Women are the Animals in the Government's Zoo

Recently I was at the Bronx Zoo with some friends. I began thinking about this concept of a zoo, and what it means for these animals. Here are some photos (and please excuse the ones that are clearly not that great as a result of a) me not having brought my baller Nikon, and b) having to take it with glass between us):

GORGEOUS!

Amazing!

Just hanging out, NBD.

first date, maybe?

This dude has an iridescent butt - no lie!

It was actually upon seeing the gorillas (above) that my friend, Amy, had sat down with my partner and started talking to him. I came in during the middle of the conversation and she mentioned that there was a vote taken on some of the animals and whether or not they could/should reproduce. Admittedly, I need to find out more details about this topic, but my interest was peaked and I immediately jotted down a note about it. 

I then started thinking about how it's really very similar that these animals have humans vote on their reproductive system. It's ridiculous that this does not stop at animals: many Congress members in the United States want this to be the case for female humans.

In all fairness, I'm not about to get into a discussion as to whether this is right or wrong for the animals, nor am I going to speculate on how the animals are treated in zoos. I would hope that what I see (which are relatively normal and happy animals) is what it is. Animals rights is an issue for another day for this vegetarian...

Another point I wanted to make is that in these displays (for lack of a better word) the viewers and the animals are given the impression that they are free in their natural habitats. Scenery in the background is created to give viewers and animals the feeling of really being out in the wild. In many cases (especially for the animals who can climb or fly to greater heights) some sort of net ceiling is present so they cannot ascend more than the zoo wants them to and ultimately, they will remain contained. This exactly correlates with the constant power struggle from the conservatives in the United States to keep women and their bodies under the government's control. 

I'm wondering if this is a starting point for me and an exhibition I can create...