Like much of Mencken’s work, Zoos begins with a barrage of machine-gun fire into the human herd. If you don’t think zoos have a dark side, try using Google to find out what firearm (and round) was used to kill Harambe. The Cincinnati Zoo has said only that the weapon was a rifle: no zookeeper is keen to do more than speculate. When the Harambe story broke, staff at the rival Toledo Zoo reminisced to the local Blade newspaper about a 1987 escape by five chimps. But who has learned as much about animal life from zoos as they might from watching any given David Attenborough DVD?

Source: National Post August 29, 2016 18:45 UTC