Shaba and Connie: Animals and Emotion

I lived in Tucson AZ for over four years. My house there is within walking distance of Reid Park Zoo where two elephants - Shaba and Connie - were held captive for many years. It is a well established fact that elephants are emotionally sensitive animals and can die of broken hearts when separated from their mate. Even though there was widespread public outrage, the city of Tucson and Reid Park Zoo planned to separate these two friends. 

Shaba and Connie

Psychology Today followed the story of Shaba and Connie. Public outcry succeeded in keeping the pair together during the transition, but Connie became ill and was soon after euthanized at the San Diego Zoo.

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Zoos are one of the many ways in which animals are exploited and enslaved in the name of human enjoyment. The nature of zoos and the connection between racism and speciesism was exposed in this article about a man who was displayed in the monkey house of the Bronx zoo in 1906:

"Is that a man?"

In his first few weeks, Benga wandered around the grounds of the zoo freely. But soon, Hornaday had his zookeepers urge Benga to play with the orangutan in its enclosure. Crowds gathered to watch. Next the zookeepers convinced Benga to use his bow and arrow to shoot targets, along with the occasional squirrel or rat. They also scattered some stray bones around the enclosure to foster the idea of Benga being a savage. Finally, they cajoled Benga into rushing the bars of the orangutan’s cage, and baring his sharp teeth at the patrons. Kids were terrified. Some adults were too, though more of them were just plain curious about Benga. “Is that a man?” one visitor asked."

 All exploitation is underwritten by prejudice. Deeply held prejudice takes a great deal of time and struggle to overcome. Speciesism is one of the most deeply held of all prejudices. The struggle continues!