Wild animals

I am here on vacation to visit my sister, who lives in Jakarta. During my visit, we've had the opportunity to experience some of Indonesia's natural splendor.

I have always had a love for wild animals, so I was very excited to learn of Taman Safari in Bogor, West Java. The drive through Taman Safari lived up to all my expectations. You could imagine my excitement when I was told I could have my picture taken with a tiger. Prior to having our pictures taken, we asked if the animals were drugged to make them docile, but were assured this was not the case. What began in excitement ended in sadness.

The tigers appeared only partially lucid. While posing with the albino tiger's head in my lap, I couldn't believe that with all its magnificence, it's docility was a result of familiarity with park visitors. It was so limp that I had to lift up its head and hold it up for the picture. How could one of the animal kingdom's most ferocious hunters be handled like a lifeless doll?

There was also a cheetah that was chained by the neck to a tree. She was very visibly pregnant and was growling and swatting her paws, protecting her unborn babies. I was disturbed about this, as most zoos allow animals free movement. Also, any pregnant animals are usually segregated from physical contact with park visitors.

The drive through Taman Safari offers a view of these animals in their natural habitats. National parks and zoos all over the world are now allowing "viewing only" of the animals, and no exploitation. It is our hope that Taman Safari will jump on this "bandwagon".

SHARON CADE

Jakarta