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On August 18, we asked people to submit letters to the Miami Herald in response to their story  about animal-loving philanthropists who, unfortunately, donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Miami Zoo. We hoped that letters, if published, would serve opportunity to educate Miami Herald readers about the inherent cruelty of zoos. A letter from at least one TheirTurn subscriber, Mickey Kramer from NYC, was published. In it, he writes, “Zoo animals, despite any talk of education and conservation, are kept captive for life . . . For those with disposable income and who care for animals, may I suggest donating” to a sanctuary where the animals are not “used as exhibits.”

Thank you, Mickey, for being a voice for those who don’t have one:

The Miami Herald has published a heartwarming article about a Florida couple who lived modestly but donated lavishly. Among the many things that make this couple appealing was that they gave anonymously, requiring charities to withhold their identities until after they died. You simply cannot read this article and not fall in love with the generous and humble Winnie and Al Sami. But there is a catch.

The Samis loved animals and donated at least $800,000 to help them. Unfortunately, they directed their charitable giving to a zoo, which doesn’t help animals but instead holds them captive for life – unable to do what would come naturally to them in the wild and treated like an exhibit.

I don’t begrudge the Samis for donating to a zoo. They were kind people who simply didn’t know better. Had they been educated about the inherent cruelty of zoos, perhaps they would have directed their millions to liberating animals instead of helping to keep them imprisoned. The lesson for me here is that education will lead to liberation. I believe that million, of well-intended people like the Samis would change their behavior if they had the information. But the burden falls on us to educate the good guys.

Please use this article as an opportunity to submit a letter to the editor of the Miami Herald expressing your point of view about zoos.

Winni & Al Sami (Photo: Zoo Miami)