/ 14 September 2005

Croatian zoo opens cages for humans

Visitors to Croatia’s Zagreb zoo can now experience what it feels like to be a caged animal, zoo management announced on Tuesday.

People will be able to walk through two cages and feel what it’s like to be held in captivity, as well as learn why humans are “the most dangerous species on the planet”.

“It is an action aimed at mobilising people against bad treatment of animals and encouraging them to protect the environment,” zoo head Mladen Ancic said.

The cages, previously home to foxes and martens, are no longer in use, as living conditions for the zoo’s animals had been significantly improved, said Ancic.

Entry to the cages will be through a so-called “path of conscience” where information panels will detail how humans contribute to the destruction of wildlife and the environment.

One cage will be filled with plastic and metal waste to highlight how people pollute the environment.

The “humans’ cage” is next to the wolves’ compound, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with some of the zoo’s other “inmates”. — AFP