Loved to Death

The details about the Dallas Zoo animal shenanigans continue to unfold, with the suspect telling police that, if released, he'd almost certainly go back and try again.  It seems that the initial incident, cutting open the clouded leopard habitat, was an attempt to steal the animal; he was unsuccessful, but did get to pet the cat a little before it took off.  Likewise, the cut on the langur exhibit was also an attempted abduction.  Third time seems to be the charm with the tamarins, but so far I don't think that the gentleman in question has been connected to the most disturbing of the incidents, the killing of the vulture. 

Which wouldn't be completely surprising - it was of a different nature than the other crimes.

Why did this man feel compelled to come into the zoo and attempt to take these animals?  Apparently, it's because he really, really loves animals, and wanted them for himself.  Which, I suppose differentiates him from that other group we were possibly suspecting, animal rights extremists, who really, really love animals and want to set them free.  Who are in turn distinguished from zookeepers, who really, really love animals and just want to work with them in a professional setting.

Pretty much everyone says that the love animals.  But that means different things to different people.  For some people, it's about collection and possession, or others its about sacrifice and service, and for others its about wanting what you think is best for them.  For many, it's a combination of all of these.  Other people love the *idea* of animals, like as an abstract, but don't actually want anything to do with them - and might find that, if they did have to deal with animals, they might not actually enjoy the experience.

The thing is, animals don't really care what you think or feel about them - because it doesn't matter.  It matters what we actually do for them.  Giving this guy the tiniest benefit of a doubt (unless it turns out he did kill the vulture, in which case, to hell with him), I could imagine that he might, on some level, feel like he loved those tamarins and wanted to give them a happy home.  But he couldn't, I bet - not the right habitat, not the right diet, not the right vet care, not the right social group.  Those animals would have been scared and miserable and sick and, in all likelihood, dead.  

And "loving them" doesn't make up for that in the least.