WTF?

Walking around Plaza de la Paz tonight, I heard what sounded like a dance party. I saw people starting to gather, so of course I followed. Standing on the edge of the street, in the middle of the plaza, the first truck drove by. It was a massive, white pick-up truck pulling a huge trailer and inside the trailer, I was floored to see three zebras. The speakers attached to the SAME truck were blasting electronic music loud enough to hear at least 5 blocks away. The truck drove by, I had my WTF? moment, thinking about how the speakers were probably 3 feet from the zebras' heads.

A minute passed, and another truck with a baby camel and (WTF?) a baby tiger. I cursed myself for not having my camera, and looked down the street to see 5 or 6 more of the giant white trucks with trailers all which featured tacky graphics, stars, lights and bad electronic music. The next trailer was divided into three sections, and contained two enormous tigers in each section. My jaw hit the cobblestone street when I realized the next trailer was also divided into three sections, but contained massive female lions. Being I was 6 feet away from the cages, this was the closest I've ever been to an animal of this sort. We've all been to zoos, but never have I been in such close proximity to what turned out to be more than 30 massive wild cats, so of course my next thought was about the lady who got SUPER close to the cage; and if they would kill the cat after it ate the child that she was trying to entertain.

I was almost constantly thinking of the maltreatment of the animals, except for that brief thought about the child, and the next thought which was, "What happens when the cats break loose from the flimsy cages, and run rampant through the city?" Because I was so close, I decided almost immediately that I would be eaten by a tiger or a lion. And honestly, I laughed outloud because it sounds like something out of an Isabel Allende novel, and I then thought I would be happy for my friends and family to be able to say, "Oh, Natalie? Yes, she moved to Mexico and got eaten by a tiger. Pobrecita." For a moment, I was proud of my obvious destiny.

The next five truck/trailers drove by. After all the wildcats, came (WTF?) five or six MASSIVE camels. The setting really shook me. I thought, maybe the enormity of animals doesn't startle us when we visit the zoo, because we're viewing from a safe distance, and of course seeing large animals is what you do at the zoo. It's just like if you went to a bar and saw a naked woman you'd be shocked, but in a strip club, you sit there and have a beer while naked women prance around, and act as if nothing un-natural or out of the ordinary is going on. I thought of this as trailer after trailer of wild animals slowly passed, electronic music blasting, and I felt sad sad sad; and mostly awkward.