Lujan Zoo

I´ve just experienced Hell; a sedated-animal Hell, but still Hell. Everyone said if you´re going to go to a zoo in Argentina, then you have to go to the Lujan zoo. (False). The Lujan Zoo is almost a 2 hour bus ride outside of Buenos Aires. So after making the 11 o´clock bus and then missing our stop, we eventually made it to the awful zoo around 1:30pm.

I can´t describe how terrifying and abusive this zoo is and how I unfortunately spent a good amount of pesos supporting this. Just as a brief synapses...the Lujan Zoo is situated on the side of the highway and is definitely not comparable to the San Diego nor Milwaukee zoos. The zoo´s main attraction is the fact that you can walk into the cages and pet the tigers, lions, and bears (ohhh my!) without getting your hand bitten off. The ground is covered with tons of dirt, sand, and rocks, and the types of animals ranged anywhere from turtles, rabbits, goats, TO horses, lamas, camels, bears, lions, and tigers. Most of the animals were kept in the same cages as each other minus the tigers, lions, and bears (---they were privileged enough to get their own pens.) The zoo reflected some aspect of a typical zoo, but it pretty much sybolized a DIRTY farmland.

As soon as I walked inside the zoo, I was so disturbed at the living conditions and how these animals were being treated. For starters, every animal needed a shower because there was so much garbage on them. Their hair was pretty much in dreads or corn-rows...come on, I was even willing to give them a shower at no cost. Honestly, the first tiger I saw was the saddest thing ever. Five tigers were ¨resting¨ in their pen with their eyes open, but they were so drugged they couldn´t move. That´s why I´m extremely grossed out by the Lujan Zoo---they freaking paralyze the animals. They drug every animal so you´re able to pet them without the fear of them taking one of your body parts. Every animal I saw was literally soooo depressed...it was as if a ghost came and took the life out of them. I couldn´t help but feel sorry for them...

The beauty of tigers and lions are how the average human is terrified of them, but here was the first time where they were scared of the average human. That´s not supposed to happen. I couldn´t help but feel sorry for them because they need to run around and feel free. They shouldn´t be getting injected with drugs so people can pet and take pictures with them---instead they should be getting injected with life. Can you imagine if someone drugged you every day, and you weren´t able to leave your apartment because you were half dead? It´s crazy and not fair the way these animals are living and being treated.

I came to that realization after I took my first and only photo with a tiger. After that picture I said ¨there is no way I´m supporting this zoo.¨ I put my camera away and sat on the side waiting for my friends to finish taking pictures and we eventually left. I can speak for most of my friends saying that no one should ever go to this zoo. If you´re going to go to the Lujan zoo, then come up with a way to set the animals free...and PLEASE call me if you do it! It´s the worst abusive zoo I have ever been to....ahhhh I´m utterly disgusted.

As a side note= after my depressing day at the zoo, a bunch of us went to Las Bombas Tiempo (my favorite drum show ever) and then to the Alamo...I had a great night after having the worst day ever!!