Caged animals

My parents visited us and we proudly invited them to the Jungle Queen Cruise out of Fort Lauderdale. We didn’t expect much, but it sounded nice to be a few hours on the water. We enjoyed the cruise and were impressed by the beautiful houses we saw along the way.

After we exited the boat, however, our joy was gone: They offer a small “zoo” with sad, lonely animals.

One monkey has lived alone in a tiny cage for more than 20 years, visitors taking pictures all day. No place to hide, no companion, just a lonely monkey with dead eyes. The alligator show is pathetic, and the birds live in tiny cages as well.

I was shocked that it is legal to keep animals in these conditions. Yes, they have food and shelter, but the Jungle Cruise should be able to afford proper housing for them. Or even better, the animals should be given to a sanctuary to retire.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 1:15 PM with the headline "Caged animals."