tigers, bears and lions that at some point in their lives had to endure mistreatment in circuses live there peacefully and in harmony. Fortunately they were rescued and rehabilitated at the Safari Park.
People who want to visit this unique zoo must accept the rules of the game. Here, they will be the ones climbing inside truck boxes that simulate real cages. They will be moved to see the whole environment in which the animals live, but they will remain locked in these cages during the entire visit. Here it is the animals who have the freedom; and they decide whether or not to approach the cages or whether or not they want to interact with the visitors.
Safari Park gives us a taste of our own medicine…
All the animals that the Safari Park takes in are abused animals that have been rescued from their cruel breeders or exploiters. Here they have a specific rehabilitation program to help the animals overcome all the psychological and physical damage they have suffered. They open the doors to a home.
Zoo animals
There are many animals that can be seen in this reserve. But we have been touched by the lion featured on the cover of this post, a lion that suffered the amputation of one of its limbs as a result of a serious infection caused by medical negligence in one of its claws.
But he’s not the only one there with a terrible story behind him. There are also two bears that swing back and forth in the form of pendulums. This is obviously not a natural behavior, but a behavior acquired in the circus where they were confined and exploited. Its function consisted of performing a dance. But no, bears don’t dance. The crude reality consisted of placing the bears on a hot plate; they raised their paws so as not to burn themselves, simulating a big dance. Terrible!
Fortunately these animals now have a new life where they live protected and cared for. And the contact they have with humans is based on respect.
