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New Friends and Old Battles

I woke up still cuddled with Julie, Cleo having moved to a different spot overnight. I nuzzled Julie's neck some and kissed her nosie. "Good morning, sleepyhead."

Julie wriggled and gradually gained consciousness. She woke with a start and touched her rear in worry. Then she saw me and must have realized just where she was. "Yes, you're alright. Or, at least you should be."

Julie snuggled up to me and I sighed. "Want me to pull your plug?"

"Yes, please. Though... won't it have like... bad stuff on it?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Probably not. It's a glass plug so it's not like it'd be difficult to clean even if there was."

"Will it hurt?" she asked.

"Probably not. You've never had a buttplug in you before, have you?" I inquired and Julie blushed.

"Never.... tried a dildo either until.... that night... I slept in your bedroom. And now last night with Cleo... and...." she hugged me tightly. "You've been SOOOO good to me, Jim."

I chuckled and reached behind Julie... using my thumb and pinky I spread her buttocks and used my middle and ring finger to tug the small object free of Julie's backside. Holding it up there wasn't anything worth mentioning on it. "See... nothing to it."

Julie smiled and kissed my nose. "You need a shave."

I laughed. "Well, I guess we'd better get up for the day then, right? It's nearly 7. And I'd imagine you'd want the bathroom before me."

At that, Julie jumped up. "Of course! Ladies first!" and off she dashed around the corner. I just sat up and laughed, which caused Cleo to raise her head and look at me. "Somehow, I think we're about to get yet another roommate.... her." Cleo seemed to smile a little, though it could have been just my imagination.

* * * * *

Unloading the few things I had left in the trailer that needed to come in went quickly, and soon I had returned it to its resting place alongside the Quonset shed and pulled the truck around front. I went back into the house and Julie was nearly ready for work, so I decided to check on my newest cats again. "I'm gonna be in the pens. Just hop in the truck and honk the horn when you're ready," I called to Julie. "Ok, Jim!" came the reply.

I hadn't given it a thought when I'd said that, but as I moved through the back yard and into the machine shed's service door I got a little concerned that if I was in there and she blew the horn the cats might react adversely. Oh well, I'll jump off that bridge when I get to it. I first came to the liger family and reached through the bars to give Hercules and Xena a petting. Jasmine started chuffing from the far edge of the pen and pushed her way between her grown cubs and I, being the attention whore that some tigers tend to be. Hercules voiced a bit of an objection, but sat back anyway as Jasmine rubbed along the bars. I used the opportunity of her reaching the corner to run a hand up her thigh.

She looked shocked for a moment, and her tail clamped down as she turned a bit. I withdrew my hand some and then she pressed her hips firmly against the cage bars once more. I took that as a "well, ok, since it's you, go ahead" and ventured northward until I found her femaleness. I touched it with three fingers held together and she made no move to object. Either she was in heat, or she was like Cleo in that she was always puffier than the average female big cat. She wasn't TOO much larger, but I tentatively let my middle finger dip between her folds a little bit. Still she made no move to object and was happily soaking up the attention my left hand was giving to her scruff and headfur. I slipped the tip in and she moved back a bit as my finger touched her clit inside her. She was quite wet, which still could mean she was in her monthly estrus period. Her tail raised and I could see she was a bit puffy at her tailhole, too. Maybe Hercules was mating his mother and hitting the wrong hole. I didn't have time to find out as I heard the horn belch loudly from the front of the garage.

"Thank you, Jasmine... I'll be back later to check you out further... and deeper." She didn't acknowledge what I'd said in any meaningful way but to resume her pacing along the cage wall and chuffing as I moved towards the brothers. I pulled on a pair of rubber gloves in anticipation. True to form, they backed their butts up to the bars with their tails held high. This time I was somewhat prepared for them and I spit-slicked my index and middle fingers of both hands and touched their pink puckers. Their tailholes first gripped tightly, then relaxed at the contact. I pressed inwards a bit and my fingers easily slipped into both brothers. I gently pressed further and further forward until my fingers were as deep inside them as the bars and their butts allowed. They were very slick inside, which told me that it must have been genetic manipulation that allowed Cleo and them to self-lubricate, and on one of them I felt something odd just beyond the edge of my fingers' reach inside him. I couldn't tell exactly what, but something felt different from his brother. I tried to see which one it was by looking to either side of the pair, then realized... "Terry, lay down." The one with the odd backside lost altitude and I chuckled to myself. At least they knew basic commands beyond how to walk on a leash. That certainly could come in handy. I extracted my fingers from the brothers' backsides, which gripped tightly as though they didn't want to give them up. "Patience... patience boys. You'll have a lot more fun soon."

I peeled off the gloves and tossed them in the waste can as I made my way back forward out to the truck.

"What took you so long?" Julie asked.

"Was just making sure the new cats felt at home." I smiled. Cleo was already behind the seat when I climbed up. "So... all ready to go back to the drudgery of everyday life?"

Julie frowned some. "Not really," she said, shaking her head. "I'd much rather spend time with you and your cats."

I laughed. "I get far more boring the longer you know me, Julie. I'm a creature of habit, and realistically one day is much like another in most respects, unlike the past few you've spent with me."

Julie shrugged. "I guess so... it's just.... I've been having such a fun time with you that I don't really want it to end."

I smiled and patted her thigh. "I've enjoyed time with you, too, Julie. And would like it to continue as well, but... bills have to get paid and all..."

Julie nodded and snuggled up to me as I backed the truck away from the garage and headed off down the farm lane.

* * * * *

The ride into work wasn't anything worth mentioning, and soon we arrived at the front lot. I pulled into a stall and Julie and Cleo got out. I handed her my keys. "You can lock Cleo in my office. I'm going to go and top off the tank for Chet and give him his truck back." Julie nodded and let Cleo out, who jumped down and padded towards the door.

"See you inside." Julie said as she shut the doors and I waved.

After making sure the truck had a full tank of diesel, I drove around the back way to the service drive leading to the powerhouse, paralleling the railroad tracks. I parked the truck in Chet's favored spot out of the way and walked around to the service door near Chet's office.

I could hear him bawling out someone as I opened the door and just leaned against the outer wall of the corridor until he finished his verbal lashing of one of his grunts. Soon enough a younger fellow exited the office looking rather sheepish and Chet came to the door. "Well, you're up early. Weren't expecting you back until tomorrow!" Chet wiped his hands on a rag and then stuffed it into his back pocket.

I held out his keys. "Topped off the tank, and she ran like a top. Thanks for letting me use the truck, Chet."

He took them and smiled. "Oh, no problem, Jim. So what'd ya get this time?"

I chuckled. "I went down for just two lions, and came back with two lions, two ligers, and a tigress."

Chet laughed. "You and your cats. Any going to show up here?" he inquired.

I furrowed my brow. "Hadn't really thought about that, Chet, but the ligers and tigress could probably be put on display here." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Jack would have a bird, I'm sure, but... hm... that IS a thought. Free lease kind of thing, and that'd put those two empty enclosures back into productive use."

"Why not the lions, too?" Chet asked.

"They've... got some things going on that wouldn't make them right for putting on display here. Good cats, from what I can tell, but just not zoo material. In fact, I don't really know if the ligers would be good zoo material, since they've been raised basically as pets." I rubbed my face a bit in thought. "Well, we'll just have to see what's what. Anyway, I best get back forward before His Royal Highness wants to roast my hiney. Called in sick yesterday but if he was paying attention, both my Blazer and Julie's car was here all this time."

Chet laughed. "Hell... I can't wait until you stop this pussy-footing and just roast Jack's ass once and for all."

I smiled. "Well, only time will tell with that one, Chet. It's not like I'm gunning for his job, I just wish he'd let me do mine!"

"Hell, Jim, that's what we all want!" Chet laughed and a loud metallic clattering issued from the shop floor. Chet's head whipped around that way. "Dammit...." he frowned.

"I'll catch you later, Chet. Go have some more fun yelling at people." I winked and Chet laughed a bit before he strode briskly in the direction of the noise.

"What the goddamned hell is going on out here! It's not like I can even have a conversation with Jim without one of you fuckups breaking something else!" I heard his voice booming as I let myself back out the service door.

Walking along the paths back towards the office I saw Vic buzzing my direction on one of the grunts, so I flagged him down.

"Hey, Vic. What's the good word?" I asked.

"Good... shiiit." Vic shook his head. "At least you figured out what was wrong with the bandorgan so it'd stop sounding like it had a case of constipation."

"How full is the schedule for your groundskeeper staff this coming week, Vic?" I asked.

"Well, the trees keep shedding their leaves enough to choke an elephant... Jack has all his usual hairbrained ideas for things... Someone keeps clogging the crapper by the monkey house..." Vic looked up at me. "Why? Got something needing to be added to the list?"

I shrugged. "Well, that trip I took was to pick up some cats from a fellow that couldn't keep them anymore... and I got a few more than I figured on. The thing is, two of them are rather valuable as far as display animals - they're ligers - so, I was thinking if you could squeeze in a little extra work those two empty exhibit spaces could get cleaned up a little for them and their tigress mother. Now, I've not figured out whether they'd be good to show at the zoo or not, so this isn't anything official, but... if you find your crew has a little spare time...." I smiled.

Vic smiled broadly. "You're dancin' around Jack again, huh? Well... if nothing big screws up between now and Wednesday, I'll have the outside exhibits spiffed up for ya." He chuckled softly. "Ligers, huh? Can't say as I've ever seen one of them."

I nodded "They're the result of a male lion mating a tigress... they're not exactly rare but they're not real common in zoos because the AZA prohibits their member zoos from breeding for them."

"AZA... shiiit..." Vic shook his head at the mention of the group. "They ain't nothing but a bunch of self-important... Jacks!" he winked and laughed at his own pun.

I laughed too and patted his shoulder. "I couldn't agree with you more. Anyway, I've got to get up to the office and I'll let you get back to whatever you were after. Thanks again, Vic. See you around."

"Good luck with the new cats, Jim!" Vic called out as he zipped off, hanging a left down towards one of the picnic lawns.

I hadn't really considered putting Hercules and group on display, but they WOULD make a good display, and certainly differentiate us from AZA groups. Not to mention the fact that we'd then be able to talk about the fact other groups don't study ligers and the questions still unanswered about their place in the big cat world - whether as just a hybrid, or as the modern-day recreation of a vanished species.

I was lost in thought as I worked my way back forward that I didn't notice Jerry coming up to me until he grabbed my shoulder. I spun around ready to defend myself, and then noticed who it was. "Jeez, Jerry... startle a person, why don't you?"

Jerry chuckled. "Wasn't my intention but apparently you didn't hear me call out your name. How was your trip?"

"It was interesting... and expensive." I smiled.

"I'll bet. So, did you get the lions?" Jerry looked interested.

"Them, and a tigress and her liger progeny, too. Five cats in all... oi!" I smiled.

"Wow... so... what are they like?" Jerry wondered.

I chuckled. "They're good cats. The lions have something interesting going on... Oh! That reminds me..." I turned towards the cathouse. "Gotta borrow that endoscope setup." I smiled and returned to the conversation. "The ligers and tigress appear to be reasonably normal, though. Might even put them on display here."

"Any of them like Cleo?" Jerry asked.

"Like her in the way she answers questions? No, not that I can tell. The lions are her brothers, though, so they're like her in a few ways. But they all seem to be good cats. Walk on the leash without problems, know at least some basic commands, and follow them." I chuckled.

"Oh... well, that sounds good." Jerry said, seemingly a little disappointed.

I laughed. "I told you Cleo was something special. Anyway, you just come to pester me about my trip or was there something else on your mind?"

Jerry smiled. "Oh, well... Big John is getting pretty cranky these days. That's kind of unusual for him, and you were wanting to do that obstetrics checkup on Honey in case she wanted to hibernate this winter..."

I nodded. "Yeah, gotta fit her into the schedule somehow, and I'll see to Big John sometime soon, too. Hopefully before the big Halloween bash Jack has scheduled, where we're open after dark for the little squirts to oooh and ahhh at the critters."

"I forgot about that. Oh... " Jerry buzzed his lips. "Well, I'll have to be on duty that night, won't I?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it's an all-hands function, more or less. But it won't be so bad, you'll be out of here by ten or so. I think that's when it's set to end, but I'm not sure."

Jerry sighed. "Was kinda hoping to hand out candy at my place, but oh well." He shrugged.

I laughed. "Well, I'm kinda lucky in that kids don't want to walk the mile up my road to get...." a though dawned on me. Hm... if I wasn't working here....

"Jim?" Jerry asked.

I realized I'd stopped talking. "Sorry, Jerry. Thoughtus interruptus. Kids don't like to walk that far just in hopes of getting some candy."

"Ah well, you'll let me know when you'll be doing Honey? I'd kinda like to be there." Jerry said.

"No problem. And I'll put Big John through his paces so he's less grumpy for awhile," I said.

"That'll help. Sarah's been a peach, but then again, you know that about her. Anyway, I better get back over there and see if that cleanup schmuck's been eaten." Jerry winked and I laughed, waving as he headed back across the courtyard.

It was true that I hadn't let Big John into the playroom to blow his load in a few weeks, so it'd just figure that he'd be cranky about things... especially with Sarah smelling so good but out of his reach and Honey saying "no"... I'd have to see how the next couple days went for me to give him a nice workout.

I reached the office stairs and climbed them, saw Jack heading down the hall and waved to him.

"Jim." Jack nodded as we passed each other.

"Mornin' Jack." I smiled and nodded. He turned the corner and started down the side stairs, and I shrugged. I went into Julie's office and she handed me my keys. "Here you go, Jim. She's tucked away like usual," she said in a perky manner.

"Thanks Julie," I said as I took the keys. I nodded in the general direction of the parking lot. "Jack off to somewhere?"

"He's giving a bit of a speach at the education center about the importance of zoos in modern society," she said, at which I rolled my eyes. "I know, I know... he gets a little creative about things, but... you know."

I nodded. "Yeah, he's good at regurgitating predetermined information, but he sucks at answering questions about this-and-that... but oh well. Maybe we'll get some more corporate donations because of it." I shrugged, then smiled. "Oh, what would you think about me having Hercules and them at the zoo here?"

Julie looked curious. "What, you mean give them to the zoo?"

I shook my head. "No, just loan them. I'd own them but the zoo would display, breed from, and care for them, more or less. They could go in those empty exhibit spaces in the cathouse so I quit getting asked questions about "What's in there?"..." I chuckled. "My usual answer of "vanishing big cats" is getting pretty boring."

Julie laughed. "Well, so they'd all be coming here?" Julie looked curious and perhaps a little disappointed.

Again, I shook my head. "The lions got their special thing going on that I couldn't put them on display without it being noticeable they weren't normal. I'd have to check into what's up with Jasmine, Xena and Hercules to see if they're normal enough to display."

"Oh! Can I be with you when you give them their checkups?" Julie was practically bouncing again.

I laughed. "Well... was going to do that with Larry and Terry tonight." I smiled. "Guess you're welcome to come out for another evening."

"Chicken parmesiana again?" Julie looked hopeful at her hint.

I laughed and shook my head. "Oh boy... what am I getting myself into." I winked. "Chicken parmesiana again, this time made right and with fresh hot biscuits rather than those bakery buns."

"Well, it WAS a good dinner..." Julie smiled as I turned to go back through the door. I winked at her as I left and headed down the hall to my office.

I unlocked the door and Cleo was spread-eagled on the cot, which by now was groaning significantly each time she moved about. She lifted her head as I came in and when I sat down in my chair I swiveled and pet her tummy, feeling the growing lumps of cub as they levitated in their liquid environment. She closed her eyes and her face relaxed significantly. "Yeah, you're getting closer and closer, aren't you? We'll see what happens when your time comes. If you can mate with me, I'm fairly sure you can birth your own cubs." I sighed happily... cubs... they were always fun to have around. I'd just have to see how good of a mother Cleo was, though, as I thought it was her first litter, if I remembered Jeff's video correctly. But... whether here or at home, I had all the stuff to tend to cubs without their mother's help, so it wouldn't matter so very much. It's just a lot easier when the mother takes care of them herself.

I swiveled back around and started in on the endless computerized paperwork the place generates. A couple hours later I pushed myself back from my desk and stretched. Cleo looked up from where she was laying and I winked at her. "Guess it's time I got some lunch and did a check on the cathouse. You stay here." Cleo nodded and laid her head back down as I turned off the computer monitor and headed out the door, locking it behind me.

I grabbed a grunt and headed across the courtyard towards the cathouse, intending to grab the video endoscopy unit and take it back to my Blazer for later tonight to check on just what Terry had going on inside him. I parked the grunt just outside the cathouse doors on the grassy knoll like always, and went inside. I made my way up to the terrace and started along the cages. Jake padded over and started brushing against the bars, so I gave him a bit of attention. Pickles tried to come over as well, but when she tried to push alongside, Jake roared out a warning to Pickles, who relented and padded off elsewhere. It was HIS attention, and no one was going to get it but HIM!

Some people in the crowd tried to roar out some to get Jake to repeat his vocalization, and at least one was fairly on-key with it, though nowhere near loud enough. And Jake was getting attention so he wasn't inclined to roar back, anyway. Some youngster in the crowd must have asked his parent what I was doing, and I heard them say I was petting the lion. "Can I do that, too?" came in a louder voice. I stopped and turned around to see who it was. I could immediately tell because the young man tried to partially hide behind his father's pantsleg, whether out of embarrassment or just routine shyness.

"Who asked that?" I inquired of the group. A couple other children pointed in the child's direction. I thought I recognized the man from awhile ago. "Was it your son, sir?" I asked, and the man nodded. I smiled. "Young man, there's nothing wrong with asking that... or wanting to pet a lion. You don't have to be afraid of me." I smiled as I leaned on the railing. The young man cautiously stepped out from behind his father.

"He likes lions a lot, and tigers, too," his father offered. My eyes were locked on the son.

"Is that true?" I asked. A slight nod came in reply from the elementary-schooler. I then looked to the father. "Aren't you Edward Stoddard's son?" I asked.

"I am," the father said with a nod. A smile spread across my face. "Are you going to be here for awhile?" I inquired. A cautious nod came as my reply. I smiled broadly. "Ok... I think I'll have a surprise for your son." The father's face was confused, the boy's face was curious but shy.

I stood up. "Anyone have any questions about any of the cats in here?" I asked. There were always questions, many of which were the same. How many lions, why only one tiger, what about the empty cages, aren't they dangerous, do they eat a lot, and on and on. Once in awhile there was someone with a bit more than the routine questions.

"Is it true that big cats don't behave like housecats?" one young lady inquired.

"Well, that's sort of true. They're more like big dogs than like housecats. It's because of where they live in the food pyramid." I began.

"Don't you mean the food chain?" one of the adults asked.

I shook my head. "No. We stopped using that term quite some time ago. I guess the "in" phrase these days is "The food web", as any ecosystem does have many of its species interconnected, but in simplistic terms it's better to think of it as a pyramid. At the bottom are the plants that the herbivores eat. They have to grow in sufficient numbers that however many herbivores there are, they don't over-graze or over-browse the land to decimate the plant population that is their food base. Next narrower are the herbivores themselves, which have to maintain a stable and diverse breeding population amongst themselves, but in far less numbers than the plants they consume. Narrower still are the secondary and tertiary predators, which consume some of the smaller herbivores, but aren't adept enough to directly attack the larger ones. They are generally carnivores, but due to their size they can also be preyed upon by larger carnivores, which are called "apex predators", as they're at the top of the food pyramid, and have to have a massive population under them in order to sustain even a small number and still have the ecosystem in balance. There was a book written in the early '80s called "Why Big Fierce Animals Are So Rare", if I remember the title correctly. It was at the beginning of the modern ecology movement and it clearly delineated why it's the apex predators that are rare - like lions, tigers, and wolves. Human beings are the only apex predator to transcend the food pyramid, and it's also sort of our fault that other apex predators disappear, because of our innate fear of something that can stomp or chomp us. It's instinctual from the time we stopped living in caves and began to spread out on the earth, and it's what kept our species alive. However, in modern times it is a tremendous impediment to our being able to peacably interact with natural systems without upsetting them terribly by removing the apex and secondary predators, and thus having issues with herbivore population swings. That, and we humans have a habit of trying to impose our control on everything, which doesn't work well at all when it comes to natural systems." I chuckled a bit.

My oration seemed to annoy a few adults, but others seemed captivated at the explanation of a rather simplistic question. "Anyway, where was I.... oh yes. Big cats are much more like big dogs in habits because wolves, from which dogs descend, are apex predators as well. Housecats descend from European and eurasian wildcats, which are secondary and tertiary predators - those that themselves can be eaten by something larger - and as a result their psychology is weighted to be wary of unusual situations moreso than apex predators would be. And also not to do some things until the very last moment when confronted by a larger animal. That's how come some housecats don't show any signs of disliking attention until they just spaz out and try to get away. That's because they see us as a more formidable adversary and as a result don't voice their opinion on the matter until they are in a "fight or flight" situation, in their minds at least."

The young lady with the original question nodded. "That makes sense. Thank you."

I chuckled and smiled. "No problem. That's what we're here for... to educate the public about the animals we have here."

"You mean, the animals you have prisoner here!" came from a young man in the back.

I looked back to where the voice came from and there was a twenty-something with a couple eyebrow piercings and a bad expression on his face.

"How do you come to that conclusion, young man?" I asked, as the crowd turned to see who I was speaking to.

"Well, you've got them in cages, right? That's just like being in prison, isn't it?" The young man's expression was haughty.

"Have you ever been to prison, sir?" I inquired.

The young man shook his head. "No." He admitted, and crossed his arms, his stance becoming more adversarial.

"Well, I'm going to assume that since you haven't any firsthand knowledge of prison life, that equally you have no firsthand knowledge of zoo life. Is that correct?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" he asked, somewhat unsettled.

"I mean, have you ever worked in a zoo?" I asked directly.

"No. Haven't ever worked in one of these animal concentration camps." Back was the haughty expression.

"Well, then, how do you know this is like a prison, as you expressed, and not more like a cruise ship?" I inquired. This seemed to have the crowd interested.

"What do you mean, cruise ship?" The young heckler was taken a bit aback.

"Well, if you go on a cruise, you're not about to step off the ship in mid-ocean, are you?" I asked. This brought laughter from some in the crowd.

"No, but this ain't on any ocean!" the young man persisted.

"You're right. But, on a cruise - a recreational activity which many many people participate in each year - you don't leave the ship unless you're in port. You have your food provided for you, accommodations, even health care if you need it. And while we're not adrift on the ocean like a Noah's Ark, we are just like that in many ways. Here the animals receive food without any requirements on their part, unlike in the wild in which they'd have to hunt for it. They receive accommodations, whereas in the wild they'd have to deal with whatever natural conditions were present, be it rain, snow, sun, anything. And here they receive medical care which extends their lives significantly whereas in the wild they'd have issues with parasites, diseases... all manner of problems which reduce their lifespans significantly."

The group then looked to the young man for his rebuttal. "Well, you keep them from roaming around as much as they'd like!"

I laughed and the young man looked disturbed. "Do you know WHY wild animals rack up the kind of mileage they do?" The young man shook his head.

"This goes back to that concept of the food pyramid. The reason why larger animals, like lions, tigers, elephants, giraffes and the like HAVE such large territories is so they don't over-hunt, or in the case of herbivores, over-browse or over-graze, the land that IS their territory. If a lion pride hunted more antelope or zebra than could reproduce in the area they're in, very soon they'd have no more to hunt, and would begin to starve. So they travel great distances in order to find the animals they CAN take down to eat from. And not every hunt is successful. Only about 30-40 percent of the time does a predator achieve a kill sufficient to feed on for more than a meal. And the larger the carnivore, the more it needs to eat to have enough energy TO find their next kill."

"That's not answering the question!" the young man exclaimed. "You still have them all cooped up here!"

I nodded. "That's right. Here they're obeying their natural urges to CONSERVE energy, for their next hunt. Since all their food is provided here, they have no need to hunt, therefore they feel no need to wander about in any substantial manner. Just like a big dog that's a couch potato most of the time and goes out on a long walk with you once or twice a week when they feel more enthusiastic about things. Same here. Also, as a by-product, these cats don't need to eat as much because they don't need to wander to hunt. If we fed these cats as much as they'd eat, they'd end up being blimps, because their natural instinct is to gorge themselves as much as they can when food is plentiful and available, in order to have energy for the times when their hunting is uneventful and they can't make a kill. In nature, and in captivity, any big cat is inclined to expend as little energy as possible to achieve their goals, whether that is eating, guarding territory, or reproducing."

The young man looked stunned. "Are you for real?"

I nodded "Straight-up. That's how it is, and I've been working with them long enough to know it's for real. No animal in nature is going to expend one iota more energy than absolutely necessary, because energy is life. When you run out of energy, you're now food for someone else."

"But what about the bars? You still have them in cages." His tone was softening and he made his way somewhat foward through the group.

"Yes... but that's mostly for their own protection. Tatiana, the tigress over there, would likely try to kick lion butt if they came near her as she prefers the company of humans to the company of other cats, even other tigers. Zeus and Anna over there..." I gestured to the cougars "would likely be terrified of the others, and would quite likely get attacked and eaten. That wouldn't be a good result, would it, even though it's a natural one." I shrugged.

"Then there's the prey species that would be decimated if the predators were put with them. Or at the very least VERY freaked out enough to cause injury to themselves or others in an attempt to flee. Natural instincts are omnipresent, even in captive-raised populations. Or even hand-raised ones like Tatiana. Prey species are naturally inclined to attempt to escape from any situation that is unfamiliar to them, by any means necessary. Which makes them exceptionally dangerous to handle, even if they're used to humans being around them in a peaceable manner."

I continued as the young heckler made his way up front. "And then there's you, the general public. When it comes to degree of variance in reactions to situations, us - human beings - are the most diverse and unpredictable of all species out there. It's because we've developed meaningful dishonesty. We're the only species that can lie in a believable way without showing any signs of falsehood. So while our mouth says one thing, our body may be doing something completely different, even unintentionally and subconsciously. So the bars are necessary mostly to protect the animals from you folks than to protect you from the animals. There are keepers for every species here - many handling mulitple species - which are perfectly fine in being in with the animals as we've learned the animals' behavior patterns, and preferences. Yes, they have preferences in things just as we do, and many times that includes which keepers they like better than others. So, if one of you - the general public - were suddenly in direct contact with... Jake here..." I gestured back to the lion laying up against the cage bars "... chances are you might do something unintentional that Jake would misunderstand, and might get defensive about. That's the thing in working with predators especially, is knowing what NOT to do in any given situation, as much as knowing what TO do."

I smiled at the young man. "You seem to have been given a lot of misinformation or half-truths. The internet and the world is full of things of that nature. Information in its raw state can be neither good nor bad, so it's not bad information. It's created information that isn't so, or it's incomplete information that takes one small segment of reality and flies with it without any consideration to context or the broader perspective on things. I've always made it a point to research anything that sounded different from what I'd known to be true. Sometimes it was the information that was incorrect, or incomplete. Sometimes it was what I thought was true that was incorrect or incomplete. Or based on presumed knowledge that had since been proven incorrect. That happens a lot, too."

The young man crossed his arms again in disgust. "You're just saying that to make me look bad!"

I shook my head. "No, young man. You're too good at that all by yourself for those that know about what you're talking about. But these fine folks... they're just passing through. It's doubtful they've worked with cats for as long as I have, so they wouldn't know whether Jake is angry, bored, sad, happy, or just having a "blah" day. And then, too, individual animals have individual quirks, so you can't just go by generalizations alone, either. We used to have a tiger that looked sad all the time. That was just how people interpreted his facial expression. Us keepers knew that was just his normal appearance from how it was present even while playing with his mate of the time, or their cubs, but still the comments persisted that he was sad all the time."

I chuckled softly. "You must feel very strongly about animals for you to have made such a stance. Am I right?" The young man nodded, his arms still crossed but his face showing more curiosity than stubbornness.

"Well, you think zoos are an anachronism, that they should all be closed?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Where would the animals go, if they were?" I asked, guessing I knew the answer he'd give.

"Well, they belong in the wild." His self-assuredness returned.

I chuckled and the rest of the group looked confused. "Here you call the zoo a prison when you've just given every animal here a death sentence."

"Huh?" shock appeared on the young man's face.

I nodded. "Tatiana there has known humans as her companions her entire life. Zeus and Anna there have been in zoos their entire lives. Jake here was a family pet until laws changed preventing his remaining where he was raised. Pickles was born here, as was Hugo. None of the animals you've seen on our grounds were taken from "the wild", and have never known life outside of being cared for, fed... protected... by us humans. While some, like the zebras and maybe the camels, would likely survive on their own and reproduce readily enough, many, like the elephants, the lions, bears... they would get into trouble by virtue of their affinity for humans and would become a nuisance to the degree they'd likely be killed. Or even if you put them back into what would be considered their natural environment they wouldn't have the skills necessary to survive, since the lions have never hunted for their food, and the elephants don't know which plants are appropriate to eat and which aren't. Not to mention the fact that "The wild" is merely an abstract concept, not an actual location. That's the very reason tigers and now lions are endangered animals, it's that "the wild" is diminishing in size all the time due to human encroachment, and like I mentioned before, we humans tend to remove anything we don't want from what we consider OUR environment, OUR land, OUR space... without realistic consideration about the ecological and environmental affects it would have. We place our desires above the natural balance, and that causes the balance to become seriously out of whack in many places, and in many ways."

"I...." the young man looked curious. "So, you mean to say they're HAPPY here?"

I nodded. "Well, whether animals have true emotions like us humans experience them is a matter for debate, they have at the very least proto-emotions of like/dislike and of that nature, so... while it is somewhat anthropomorphizing to say they're "Happy" or "Sad" in the same context as we humans experience those emotions, I would venture to say that yes, these cats at least are happy with their surroundings and with those caring for them."

"What's.... Anthrop... whatever?" The young man asked.

I chuckled. "It's applying human emotions to a non-human entity. However, that word was coined back when the world presumed animals don't feel pain in the same way we humans do, a time when vivisection - surgical procedures on conscious but restrained animals - was commonplace because it was believed they didn't feel anything. As society has devised new ways of interpreting and analyzing the body's reactions, it's continually revising and nibbling away at the presumptions about humans being such superior beings rather than just animals with somewhat advanced cognitive abilities. The reason I used the term "Somewhat", is that it's been shown that other species - great apes, dolphins, and others - have the basis for many of the abilities that had previously been thought to be solely the domain of humans, including self-recognition, development and use of tools, coordination between group members to achieve a shared goal, and higher language functions. Though it has been proven in only a few species, that doesn't mean that other species don't have those functions as well but merely we've not come up with a way of testing or noticing it just yet."

"You sure know a lot for a zookeeper..." the young man finally admitted.

I chuckled. "I know a lot for any profession, young man. It's just that I researched any question that popped into my head. I asked the question of others, and if I couldn't find a satisfactory answer, I researched it myself through library publications, and if even those didn't satisfy me, I tried to find the answer on my own. Most answers were easy, some were more difficult, and a few I'm still working on, or hope to work on. But that's the key - never stop learning, never stop asking, and never, ever, ever just take anything for granted that you were taught if it doesn't fit with what you're seeing or what you've experienced."

"Yeah, but you went to college to learn about these animals. What chance do I have against that?" His arms crossed again.

I laughed and he looked confused. "I never went to college, young man. What I've learned, I've learned on my own. And believe me, it was far cheaper economically, but I paid a far different price for my education - a social cost, a situational cost... and it's even cost me in the romance department. But... as a wise man once said, "Anything worth achieving always has a cost. Only you can determine it's value in your life."

"So, does that mean if I wanted to work with big cats, I could work here without a college degree?" he asked.

I nodded. "In general, yes. But if you come in with a know-it-all attitude like you just showed, you'd be more of a danger to yourself than we could allow. Like I said a moment ago, it's more of learning what NOT to do around big cats. If you think you already know it, you only have once chance to be wrong. And if you are wrong... you'll never be wrong again. You'll be kitty-poo." I said the last part sternly and the young man blanched a bit.

"But... realistically, yes... you hang out here enough, you show me that you're willing to learn... and yes, you could have a job here." I looked to the door. "In fact, stay right there." I smiled at him then came down the stairs and out onto the main floor.

"You know, you'd have to part with those piercings, right?" I asked as I stepped up to him.

"Why?" he looked kind of smug.

"Well, they'd be rather painful if they got ripped out. Claws and teeth do grab things." I showed him my hands. "There will never be rings on these fingers for that very reason. I prefer all of them attached to my body right where they grew."

The young man looked curious. "Does this mean you're for real about me being able to work here?"

I nodded. "If you are willing to learn. If you're willing to shovel..." I looked around and saw there were young kids around "... shovel poop, mow grass, blow leaves... if you're willing to do grunt work to be around the animals and learn about them when someone more educated has time to answer your questions, then yes. If you're wanting to be a keeper immediately after setting foot on the grounds thinking you know it all, then no. And if you think you'll be poking around and spying on us for an animal-rights group... then you'll be bored out of your skull." I chuckled at the last part and fished out one of my business cards. "If you're willing to be a grunt, here's my card. Show it at the front gate, you'll get up to the business office and you can fill out an application today."

"How come you act like you own the place?" the young man asked, taking my card without looking at it.

"Because I'm the head keeper here, and when it comes to who gets to be around the animals, I am the one that makes those decisons." I smiled as the young man looked stunned.

"You really like big cats?" I asked him as the crowd thinned a bit.

He nodded. "They're great. I still think they belong in the wild, though, no matter what you said."

I chuckled. "I agree with you, they do belong in the wild. But, they also belong here, too. Here as in human ownership." The young man looked confused so I continued. "If we just let everything be out in the wild, we wouldn't really be able to study a lot of aspects about them. For all the volumes and volumes of documentation already done on domestic species like horses and dogs and cows, there's only a fraction of that done on animals like big cats, even though big cats have been kept as pets just as long if not longer than those animals we consider domestic. They've just not been kept in the same NUMBERS as the animals we consider domestic. I've kind of made special study of big cat reproduction as part of my curiosity and hoping to better captive reproduction rates in a specific manner. I can go to one specific book and look up the EXACT levels of reproductive hormones in horses for any particular phase of a mare's reproductive cycle. I can't do that with Tatiana. Or Pickles, or even Anna. There's no book listing their serum hormone levels. There's no research paper, or anything of that detail. Why? Someone hasn't done it yet. I just got in a pair of ligers and their tigress mother. There is virtually NO scientific research on their reproduction. None whatsoever. Why? Well for one, most research is done in AZA zoos, and AZA zoos prohibit the intentional creation of hybrids such as ligers, even though ligers may be the modern-day resurrection of a species long extinct from which lions of all subspecies and tigers of all subspecies first separated. There's just NO study in that area whatsoever. And the modern myth of "These species never co-existed" is a load of crap because they STILL coexist in the remote Gir Valley, as proven by photo-trap assessment of the big cat populations there. And if they co-exist in the present day with man's encroachment all around, they surely co-existed before the human population put environmental pressures on them fortifying their different areas of habitation."

The young man looked confused, then surprised. "I... didn't know all that, either. But that makes a lot of sense."

I chuckled. "Just follow the logic, young man. Truth cannot exist outside of logic. Logic can exist outside of truth, though. What may be logical may not necessarily be practical. But that gets complicated and is a discussion for another time. And even if you don't want to work here cleaning up after the animals, you're welcome to come visit and ask as many questions as you like. I would recommend, however, that you don't start out thinking you know best like you did today. Most of the keepers around here are amiable about answering questions, but... I know a few that would be less diplomatic about proving you just stuck your foot in your mouth."

"Thanks Mr. Peters," the young man said and turned to go.

I looked at the rest of the crowd and the gent with his son were still standing around, this time watching Zeus and Anna.

"Young man..." I said and he turned around.

"My name is Zack," he said.

"Well, Zack. Are you going to apply for a job here?" I smiled and had something on my mind.

"I.... don't know." His answer was honest at least.

I moved over to him and spoke quietly. "If you want to get in on something special... go to the office quickly and fill out your application. The office secretary's name is Julie, show her my card that I gave you, and bring back your signed application right here as quickly as you can. But! Better be truthful on that application, ok? No monkey-business or I'll put you in with the monkeys!"

The young man looked confused and then just nodded, heading out the door and turning left towards the gate offices. I then moved to the gent and his son who had been hanging around as others milled about. "You're a zoo member, correct?" I inquired. He nodded hesitantly. "And your father is Edward Stoddard the board member, correct?"

"How did you know?" the man asked.

I smiled. "I'm Jim Peters, the head keeper. I thought I'd recognized you from a few of the photos we have in the offices, and you were standing next to Ed so... just took a guess. You look a bit like him." I looked around and people were mostly milling about the lions. "What's your son's name?" I asked.

"I'm Justin." The young fellow replied, still somewhat shy.

"And how old are you, Justin?" I asked.

"Six." The youngster replied.

"Just started school?" I asked. He nodded, getting a little braver.

"Would you like a very special treat?" I asked.

"What kind of treat?" he inquired, unsure of what was going on.

"You'll see, if your father agrees." I stood up, and Justin's father looked curious. I smiled. "This is where membership has its priveleges. Or... having a father in good favor of the head keeper." The father looked confused.

"Justin, which do you like more, lions or tigers?" I asked.

"Lions!" came the enthusiastic response. I nodded and looked to the father. "Family membership to the zoo, right?" The father nodded, still confused.

I grabbed one of my cards and scribbed on the back "Free rides on carousel, all they want" and initialed it. "Here. You can take a couple free spins on the carousel and if you meet me back here in... 20 minutes or so? I think I'll have a good surprise for you and your son... " I smirked. "And that wise-guy that thought he knew everything."

The father looked curious as he took the card from me. "Is this all.... legitimate?"

I nodded. "As honest as the day is long. You just happened to be here at the right time, knowing the right answers, and caught me in a good mood to get this little something special. No tricks or twiddle. It's all on the up-and-up. Just can't let everyone do it, though, so... you know how that goes. I'd have a million kids' parents here grunting of "If he can, why can't my son..." I shrugged and smiled.

"I know how that goes. Twenty minutes, you said?" he asked as he tucked the card in his shirt pocket. I nodded. "We'll be back here then." He smiled and he strolled towards the doors. "Want to ride the merry-go-round?" he asked Justin, at which the youngster started bouncing.

I looked up at the lions' cage and pondered whether I'd just made a major mistake or not... but... oh well, the worst Jack could do is yell at me, the worst the board could do is fire me, and the worst that the USDA could do is give us a violation and fine. That's if anything went wrong and what I had in mind got reported. Hopefully nothing would go wrong.

* * * * *

I went over to the bandstand gazebo and got a couple hotdogs from the concessionaire there... slapped on some ketchup, mustard, and a couple spoonfuls of onions, which I was likely to regret later. I started stuffing them in my face as I headed back to the cathouse, having just finished what I was intending to do for the surprise, my grunt still parked out front. I sat on the bench by the door there, thankfully in the shade a bit as it was a bright and somewhat warm day for mid-October. I finished the first one and was starting in on the second hotdog as Zack came up with papers in hand.

"Mr. Peters?" he asked. I smiled and nodded to the seat next to me. "Take a load off, if you like."

He sat down and looked to me. "I'm.... sorry I..." he began, looking down at the papers in his hands. He then looked back to me. "I didn't know you were so important around here."

I smiled as I swallowed another bite of hotdog. "So you'd not have challenged me if you knew I was important?" I asked.

"Well... no. I guess I wouldn't have," he admitted.

I laughed and patted his thigh. "Don't let the thought that someone is important affect how you react to them. You just might want to say you think they're wrong in a different manner. Not so.... confrontational." I smiled and he chuckled a little.

"It's ok if you think I'm wrong. I'm human and sometimes I am wrong. Or whatever you think I'm wrong about might just be a matter of opinion rather than of rote fact, so neither is right nor wrong. That's when importance plays a part. There are some things I do here that others would disagree with, but we do them my way because I'm the one in charge here. Sometimes it's a simple as that. But most of the time I have logical reason why I do things the way I do, even the stuff that's just a matter of opinion. And if someone has better results with a different method or whatnot, I try to be open to change." I chuckled and took another bite of hotdog.

"Well... I guess I have a lot to learn," he admitted.

I laughed as I finished that next bite. "We all have a lot to learn. Some stuff comes with time and experience, like how to work with other people and peoples' or animals' personality types. It's something only direct experience can give someone. Experience and being observant. You've seen a little tidbit of what I know, and I'm still learning. There's always new ways of doing things, new questions, new answers... Things we've never experienced or in combinations we've never encountered before. The thing is to never stop watching, never stop thinking, and you'll never stop learning. Some of us are just a little further ahead on that path than you might be at the moment."

The young man nodded. "May I ask you a question, Mr. Peters?"

"You can call me Jim, Zack, and yes.. go ahead." I answered as I took another bite of hotdog.

"Why did you have me apply for a job and get this signed by the secretary so fast?" The young man looked curious and I just smiled broadly as I chewed the last piece of hotdog.

"Were you here for a youngster to ask if he can pet a lion?" I inquired.

The young man nodded. "You talked with him a bit, right?"

I nodded. "Well, he's going to get his wish."

The young man's eyebrows flew upwards in surprise. "You're kidding, right? You're going to let him actually pet... a real... lion?"

I nodded. "Yep, and you'll be there to see it, too. I've met the lad's grandfather, and it seems Justin's more timid than assertive so it's quite likely he'll not want to rather than do something untoward, and I know the lion's demeanor so it's unlikely anything untoward would happen. Jake was raised as a pet, as I'd mentioned, so he's somewhat used to young children. Now Zeus, on the other hand, I'd be concerned around youngsters as he has sort of a playful streak that isn't too appropriate when it comes to humans not expecting him to tease and torment to get a reaction." I crumpled up the paper wrappers for the hotdogs and tossed the ball of paper into the nearby garbage can.

"What's that got to do with me and this all?" he looked curious. Interested, but curious.

"Well, you're applying for a job. That means you're going to be shown around to let you know just what will be expected of you if you're hired. That signature on the bottom means while you're shown around you're covered by insurance, just like how I am. So if something WERE to happen, you're legal and covered." I smiled.

"You really DO know a lot, Mr. Peters." He looked a bit surprised.

"Like I said, just keep your eyes and ears open, and question whatever doesn't sit right in your mind. Learn all you can about anything you need to deal with, or that pertains to what your job involves. And don't be afraid to know more about something than your boss does." I winked and he chuckled.

Mr. Stoddard and his son were walking up as I finished saying that to the young man. I stood up. "Did you two have fun on the carousel?" I asked. Justin nodded "It was FUN! But it was loud, too." His father nodded and said, "That stereo inside there is a bit loud."

I chuckled "It's not a fake thing with stereo speakers in it. The big wooden machine is an actual replica Wurlitzer military bandorgan that works just like an original. And the thing with the brass pipes is a real air calliope, too. The Calliophone is on loan to the zoo from me personally. Nice toy... and I'm glad it gets some use once in awhile."

The father seemed impressed. "Well..." I smiled and gestured to the doors. "Shall we go in? I've got a little surprise for Justin. Do you have a camera with you?" I asked, looking to Mr. Stoddard.

The father shook his head. "Just my cellphone..." he said. I nodded, "That should be good enough unless the lens is messed up."

"Why do you ask? What sort of surprise is it?" Mr. Stoddard asked as I held the door open for them, then unlocked the oak "Private" door to the lower levels.

"Watch your step please." I said as I gestured down the stairs. They started out and I shut the door behind me.

"You didn't answer my question, Mr. Peters." Mr. Stoddard said a bit insistently.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs I guided them down the corridor. "Do you remember what Justin asked when I was up there petting Jake the lion?"

Mr. Stoddard shook his head. I smiled and Zack smiled too. "He asked if he could pet a lion. With your permission, he'll get to do just that!"

Mr. Stoddard stopped in his tracks. "You're joking, right?"

I shook my head, totally deadpan in expression. "Nope. Not joking in the slightest." I gestured to the door we'd reached. "Right in here, if you want to."

"Isn't that... dangerous?" he asked.

I shrugged a bit. "Yes and no. Your son is kind of quiet so that's a positive thing. The cat I have in there has been around children before, so his behavior is reasonably predictable, and you seem like a stalwart gentleman and not prone to over-reactions. This young man here seems to be willing to learn and at the very least well composed and not prone to hysterics, so... the risk that's present is minimal. So, yes it can be dangerous, but in this situation it's not significantly dangerous."

Mr. Stoddard studied me a bit and then nodded. "Well, ok I guess. You're the one who knows about this sort of thing."

I smiled and unlocked the door to The Park. Mr. Stoddard and his son were the first through the door, then Zack, and finally I closed the door behind us. Jake was up on the loafing shelf, tethered in place with a bit of chain, just in case. Justin stayed behind his father and I moved over and sat down near Jake's head. He voofed a bit and Justin looked curious. "Would you like to come up here and pet Jake, just like I was doing before?" I asked.

The youngster nodded hesitantly, then looked up to his dad. Mr. Stoddard smiled down at his son. "Go ahead, Justin. It's alright."

The boy moved foward hesitantly, then climbed up onto the loafing shelf and moved over towards Jake. Jake turned his head and sniffed at the boy. Justin plunked himself down near Jake's forelegs and reached out to pet him. Jake sniffed the boy's arm all over and then rolled some onto his back. Not quite spread-eagled but belly-up more or less, his head twisted to the side to hold himself in position as well as watch us. Mr. Stoddard had his camera out, either taking photos or video as Justin looked to me.

"Go ahead, pet Jake right here..." I pointed to his lower chest. "He likes that best. Just don't move too fast if he moves. You'll be alright."

Justin did just that, and Jake kind of growled pleasantly as he was petted by the young boy.

"Would you like to do something more, Justin?" I asked. The boy nodded. I looked to Mr. Stoddard with an inquiring expression.

"It's your show, Mr. Peters." He smiled, clearly enjoying things too.

"Ok, Justin, stand over here near where I'm sitting..." I said. The young man stood back up and complied.

"Jake? Up!" I commanded. Jake rolled over some and stood up.

"Jake? Steady...." I said and I stepped up on the loafing shelf. "Steaaadddyyy...." I continued as I lifted Justin up, and soon he was astraddle the big lion's withers.

"Easy Jake... eassssyyyy...." I continued as I moved Justin's hands to brace himself on the lion's shoulderblades. I stepped back and nodded to Mr. Stoddard who was holding up his cameraphone viewing the whole thing.

"Do you like that, Justin?" I asked. The boy turned to me and nodded enthusiastically.

"Can I ride him around?" Justin asked.

I chuckled and shook my head. "His chain is too short for that, Justin, but that's alright. Very very few young men have been able to do just what you're doing. Not even your father has ridden on a lion's back."

"That's true." Mr. Stoddard nodded.

Jake turned his head to look at me and I shook my head and put my hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Jake... it's alright." I looked to Justin. "Ready to get down?"

"No." Justin said as he pet along Jake's shoulders.

"Come on, Justin. We'd better get back home. Your mother will never believe what you've done today." Mr. Stoddard was smiling as I lifted Justin down from Jake's back. Justin walked over to the edge, knelt down at the edge of the loafing bench and dropped to the main floor before going back to his father's side.

"Good boy, Jake. You did very well." I pet Jake's ears and he voofed out a bit, then flumped down again on the padded shelf.

"Thank you very much, Mr. Peters. This was terriffic." Mr. Stoddard said and proffered his hand.

I shook it and smiled. "That's part of why I asked if you had a camera. So you'd have proof when others think your son is exaggerating what he did when he goes back to school. Many young folks have been called liars when they were around my cats until either I brought the cats to their school or they showed pictures. But now what your son did is generally illegal. Your father's position here made things a little different and a special case. Not particularly because of his position, but because I know him personally. Sort of an unofficial "friends and family" exemption. So watch out just who you show that to, as it could cause a bit of inquiry around the zoo, but... you're covered, I'm covered... so it'd just be annoying rather than anything serious."

"Well.... wow. I didn't know there were issues with this sort of thing beyond that it's the zoo and not something that usually happens. But... I really appreciate it. Thank you so very much, Mr. Peters. I'm sure Justin will never forget it." Mr. Stoddard's hard shell had disappeared and he seemed more personable now.

"I'm hoping he won't, and hopefully will grow up to teach others that big cats aren't something to be terrified of. Only through educating our youth can we hope to keep it possible for future youngsters to do what he just did." I smiled.

Mr. Stoddard laughed. "I KNEW there had to be a catch." He chuckled and play-punched my shoulder, then started his way to the door. "Come on, Justin. Time to head back home."

"But I want to stay HERE!" Justin said, though he moved along with his dad.

"How about we show mom what you did?" Mr. Stoddard asked.

"YEAH!" Justin smiled hugely. "Let's show mom!"

I turned to Zack as I closed the door behind me. "Mind staying here for a moment while I show these two back out?" I asked.

Zack shrugged. "Ok."

I showed Mr. Stoddard and his son back out, then came back down to find Zack standing right there, leaning up against the wall by the door.

"Well, you passed your first test." I smiled.

"What was that?" He asked somewhat boredly.

"You stood right where I wanted you to. You didn't wander off, you didn't go back in with Jake, and you didn't twiddle with anything." I smiled.

"Well, not like there's much to do down here..." He shrugged.

"You want to go in and spend some time with Jake?" I asked.

He looked curious. "Really?"

I nodded and opened the door again. Zack went in and I followed. Zack went over to Jake and sort of haltingly approached the lion. Jake got up and approached Zack, snuffling and then he voofed as he reached the end of the chain keeping him on the loafing bench. Zack looked back at me.

"Just let him sniff you, then you can probably pet him. Just don't make any sudden moves. Consciously keep your motions slow and gentle. He's friendly, so you shouldn't be too worried about it." I smiled as he reached a hand forward and Jake sniffed it, then pushed his head against it.

"So... what have you learned just down here with Jake?" I asked as I sat down on the edge of the loafing shelf on the other side of Jake.

"Well, it's illegal to do this," Zack said.

I nodded. "Well, for the general public, yes. Anything else?"

"Um... the lion's name is Jake and he's pretty friendly," Zack continued.

I nodded. "This is true. Go on."

"Um... I dunno..." Zack shrugged as he pet along Jake's back.

"The boy's name was Justin, Jake follows basic commands, and is good around calmer children, right?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah..." Zack nodded.

"Remember, all information is useful in some way or another, even if you don't see its use at the moment. But you'll learn to start paying attention to the peripheral things as well as what's being directly presented. Many times it's little nuances in the background that tell far more than what someone's trying to show you directly." I smiled and Zack sat down, which provoked Jake to pin his leg down with a forepaw as he rubbed his head against the new person.

"What's your last name, Zack?" I asked.

"Campbell, sir." Zack said.

I chuckled. "Sounds like you've learned how to be a bit more polite as well, Zack."

The young man looked to me. "Well, I just figured... well, it seems right to call you "sir". You're showing me a lot more than I ever expected to learn just coming to the zoo and... well... looking for the opportunity to be a pain in the ass. You've been polite with me even though I started off arguing with you."

I laughed. "You weren't arguing. You were just debating, if poorly." I smiled and rubbed one of Jack's ears. "Arguing is what happens when a debate gets a bit too heated and the people let it devolve into one calling another a "poo-poo head" or somesuch. Besides, you're not the first animal-rights person I've encountered, and you just happened to catch me on a good day. It's not often I bother to debate AR people, and if I hadn't recognized Mr. Stoddard, you wouldn't have been down here learning firsthand how friendly Jake is, and that he doesn't mind being in our prison here."

Zack chuckled some. "Yeah, I guess he's not been beaten into submission and he does seem to enjoy being petted."

I chuckled "And more. We're sort of a different kind of zoo here, too, in that we do allow, and actually promote, keeper interaction with the animals, even the big predators like the cats and bears. Most zoos just don't allow interaction by policy, and if they're AZA zoos they're actually prohibited from allowing contact with dangerous predators, and also prohibited from many other things, like training the cats in "non-care actions", like how Jake knows some things, and how Hugo - our other male lion - puts on performances with me now and again when I feel like it. We use it as enrichment - things the cats can do rather than just being bored - but other zoos just don't see things that way. So, what you see here isn't necessarily the case at other zoos. From our enclosure types - traditional types - to our handling techniques to... many things. Oh, and just so you know, you CAN'T force a big cat to do something they don't want to do. You end up as catshit if you push things too far. Either catshit or at least a whole lotta stitches at the emergency room."

"How'd you know I was thinking about that?" Zack looked curious.

I smiled. "Like I said, you're not the first AR person I've met, and many times they say cats perform tricks because they're beaten into submission. You just can't work a cowed cat with any degree of certainty of results. They have to want to do what you're asking of them for them to do it consistently."

Zack smiled. "Want to walk Jake back up with me?" I asked.

"Really?" Zack looked hopeful. I fished the webbing leash out of my pocket. "Sure. He's passive, so it's pretty easy. Each of the cats here, and the ones I have at home, all have their individual personalities. Flo likes to pull on the leash, so she's not as easy to walk. Lola is a bit wary of things like doorways so it's a bit difficult to move her to unfamiliar areas. Pickles is playful, and Hugo tends to be horny at times." I chuckled.

"And what about the tigress?" Zack asked.

"She'll pin you down and lick you if she's in the mood. Usually either hugging you and tipping you over that way, or trying to trip you with a hindfoot, her tail, or if all else fails batting at your ankles with her forepaws after dropping to the ground beside you. She's playful, but a good girl if you're ready for it." I shrugged and smiled. I unclipped the chain and put the webbing leash around Jake's neck in its place, then offered the loose end to Zack.

"How can you tell what a lion or tiger is about to do?" Zack asked.

I gave that one some thought. "I guess it's just experience on my part. Animals communicate primarily by body language rather than vocalizations or... anything else. They also communicate a lot by scent, but we're sort of stuck by being relatively unable to read those signs as readily. So it's just a matter of being familiar with the individual animal, and reading their body language. Once you know one cat's habits it's fairly easy to correllate them to another cat's similar mannerisms and body language. Sometimes it's just a matter of out-thinking them about the situation, reading the look in their eyes, their posture... with big cats their tails tell a lot as well." I smiled. "It's just something you'll pick up in your own time, or you won't... Not everyone has the knack for reading animals' body language."

Jake jumped down from the shelf and Zack moved towards the door with Jake padding alongside.

"He seems to know where we're going." Zack observed.

"He should... he's been down here often enough, and he's probably figured out we were done with what we were going to do, so that usually means him heading back to the main enclosure." I concluded.

Zack nodded. "That makes sense. It seems there's a whole lot more about how zoos work than I ever knew, especially with what the animals do. I read somewhere that captive lions sleep like 20 hours a day because they're bored."

"Well, there you have another half-truth. It's true that big cats sleep a lot, but they do so in nature as well. They sleep 16-18 hours a day in nature, that "conserve energy" stuff again, as well as the fact that it's terribly hot in the middle of the day in most of Africa." I smiled as we walked along the corridor and up the stairs. "So just about everything wants to snooze in the shade as much as possible. But yes, captive big cats sleep up to 20 hours a day, though it's not out of boredom, it's just an extension of a natural behavior."

Now we reached the door to the main floor and I headed up the steps to the terrace, then opened the door, letting Jake and Zack through. We made our way along the terrace and I unlocked the cage door, and took the leash. "Wait here." I said as I guided Jake in and undid the leash. Pickles came up to me as Jake made his way back to the cage bars to whuffle Zack, who put his hand through and began petting Jake. I patted my chest and Pickles leaped up to rest her forepaws on my shoulders.

"I don't expect you to remember the names, but that one's Jake. He's bigger than Hugo, who's the other male. Pickles here is really friendly, Flo is friendly too but more... creative in being a bit of a pest. Lola is laid back and sort of shy." I smiled.

"I'll try to remember the names, Mr. Peters." Zack said, rubbing one of Jake's ears.

"You can call me Jim if you like. Mr. Peters or Sir are fine as well if you prefer them. I'm not stuffy about formality like some people are, and most of the folks around here are pretty laid-back like that, but if you're going to work here, it'll do you well not to make enemies. You're on the bottom of the totem pole, even if I thought enough of you to let you in on what all you got to see and do today. But no matter what happens, I'll bet you'll remember today every bit as much as young Justin will." I pushed Pickles back a bit and she backed up and dropped onto all fours as I made my way back to the gate.

Zack just nodded as he stood up when I exited and re-locked the cage door. "It's.... certainly been an interesting day, Mr. Peters."

"So... you still want to work here, even if it's picking up poo?" I asked as we went back down the few steps to the door to the main floor.

"I'll...." He looked back up to the terrace door. "I'll think about it, but... I think so."

"What are you doing for work currently, if you don't mind my asking?" I asked.

"Nothing at the moment. Just... hanging out and playing video games." Zack shrugged.

"Let me guess... you're.... 19 or 20, still live at home, and you quit your last job because you got sick of your boss?" I asked.

"21, and how did you know?" Zack asked.

"Reasonable guess. Most people over 20 would have given up on the face metal unless they had a job that didn't mind such things. You WILL have to dispense with it before you're in with the cats alone. Like I said, they'd likely get removed in a very painful manner so it'd be best to take them off beforehand. Besides... it just makes you look like some goofy schmuck in my opinion. Never did think much of it. But... it's your face and all so I can't really say anything about it apart from the safety issues." I shrugged and smiled.

"You're a lot kinder about it than my dad is. He says he'll just get out a big magnet if he wants me in the living room." Zack smiled.

"Well... you think I stand out in the crowd by what I know, right?" I asked. Zack nodded. "Well, you can do that, too. You don't need "body art" or piercings to set yourself apart from others. And a lot of the time it's more productive to be hidden in plain sight than to stand out, anyway." I gave a nod to accentuate that last part.

"I guess so." Zack said.

"Anyway, return that application to the office and I might just give you a call back in a couple days." I smiled.

"Thanks, Mr. Peters. I guess I'll see you in a few days, if you call me back in." Zack said and then headed out the doors, waving back to me.

I pondered things a bit as I locked the oak door back up and looked around the cathouse. It was sort of unusual for me to bother giving an animal-rights person a chance to debate me, let alone work for me. We'd see how things go. At the very worst, here was a new shit-shoveler for a time. I went out the glass doors and headed back towards the main office, then realized and took a left and headed for the bear dens.