London Zoo opened an “extra special” four-day exhibit on August 25 featuring…humans. Clad in bathing suits and pinned-on felt fig leaves, the eight British men and women were displayed behind a sign that read, “Warning: Humans in their Natural Environment.” Another sign by the exhibit explained the species’ diet, habitat, worldwide distribution, and the threats to its survival.
According to the organizers of the event, the exhibit was intended “to demonstrate the basic nature of man as an animal and examine the impact that Homo sapiens have on the rest of the animal kingdom.” 1 Located next to the ape exhibit—excuse me, “their primate relatives”—the three men and five women were supposed to demonstrate to the public that humans are just other primates.
Zoo visitors passed by the display, pointing and laughing. One man commented that the exhibit really did make you think about humans in relation to animals. Several children wanted to know why there were people “in there.”
One woman said when she first saw the exhibit, she thought, “Blimey, what kind of animals are they?” On second glance, however, she realized her mistake. “It’s actually a quite powerful message,” she said, “what if we are so successful in destroying our environment that one day the only place you could see human beings was in the zoo?”
Picking in each other’s hair, sunning themselves, waving to the viewers, playing board games, and other such activities kept the eight exhibitors amused as they lounged around on those cool summer days.
The eight men and women were chosen from dozens of contestants in an online contest, and they all were quite excited about this opportunity. “A lot of people think humans are above other animals,” one young man in the exhibit said. “When they see humans as animals, here, it kind of reminds us that we’re not that special.”
Another participant, Simon Spiro, 19, said, “I leapt at the chance to do this. We’ve been sitting around, getting to know each other, discussing a bit about the philosophy of being behind bars.”
“I’m fascinated by how we perceive animals and how they see us,” Mr. Spiro went on, “So this is an opportunity to be on the receiving end. In so many ways we are inferior to other animals. I wouldn’t fancy my chances if I wandered in with the bears.”
As Jill wrote on WORLD Magazine’s blog, though the London zookeepers succeeded in creating the “Genesis look,” it seems they must have forgotten the part in Genesis about man being created in the image of God. So much for obeying God’s command to man to take dominion over all the animals and subdue the earth.
Next thing you know there will be humans for sale in the pet stores.
What if we are so successful in destroying our environment that one day the only place you could see human beings was in the zoo?
I wonder if anyone has thought through the sheer hilarity of this statement. If all the humans are in the zoo, how will we be able to go look at ourselves?
Ah, people…
If the London Zoo hoped to demonstrate that humans are no different from animals, surely it has failed. Consider: the men and women in the exhibit enjoyed “discussing … the philosophy of being behind bars.” You don’t see apes or gorillas engaging in philosophical discussions.
G.K. Chesterton wrote in The Everlasting Man: “It is the simple truth that man does differ from the brutes in kind and not in degree; and the proof of it is here; that it sounds like a truism to say that the most primitive man drew a picture of a monkey and that it sounds like a joke to say that the most intelligent monkey drew a picture of a man.” After considering the many characteristics that distinguish men from other creatures, Chesterton concluded that “it is not seeing straight to see [man] as an animal.” Unfortunately, it seems that many of the visitors at London Zoo are not seeing straight.