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poniedziałek, 20 czerwca 2011

A Concentration Camp for Animals

I come from a country where the animals run free. Where great herds of buffalo pound down river beds, gentle-eyed antelope munch on swathes of grasslands, elephants rub themselves along the bark of centuries old trees while lions gather to feast their lazy yellow gaze. This is the sun washed animal kingdom over which they lord. A stark differnce from Bialystok Zoo where I was left shocked, distressed and confused. Can there be, in this day and age, humans who condone the sort of animal cruelty that confronted me today?

I cannot get my head around the fact that every single person I have spoken toBialystokhas had the same view on the zoo; it is shameful and deeply upsetting. So, why is it still open and why are the animals subjected to some of the worst conditions I have ever seen? Surely something needs to be done as one person even described it as a concentration camp for animals. The people of Bilaystok have justified the existence of the zoo by saying, oh but we do not visit it because it is too terrible. Is this supposed to be the moral high ground? Turn a blind eye and it will not longer exist? You can live in a bubble of blissful ignorance as the animals stagger through mud, staring out at the magnificent landscape that surrounds them. To me this is torture for them I am by no means defending any zoos but at I feel it must be worse for them as they look across at the forest and open space with sad eyes that show that they cannot comprehend why they have been sentenced to a life of misery.Bialystok, stop looking away from this, it will not disappear because you do not want to be saddened by the sight of it. Actually look at it.

I know that it was voted the second worst place to visit inBialystokso that shows that there is a high awareness that it is wrong. According to Gazeta there is a new story run on the disgrace that is the zoo every three months but nothing is being done. Apparently there are plans to renovate it within the next five years. What a joke. Animals may mean little to many but I cannot understand how people think that they can be treated like this. A bear is subjected to life in a concrete box, pacing up and down, its fur mattered with its own faeces, soaked from the rain, waiting for the cold relief of death. What more does it have to look towards? I do not think that anybody can justify the zoo and I cannot believe that nothing is being done. It is walking distance from the centre, it is much closer than many accept.

I cried for these animals wasting away, day after day trapped in an enclosure that is not fit for any form of life. I suggest that the people ofBialystoktake some responsibility and instead of hiding from reality step up to it and force change. I am but one person but I promise to do all that I can to help but; I needBialystokbehind me.

For some reason I could not upload the ilm I took here so pleas go and watch it at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg_5SCPuHHo

Camsie Xx

 

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• Białystok - Camilla Mills

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camilla.mills

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poniedziałek, 20 czerwca 2011 20:04

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• bw02578z napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 20:13:23:

  Cam, I wasn't aware of this but I 100% agree- it sounds terrible and the video you posted is very upsetting. Perhaps it takes a visitor from overseas to put enough pressure on someone responsible to, preferably, simply close the zoo.

• szczyrzyk napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 20:22:14:

  Be careful with this "concentration camp". It might be offensive to prisoners and their families

• bw02578z napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 20:25:02:

  According to Bialystok's official website (goo.gl/VuBFQ), the zoo, when built, was intended only as a temporary "storage for animals" (!). Apparently there are indeed plans to build a new zoo, but that obviously is no excuse- the place should simply be closed and animals relocated until a proper zoo opens.

• sateda napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 20:49:28:

  Seconding what szczyrzyk said: dial down your metaphores a bit. They're really inappropriate, especially in this country.

• hulababula napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 21:43:43:

  sateda: why do you say it may be inappropriate to call it "a concentration camp"? this so called 'zoo' reminds me of nothing but a concentration camp, a place where animals are stored at first, just to be killed when they're of no use any more.
  
  Camilla, I hope that thanks to your visit the 'zoo' will get some more publicity on the pages of Gazeta and other local newspapers...

• luciad napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 21:50:17:

  Camsie has just used an expression she was told by another person (probably a Pole), so your (the readers') comments are our of place.

• woophy napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 21:58:37:

  Maybe "Labor Camp" or "POW Camp"- they don't gas them there I think...

• klaun.szyderca napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 23:07:15:

  Still, "concentration camp" is a very inappropriate term in this context here in Poland. I'm not a big fan of political correctness, but since she wants to become journalist some day, she really have to be more careful about that.

• camilla.mills napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/20 23:18:55:

  Thank you very much for your comments. I did not mean to offend. In my mind the the word concentration camp strikes an image of oppression and unhappiness and that is what I saw today. I am in no way comparing animals and people but instead talking about living beings. When a Pole described the zoo to me in that way it left a bitter impression and I wanted that to come across in my blog. It had a powerful affect on me that left me thinking about the zoo. I have a passion for Polish history and would never disrespect it in anyway. I hope you understand.

• raphael_d napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 00:12:32:

  I've never seen before such a colourful description of my born city Bialystok. Rafal D.

• abdullah_abdullah napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 04:22:49:

  @klaun.szyderca
  I'd prefer journalists use they brains rater then political correctness as prosthesis. Gazeta Wyborcza is not the only newspaper on the world :)

• aniaaaa2004 napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 08:35:42:

  You advise people to take some steps, have you got an idea how difficult it is in Poland? I once wanted people responsible for taking care of stray dogs to fulfill their duties. I called the man several times as there was a starving dog on the street. All teh man did was explain that there was no place in a shelter. Eventually he took the dog but after a lot of complaints and trying to complain to his boss as well (who, by the way, was impossible to be reached and his secretary was not very helpful either). If finding carers for one dog was so difficult imagine sorting the zoo out.

• musicismyradar napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 10:21:11:

  Białystok Zoo is a shambolic evidence of the indolence (pun not intended) of our authorities who seem to be unable to do anything about it for a couple of years now. And also a testament to our particular inclination for makeshifts. There is even a saying that in Poland it is the makeshift that abides the longest.
  
  Concerning your rather unfortunate choice of metaphor in the title, I second Klaun Szyderca: not a big fan of PC myself but concentration camps remain a major trauma for this country (myself included, my great-grandfather was murdered in Auschwitz) and I would advise you to tread more carefully. That said, the zoo is indeed sinister and inhuman, and should be shut down immediately.
  
  Enjoy your stay in Białystok.

• 11qq22ww napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 11:04:57:

  Did those animals get some food there ? that zoo is awful !!! i thought that zoo in warsaw is bad acording to zoo's in western europe. SHOCK ! O.O !!!

• bron napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 13:04:50:

  It is sad that the animals have small premises "behind bars". On the other hand I've seen smaller. Polish zoos are under invested. And in many old premises persist. Most of them are to be occupied only as long as current specimens live, then they will turned down, extended or renovated. Białystok is actually not a zoo in full meaning of this word - it is not recognized by EAZA or WAZA.

• aniaaaa2004 napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 17:58:47:

  One more thing about the fate of animals in Poland. An organization which is supposed to help when animals are not treated in a right way is often not very helpful either. Instead of taking some steps they try to move the responsibility to other people. When I did not know what to do about that stray dog and the officcials were unwilling to help I called "Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zwierzetami" which was supposed to do something as they exist to protect animals from atrocity and make sure their rights are respected. The person from the office told me that I should complain to the mayor about the officials' not fulfilling their duties. And that's all. Very helpful, really. Write a document which will lie somewhere on a pile of other documents. That's their idea of taking action.

• karolwyszynski123 napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/06/21 22:12:54:

  Dear Camilla,
  
  there is much more to visit in Podlaskie area than Bialystok. Are there any chance to contact you andinvite you to visit to Augustow? This town has many attractions for the visitors.
  
  Have a great time in Podlaskie!
  Karol

• wari napisał(a) komentarz datowany na 2011/07/06 13:35:13:

  There are two scientists in Poland from the University in Wroclaw who are interested in bears in captivity. They studied situation and published very good report. As it turned out a dozen or so bear in Poland live in the same conditions as Yogi. Nevertheless both scientists have a lot success. Recently they transported two bears from Leszno zoo to Bärenwald Müritz, sanctuary for bears in Germany (bears living there in large, natural enclosure, with forest, ponds, even small river). They are doing great help in Braniewo, where 5 bears live in terrible conditions. These scientists are trying to help bears, but unfortunately their activity are limited by lack of financial means. There is their website: www.bearproject.org

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