We had entered the zoo through the main gate. My Mother told my sister not to get to close to the cages and so of course that is just what we did. The zookeeper told us how they had come to get the two elephants from Africa and we listened in awe as he described in detail the whole process. The big cats were being fed with raw meat which at 4 years old I thought odd. Surely the zoo had some facilities to cook a cows back leg!
Later having been face to face with a crocodile and full of chocolate and ice cream I secured a no go zone around us as I proceeded to vomit the contents of my stomach near to the penguin enclosure. As fellow regurgitaters they looked on impassive and unimpressed at my performance awaiting the arrival of already dead fish which like a first division cricketer they would catch and devour in one sleek motion.

As the years passed my wonder at the zoo turned to pity for the locked up creatures and I stayed away until finally one day I decided to go to London zoo in Regents Park. The enclosures were now slightly more hospitable than they had been but as I wondered around I could still see the resignation and loss of pride in the animals eyes.


I went down to Bristol zoo its the sort of thing that people do
When they are feeling sad and blue
You can share it with the monkees
It was there I met the girl from Cork whose only legacy was talk
She offered words as off we walked
To converse with impalas
And in the cage a cat enraged was trying hard to act so brave
But deep inside he was enslaved
He dreamt about his homeland

The elephants were pleased to find they’d left the hunters far behind
Kept their tusks but in their minds
Something still was missing
For now they had such little space the grand savanahs were displaced
And now their jungle was replaced
By brick walls and a hosepipe

The penguins though still looking nice had long forgot the chill of ice
Their home was warm and not quite right
They longed to see a walrus