Definition of

Cage

CageA cage is a structure made with bars or bars that is usually used to confine animals . The term comes from the Old French jaole .

Depending on the type of species , the cages have different characteristics. They are generally made of resistant materials so that the specimen remains captive and cannot escape.

There are cages for domestic animals that people can keep in their homes as pets . Bird cages , for example, usually have a waterer and feeder and have sticks so that the bird can perch. Rabbit cages , meanwhile, sometimes include thermometers to control the temperature, while hamster cages have slides, stairs and waterwheels so that the rodent can entertain itself.

In pet stores, dogs are often locked in cages. These animals, when they are for sale, remain held there until an individual buys them and takes them home.

Cages were also common in zoos , even to enclose large animals such as lions, gorillas and even elephants. As the years went by, awareness grew regarding the damage caused to these living beings when they are confined and that is why many centers began to resort to other types of regimes to continue with captivity and even promoted their release.

In the case of people, they are confined in dungeons or cells when they are deprived of their freedom in a jail or prison. These spaces have characteristics similar to the cages used with animals.

CageWhen we think of a prison, it is not difficult for us to feel a deep rejection, because forced confinement seems to us to be a very cruel way of living; the mere idea of ​​not being able to move through the world freely suffocates us. However, at the same time many people approve of the use of cages to confine animals. How do you explain why so many people lock up birds, cats or dogs, without leaving aside the practices of zoos, water parks and, of course, farms?

The cage image is one of many that demonstrate the great contradictions that we still must correct if we wish to lead a harmonious life with the rest of the species. It is not very different from what the concept of " firearm " provokes in us: if we imagine a person killing another, all the muscles in our body tremble; When the victim is an animal, on the other hand, we consider it normal or necessary. We read in the newspapers that wolves cause problems for farmers and that the precautionary measure is to wipe out dozens of packs in cold blood, and many accept it as a necessary evil; If they were human beings, horror would invade us.

What has happened to our species over the centuries to come to think that we have more rights than others, that we are the only one that thinks, that feels? Why do we still believe we should eat meat if we don't have the natural weapons to kill another animal and tear it apart? The use of cages and weapons demonstrates our physical inferiority compared to other species, not to mention cowardice.

Nature does not allow a mouse to kill an eagle, nor prevent it from flying, but the mouse lives the life it deserves and that does not make it unhappy. In this picture, we are a mouse that could not stand these differences and created artificial tools to break the rules, and with each "advance" we forget a little more about our true essence.