For our author, zoos were once the epitome of captivity; he remembers public venues as stages of horror. Now he has visited a zoo for the first time – including a falcon show.
Dozens of children and adults sat on the slightly weathered wooden benches, in front of them a large meadow big enough to hold a show with fighting bulls or roosters. I’ve sat in a crowd like this before, once too often. At that time, people were sitting in a square in Raqqa, Syria. A few whispered quietly at the time, and fear spoke in people’s eyes. I put my eyes in front of a child’s face.