The Bronx Zoo has had two elephants called Happy and Patty for over 50 years. Some people aren’t very happy about their captivity. A Harvard professor claims they would be better off in the wild. This is hard to believe as they receive top notch care and protection at the zoo. At this point they are so used to the zoo that they probably wouldn’t survive the wild. But this is besides the point. The question is why should this be of concern to NPR Radio that reported on this.
The Bar Association released a statement condemning the captivity of the elephants. It’s really not their concern and in case they don’t know, let me inform them that there are dozens of ward and aggressive standoffs in the world currently. There are oppressive regimes. There is lots of violence against people in America’s big cities. In fact, the Bronx itself suffers from a great deal of violence.
A pasuk in a Haftorah comes to mind: “Those who kill babies, kiss calves.” It’s not coincidental that animal rights activists are typically pro-choice. In Yiddish there is an expression that says “A person who is smart on one side is dumb on the other.” Misplaced compassion is dangerous. Unfortunately, we see the same types having their hearts go out for the “innocent” Palestinians, while condemning the self-defense of Jews.
