Gus was imprisoned for nearly twenty-five years. The long years of captivity made him uninterested in the world. As he became more depressed, he began to swim like crazy. Sometimes, not knowing what to do, he would just stare into empty space or pace up and down. His appetite gradually disappeared. Eventually he developed a tumor. Gus was a polar bear in Central Park Zoo, New York. He died in 2013.
Gus 被禁錮了將近二十五年。漫長的囚禁歲月使牠對世界漠不關心。當牠變得更加沮喪時，牠開始拼命地游泳。有時候，不知道該做什麼，牠會就發著呆或者來回上下走動。牠的食慾逐漸地消失。最後牠長出一顆腫瘤。Gus 是在紐約中央公園動物園裡的北極熊。牠在 2013 年去世。
In zoos and marine parks around the world, countless animals like Gus develop behaviors that they rarely exhibit in the wild. Their strange behaviors mainly result from their limited space. Many large mammals roam large distances in their natural environment. If Gus had been a free polar bear in the Arctic, he would have had much more space to move around freely.
在世界各地的動物園和海洋公園中，有無數的動物如同 Gus 一般，發展出牠們在野外很少見的行為。牠們的怪異行為主要是因為處在有限的空間內。許多大型哺乳類動物會在自然環境中悠悠走過很長的距離。如果 Gus 當初是隻自由生活在北極的北極熊，牠會有更多空間能自由地四處走動。
The unnatural restrictions of zoos can have severe effects on animals. Many of them show serious emotional problems caused by loneliness or by lack of privacy or mental stimulation while in tiny enclosures. They even start harming themselves. Big cats, bears, and wolves tend to walk around their enclosures constantly, some even pulling out their own fur or hitting their heads repeatedly against a wall. Giraffes and apes are no better off—they often lick or bite bars and gates. Many zoo visitors mistake these signs of stress in animals for cute behavior. It is anything but cute, especially when a captive animal goes completely crazy and kills or seriously injures people, as sometimes happens.
動物園內反常的限制會對動物造成嚴重的影響。許多動物因孤獨或在狹小圈禁空間沒有隱私或心理刺激，顯現出嚴重的情緒問題。牠們甚至開始自殘。大型貓科動物、熊和狼往往在自己的圈禁空間內不斷走動，有些甚至拔下牠們自己身上的毛，或是一再地用頭部去撞牆。長頸鹿和猩猩也好不到哪裡去－－牠們經常舔咬欄杆和柵門。很多動物園遊客誤把動物的這些壓力徵兆當成可愛的行為。這絕非可愛的行為，尤其是當圈養的動物徹底瘋狂而殺死或重傷人類的時候，這種事時有所聞。
Captivity is also bad for the physical health of animals. A large number of animals held in zoos are overweight, for example elephants. These huge animals need a lot of space so that they can play, bathe in rivers, and exercise freely. Sad to say, though well fed, elephants in zoos cannot walk as far as those in the wild do. Obviously, many zoos cannot completely reproduce the conditions of the wild. As a result, elephants raised in zoos usually have a shorter lifespan than those living in the wild areas of Asia and Africa.
圈養對動物的身體健康也有害。許多被關在動物園的動物都過重，例如大象。這種巨型動物需要許多空間讓牠們可以玩耍、在河裡洗澡，並且自由地運動。不幸的是，動物園的大象雖然吃得很飽，卻無法像野生象一樣遠行。很顯然地，許多動物園無法完全複製野外的生活條件。因此，動物園飼養的大象的壽命通常都比那些生活在亞洲和非洲野外的大象還要短。
Many animals care about more than mere survival. They delight in roaming through landscapes of great beauty, as well as in the companionship of their families. At one time our human ancestors understood these things better, and they identified with animals even while hunting them for food. Perhaps we should let nature run its course. After all, wild animals are meant to live in the wild. If we opened their cages, we could open our minds.
許多動物關心的不僅是存活而已。牠們喜歡漫遊在極美麗的景色當中，也喜歡有家人的陪伴。從前我們人類的祖先更加明白這些事理，在獵食動物的時候也會將心比心。也許我們應該讓大自然順其自然地發展。畢竟，野生動物原本就應該生活在野外。如果我們打開籠子，我們就能敞開心胸。
