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On one wintry day,
When the Sun had all the say.
I went to the zoo for a visit,
And saw how right were the animal activists.
And all claims of authorities were proved wrong,
When I saw the behaviour of people,
who to the zoo throng.
There was one naughty boy with a stick,
Whose actions were utterly sick.
Every time he poked the chimpanzee with it,
His eyes lit.
As the poor irritated animal bared its teeth in anger,
The boy continued to badger.
Another boy was using a banana as bait,
Making the helpless monkey desperate.
It jumped up and down in the cage.
The boy could have tested the patience of a sage.
Little ahead, I saw a miserable tiger,
Whose eyes were blur.
Its cage was too small.
It roared in despair and gave the famous cat call.
In a pensive mood, I roamed about for rest of the day.
Why are animals treated so?
I thought in dismay.
They have every right to be free,
As you and me.
How would we feel?
If we never got a proper meal.
Let us be sensitive to their needs,
And avoid hurting them by our misdeeds.
Ruchi Sharma
New Delhi
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