From the Forrest to the Museum

I stand right below them. Starling at them in disbelief. These mustangs looked so delicious. I feel like whoever made this statue, made it just to taunt me. I am so hungry. It took me a while to get passed this representation of what could have once been my dinner. Once I gathered the strength to walk passed the mustangs, I stood and stared at the hill and at the museum on top. I was delighted to sink my claws into the soft grass on the hill, I hated the way the pavement made my paws feel. The hill was so inviting and peaceful, I could stretch my legs out and maybe even sprint to the building. Up the stairs I walked to the back of the building. Its rectangular shape was so bland and unnatural, so dissimilar to my forrest. I soon discovered that I was walking on a dirt path made by the humans. They surrounded the path with stones, and it took me a while to realize that I was following it. I was doing exactly what they wanted me to do, go exactly where they wanted me to go, without any knowledge that I was doing this.  They are so tricky. Nevertheless, I preferred this area better than the back of the museum, the trees reminded me of home, I missed home so much. I was confused by the "outdoor classroom" concept. If the humans wanted to enjoy the outdoors, why wouldn't they just sit on the floor? I enjoyed that the seats that human use were modeled after vertebrae of an old reptile. I jumped on each one. I could see that I was getting carried away so I continued onwards with my circumambulation of the museum. The statue of in front of the museum astonished me. Crouched low, I circled the statue and let out a subtle growl to make sure this large cat would not attack me. When I trusted that it would not move, I slowly moved up close to read the plaque. I have never seen a cat like this, his teeth were so large. I just imagined how wonderful it would be to have those choppers  I quickly moved in, still in fear that my thoughts and presence might wake up this bronze cat.

 Continuing around the museum, I cam across dinosaur tracks. I was fascinated at how these tracks still were there. The dinosaur that made that walked thousands of years ago and these humans, now worship the ground he walked on. I look down at my paws and see the ground, there is no print. I miss home, I miss the earthy ground where I can feel my feet sinking into the earth, being connected. I realized that homo sapiens are so into learning about us animals. They care about us and want to know all about us, yet we do not know anything about them.


Inside, I was surprised to see the inside of animals cleaned. The animals in this room had no fur and no skin. All the meat must have been eaten off of them already and they were somehow put back together as if they were still alive. This room creeped me out. I would hate if someone looked at me like this. I would feel so exposed and violated. I found comfort in looking at the giant centipede. It was in the center of a display between graceful moths, sturdy beetles  and other insects, in the center of the room towards the backdoor of the museum. This centipede looked so alive and because insects do not have skeletons they do not have to be displayed so naked. I think that he would be so happy to know that he has made it in the center of this display and that it was preserved so very nicely. This centipede made me feel safe in a room filled with the bones of dead animals.

Looking into the eyes of the bobcat, on the third floor, confused me more than being around the statue of saber-toothed cat outside the museum. My first reaction was to feel upset that he did not even finish his meal. I was hungry and whoever stuffed him left him with his dinner and probably stuffed that too.  I couldn't help but wonder what they did with the meat. Homo sapiens are so greedy. I am sure this bobcat would be proud to know that he was preserved showing that he had successfully made a kill and had his dinner. I couldn't help but also think if he ever woke up he would be surprised to see that they stuffed his dinner. I really enjoyed the Night Shift room, where the bobcat was displayed. The animals in each case seemed so alive! I loved the way the barn owl seemed like it was looking right at you, or how the possum was was shown in defense mode. I hope that if I ever get stuffed they show me in the snow killing a nice juicy elk!

The Hawaiian Drosophila Fly exhibit in the right side of the Explore Evolution room on the fourth floor, really caught my tiger eye! I never thought really anything about flies before, so I found it really interesting to see it up close and personal. It took me a while to focus my eye into the little magnifying glass. I wondered how they fly would feel knowing that homo sapiens looked at it so personally.  Would it feel honored. After all my pondering, I put myself in the flies' body. Although we are very different, I would not mind if people looked at me up close in personal, when I pass. There is a lot about me I don't understand, like why I look so different than my orange mother. I would love it if they found these answers about me and then shared their discoveries to everyone. I would rather be displayed eating my dinner like to bobcat though, as long as I am far dead before I am stuffed.

From the forrest to the museum, I have learned a lot of things, about animals, and about humans. Homo sapiens, will never stop trying to find out more about us, and trying to control us. However, I think I would enjoy being in a museum after I pass. I realized that as animals we will never get the chance to learn more about humans like they get to learn about us. I think it would be pretty neat to have a human museum in the forrest. But as for now I enjoy living my life, with my family. I enjoy leaving the humans out of my life and staying away from the awful pavement.