Top of the food chain The animals are going rogue

By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media

Aren’t we lucky that our pets love us?

I grew up with a Rottweiler, who could have done major damage to the soft, juicy little 10-yearold who dressed him in her brother’s jacket, used him as a pillow and pretended to eat his treats. My family fed him, housed him, petted him and spoiled him, but when you get down to it, the only reason I got through any given day without getting mauled was because he chose not to.

Animal attacks do happen, of course, domestically and otherwise, but considering how many potentially lethal beasts are roaming the planet, they’re not exactly hurting the human population. Humans may be the dominant species, but we’re by no means the strongest.

If the lions, tigers and bears of the world were to suddenly get it into their heads to push back against the people that are steadily encroaching on their turf, we’d find ourselves in a mess of trouble (oh my!). It’s a situation that is the focus of “Zoo,” a new drama coming to CBS. Based on James Patterson’s No. 1 bestselling novel of the same name, the series follows a wave of vicious animal attacks on humans throughout the globe. As these attacks become more cunning and violent, it becomes clear that this is far from normal animal activity. “Zoo” premieres Tuesday, June 30, on CBS.

Patterson has sold more than 300 million copies of his books, and 10 of his novels have been adapted for the screen, including “Kiss the Girls,” “Along Came a Spider,” “Women’s Murder Club” and “Alex Cross.” “Zoo” — which has sold more than four million copies worldwide and is available in six languages — was originally intended for the big screen actually, but execs thought there was enough material to warrant a longer story.

The author himself is more than confident that his work will translate well to the small screen: “People always say that the book is always better than the movie,” he