Thursday, August 16, 2007

Willy can educate us about the plight of animals in captivity

Letters to the Editor - Niagara This Week - Thursday, August 16, 2007

Sadly, if Willy (the escaped Syrian brown bear) has any purpose in life whatsoever, it is to educate humankind on the plight of animals in captivity. Prior to Aug. 7, I had never heard of Willy. Yet, since that day, I like others, have bonded with him.

I ponder Willy's meagre 15 hours of freedom. When the news reported Willy was spotted in a nearby creek, I'd like to believe he stopped to drink of the cool, flowing waters and hope he chanced upon free-swimming fish, awakening in him a long forgotten, albeit forged, ancestral instinct.

Did Willy have a chance to bask in the warm and rosy dawn of his first day of freedom, rekindling the will to survive unfettered in his new surroundings? Then, with a pang in my heart, I envision Willy recovering from the powerful sedative that took him down, only to awaken and gaze upon the electrified, barred, small enclosure where he must spend the rest of his days in servitude to a paying public.

My prayer for Willy is that he cherish those precious hours of freedom, for they must serve to last him his Earthly lifetime. Godspeed Willy!

L. Coleman
Lyons Creek Road
Niagara Falls

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