The Zoo

The monorail zoomed forward through the desert as the giant solar-powered dome rose up in the distance. The girls sat on the edge of their seats, gazing eagerly out the sun drenched window. Their classmates chattered and giggled as the train moved silently through the barren wasteland, and the blue of the ocean peeked at them from the horizon. Even from a distance the dome, filled with trees and flowers, seemed unnatural and hardly real.

“I read that they have more species of flora and fauna than any other in the world!” Jessie exclaimed.

“I know, crazy, I read that book too,” Heather responded, lovingly rolling her eyes at her excitable best friend. “It’s amazing that they have any flora and fauna at all.”

Jessie and Heather were waiting for this trip from age 8, when they bonded over a love of animals. By the time they reached age 16, the two were inseparable. Jessie saw the world with a doe-eyed innocence which Heather envied, as she saw the world in all its ugliness. But Heather loved Jessie’s point of view, and hoped that it meant beauty did exist in the world, since someone believed it did.

“Do you remember when they shut down the last cities?” Heather asked. “ We thought that this trip wouldn’t even happen!”

“But thanks to the wonder of modern technology, here we are.” Jessie smiled again, and turned her eyes again to the window.

The monorail was approaching the dome entrance. As they pulled closer to the airlock, everyone on the train gasped in delight as a calming voice emanated through the cabins.

“Welcome,” said a non-threatening voice, like a patient mother, “ to the West American Zoo!”

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The girls exited the monorail arm in arm, and their senses were immediately overwhelmed. The sight of green leaves and a multitude of colors in a never-ending variety of flowers; the smell of moisture and the inevitable smell of animal musk; the sounds of creatures calling and bird wings flapping and water running. They were beyond excited.

“There,” Heather pointed to the left, “is a virtual map, and it looks like the group is headed that way too.

Their classmates, all dressed in identical uniforms of white blouses and plaid pleated skirts, gaped at their surroundings but headed toward the vibrant, enormous map of the zoo. Beside the sign was a group of attractive young ladies, all wearing khaki trousers and brightly colored tops. They each wore a headset with attached microphone, and their name tags blinked in the sunlight shining in through the iridescent dome above them. In front of the girls in name tags stood tables with a variety of items. Heather and Jessie jogged to get ahead of the group and found out that the tables contained recycled 3D maps and goggles, along with a collection of ear buds, all color coded and matching one or another of the girls behind them. The blue ear buds matched a girl named Rachel, wearing blue. The yellow buds matched Brittany, the pink matched Andrea, and so on. As it turned out, their teacher instructed them to each take a red ear bud, and they would be led around the zoo by the Education Specialist named Emma. She motioned for the group to gather around and after everyone shuffled into a messy semi-circle, she spoke quietly into her microphone.

for an amazing trip into the wild, as we talk about the incredible creatures here in the zoo and how we protect them, especially now that there is so little of the wild left. Keep in mind, they are still wild animals -- we treat them as such — although every one of these species exists exclusively in zoos.”

Emma began moving backward and motioned for the group to follow. Heather grabbed a 3D map and goggles, and noted that they were starting with the African habitats. An enormous field spread out before them on one side, containing all the herbivores, and on the other side were large enclosures filled with various carnivores. For obvious reasons, Emma explained, they could not be housed together. But it was imperative to notice that each animal had either a split habitat for solitary animals or a family group in which to live. This was due to the importance of genetics and breeding, to keep the populations varied and healthy while ensuring the continuation of the species.

They passed lions lounging on a sun-soaked platform, hyenas who laughed as they were fed, and cheetah chasing food-encrusted targets on their right. On the left they saw a herd of rhino, giraffes galore, and a variety of antelope and deer they could not even count. Birds like crowned cranes fluttered among the different species.

were able to breed new rhinos and eventually, although they became “functionally extinct” or extinct in the wild, they were thriving here and in zoos worldwide. We have had a record-breaking 1000 baby rhinos born here in the past 75 years.

“Since almost all animals and plants are now functionally extinct, with the exception being sea creatures, we were able to take our experience with the rhino and repeat it with nearly every species alive at the beginning of the 21st century. This includes mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles. In fact, on our right you can now see one of our amazing crocodiles...”

Heather and Jessie were hanging on Emma’s every word. They had studied the changes in the world, from the floods and tidal waves to the sinking of entire cities and separation of communities by vast oceans. All this was finishing when the girls were young, but they still heard horror stories about the changes in the world. It was all the more exciting to them that they finally could travel across their section of the world to see all the animals and plants they would never otherwise get to see. It was a feeling unlike any other to get up close and personal with the likes of an elephant or a reticulated python.

the final section arrived, both girls were intrigued by the darkness of the cave they entered.

“This cave represents the beginning of life, when there was nothing but darkness.” Emma explained. “Trust me, just keep walking forward, as the world did.” Slowly the lights seemed to rise from the floor. Pictures of the earth changing; scientific discoveries and controversies; animals no longer alive all lined the walls as Emma continued her speech. Heather was listening but also taking in her surroundings, which was difficult with the onslaught of information. She tuned out temporarily at the picture of the first cloned sheep, but tuned back in when she heard DNA come up again.

“As our genetic research advanced, it became simpler to read the genetic code, which eventually led to cloning and then creating life in a lab. Although controversial this also became a necessity when the world changed and the human population plummeted. But the one thing we learned about humans in all of this is they, unlike some animals, do not need a male to procreate or survive. This realization brings us to our very last endangered species. I present to you...”

Emma gestured behind her, where the creature sat in a comfortable position, munching his food and solving a puzzle of some sort. Heather and Jessie, along with all their classmates had gasped. They had seen pictures but this was completely different. This was wild on a totally different level.

“...the human male.”

END