The Day She Failed

Col Ferguson

Today was just an ordinary day in an ordinary week. You know, wake up, struggle oot a' bed, then try ta get ready for work. Yet something was to happen today that would change my way of thinking of the dark and light sides of life and death. My work day was finished so I pop in ta mah ma's on the way hame. As usual the telly wiz on blaring away in the corner, Deal or No Deal wiz on, I think. As I sat doon mah ma asks 'is it tea or coffee?' I reply 'coffee', 'cheers' getting quite relaxed, when the news came on. Telling stories of this and that, the usual crap. Then it hits me and mah mood changes as I watch the news unfold. A story of a polar bear and it's new born cub. The day was the 9th of January 2008

The Day She Failed

Today a mother polar bear tried to abandon her new born cub. There's a public outcry. As this was all filmed by a paying customer. What I forgot to tell you was, this all happened in a zoo. (Nuremberg Germany) Now if it had taken place in nature, would the eyes of the public be any different, I think so, or would they? How sad this is. Yet this is a zoo! So it gives us the right to play the Almighty one and it all starts by giving the animals Christian names. This bear's name is Vera, how sad as she probably thinks to herself "I will never see the white plains of home ever again." This is it for me, life behind a wall, for these peering eyes to see how I live, in a kinda house, kinda like them, day in day out. Sorry not a house, a prison, yeh a prison! Anyway getting back to the sacrifice.

Now you see there was another mother bear at the zoo called Vilma, who had already killed and devoured her two cubs. Now the keepers there said they would not intervene if Vera was to reject her cub, but Vera chose to show the outside world what she was gonna do; to end the life of her new born cub. Showing it to the crowd just before the blow, cries of why, could be heard around the arena. The young eyes watch on with horror and confusion, asking mummy to explain. Now you don't know what to say, so you choose to lie to the young minds still to grow. Saying something like 'O' she's a bad mother' or some crap like that. But what you're really doing is planting false thoughts in the minds of the growing children, who will grow to think polar bears are cruel. How false. We might never know why. But what I think. You've got to be cruel to be kind in this world. What do I mean? Well think about it. What kind of life is this for a Polar bear never mind a cub, to know nothing else but walls and eyes on every side? For a bear who would like to grow up, to be by itself, to travel the land for miles and miles nearly every day of its life? Hunting, sleeping and breathing alone in the land of snow. Living a life, a nomadic creature of nature. Yet we imprison them for paying eyes to view. So what happened to this cub? Did it escape this living hell? No. The keepers who said they wouldn't intervene, stepped in, played God and will now start to hand rear this baby cub, for a life on view in hell. A life its mother tried to spare it. Now how does she feel, as she's failed in her bid to free her cub from us? Now think before you judge. How would you like to be trapped in your house, never to leave, never to shop for food, never to see the outside world again for the rest of your days? Trapped with every peering eye staring in at you! A live-in hell!

Mother bear I hear your yell. I'm sorry for being human. The way we think sometimes is wrong, yet we think we are doing right.

Now isn't it strange how some things just hit you and make you write. When you get up in the morning you don't think to yourself, hey today's the day something's gonna change me. However that's exactly what happened. This story on the news had hit me so hard mah feelings just came to light and I had to write. It wiz screaming oot at me. So there you have it, mah opinion. Maybe I'm completely wrong and you may not agree, that's fine. We all think differently, that's what makes us human. But I do hope my story has put some light in the way you think aboot animals being imprisoned in captivity for capital and gain. In my opinion if you want to see animals in their best light, view them in their own habitats not ours. As my mind came back doon to earth, mah coffee wiz freezin cauld! Time for a fresh cup then. ' ma, make me another coffee please' 'cheers ma' I said. As she bring me another fresh cup wae biscuits, nice.