Monkeys

We decided to go to a park that has monkeys living out in the wild. Imagine my thoughts upon finding this first sign. In the end, we never did see any monkeys in the wild. I was quite disappointed, although a little relieved. I'm always interested in how they translate signs here in China, and these did not disappoint

One thing you should know about America is that we are all pretty much animal activists. Our zoos set high standards for animal care, and there are laws to protect animals from suffering. Therefore it was a little disappointing to finally actually see some monkeys, and see the conditions of their living arrangements. Perhaps the most surprising part was to see so many people feeding them through the cages! Many children were poking sticks through the cage, or teasing them with plastic bottles. There was junk food scattered everywhere on the ground. Some people were feeding them healthy things like oranges and cucumbers, but there was a fair amount of "cheetos" and other food that shouldn't be in a monkey's diet. The worst thing to me was when I saw a tiny baby monkey trying to eat a cigarette.

We haven't made it to the local zoo yet. I"m wondering if I really want to go. These aren't the best pictures, but you get the idea. Also, I"m having trouble figuring how to use the new blogger update, so can't get my paragraphs spaced properly.