Month: March 2024

Zoo, by Anthony Brown is a story we studied for English. What is the role of a zoo and what is the relationship between man and animals? Below is my recreation of an orangutan enclosure and a diary entry from the POV of an orangutan entering it for the first time.

I step into my enclosure. My soul burns up like a fire. I take one big breath. Salty cold air infiltrates my nostrils. Leaves are swaying without a care in the world. Birds are flapping their wings exploring their surroundings. My ears flip on and listen to the gusts of wind ringing through them. I feel freedom for the first time after years of isolation. Opening my mouth for a big breath of relief my mouth gasps from the cold salty air.

Choie Sew Hoy was born in the Guangdong province in China 1836. Life there was pretty tough. Most people there were broke and harvesters.

A few Years later when gold was discovered in Australia, Choie Sew Hoy sailed to Melbourne but he had learnt something from his time in California. He was a key figure in gold mining in New Zealand, and also had an important role in introducing a new type of steam dredge. His body was dug up in 1902 during another mass exhumation and placed on a boat called “The Ventnor”.