Dear departed animals

If only they were treated with such reverence in life.

I know zoos are a necessary evil because they do help educate the public, conservation efforts, and have breeding programs to save species but most zoos I have visited seem to put the human customer's needs ahead of the animals when it should be the other way around. I hope these animals that have passed didn't die because of neglect or poor living conditions.

Vaya con dios, little dudes.

Ueno Zoo almost got shut down from lack of business until China gave them a pair of pandas back in the 1970s. I can remember an enormous headline in one of Tokyo's tabloids, with パンだ, やった！in 72-point headlines. Cute still rules the day.