The Hidden Cost of Entertainment: A Reflection on Zoos

These images are not simple souvenirs from a visit to the zoo. They are not colorful postcards to decorate an album, nor are they visual trophies from an ordinary afternoon. They are silent witnesses to a reality many prefer to ignore: the deep sadness of animals living deprived of freedom, just to satisfy human curiosity and entertainment.

I walked through the 26th Zoo in Nuevo Vedado, Havana, camera in hand, in 2019. Using a Nikon D300s and an 80-200mm f2.8 lens, I focused beyond the cages and walls. I searched for the gazes, the gestures, the silences. And what I found was painful: animals who have traded the jungle for concrete, open skies for wire fences, their herds for solitude.

What right do we have to confine beings that were born to roam for miles, to fly, climb, or swim freely? What real education can happen when the very context is unnatural?
Behind every fence, every glass wall, and every iron bar, there is a story we choose not to see: frustration, stress, neglect, and resignation.

Today, I invite you to look at these photos not through the eyes of a tourist, but with the empathy of a conscious human being. Ask yourself:
Is it worth continuing to support these spaces? Can we educate and protect wildlife without confinement? How would you feel if you lived your entire life behind bars, just so others could watch you?

I want to read your opinion. Leave a comment and share your thoughts. This is not just my point of view; it’s a conversation that deserves to be opened.