girls at the Chongqing zoo

I want to love zoos, I really do, and I always want to go to them.  What appeals to me are the ideas of protecting endangered animals, providing injured animals a humane place to rehabilitate and live, and educating the public about wild animals and their habitats.  My idealistic self thinks that with this exposure and education, people will support wild animal protection, and rally against habitat destruction.  I support the World wildlife fund, whose logo is a cute panda, the poster species for endangered animals.  I also support the Nature Conservancy.

Steph and the pandas

Another pcv, Stephanie, missed seeing pandas at the Chengdu panda research center, so off we went to the Chongqing zoo last Saturday afternoon.  We were so focused on the logistics of meeting and getting there that I don't think either of us considered what to expect from a zoo in a country where the humane treatment of animals doesn't exits.  This is a gross generalization, I know.  Animals are food here, period.  True, some people keep dogs and cats as pets, but they are also food in China. 

so cute!

people pouring coke on a bear

small cage

electric fence

people food?

To be fair, I think this zoo's animal enclosures are average, many as good as other zoos, but some are really inadequate because of no natural habitat or not enough space.  What was hard to see was the visitors ignoring all of the "do not feed, do not tease the animals" signs.  Many people bought bags of these Cheetos looking snacks, only to throw them at the animals while yelling and banging on the cages.

Cheetos just outside a cage

me: no skirt, no lace, no high-heels

What surprised me about the Chongqing zoo is how beautiful, clean, and well maintained the grounds are.  It’s actually a very nice place to take a walk, so that’s what I focused on, walking, and marveling at the Saturday-night-party-outfits that women wear all the time as daywear.  Lace, tulle, rhinestones, glittery fabrics, and sequins ubiquitously appear in every combination and variation.

In this country, showing cleavage is taboo, but showing one’s bottom is perfectly acceptable.  Also acceptable is wearing sheer, nearly transparent clothes that clearly show underwear.  With the weather change, women are now wearing tights and high-healed tall boots with their tiny, super short skits and shorts.  The zoo turned out to be a fun fashion show!