Where's the Fat and Lazy Animal?

Among the proposed improvements to the Kansas City Zoo is "a more convenient entrance." Apparently, walking an extra two hundred yards along a remarkably attractive path from the parking lot to the zoo’s gate is too taxing for our community.

When asked recently about the zoo’s entrance, a couple of kids told me that "it’s one of our favorite things." Anyone who’s seen kids at the zoo knows why- they're compelled to walk on top of the path's concrete border.

I’m all for upgrading our zoo, as long as it’s done with foresight. The fact that the zoo covers an enormous swath of Swope Park shouldn’t be considered a liability. Why not construct fences or moats throughout the open space and give the animals more room to roam?

The photograph is a reminder of the zoo’s unfortunate history. The ape house opened to great fanfare in the ‘70s. Yetit makes human prisons seem plush, and it’s been shuttered. May I suggest that it be transformed into a fast food outlet? That would be sure to pack ‘em in.