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ISBN: 978 1 83994 911 1
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Chapter One
The Missing Animal
Zoe Parker was fast asleep and dreaming that she was feeding the penguins at the Rescue Zoo where she lived. But no matter how many fish she threw them, they kept crying out for more.
“I’m hungry!” they called, over and over again. “I’m hungry!”
Zoe opened her eyes and, to her surprise, saw a painting of a huge black bear staring at her from the wall. For a moment she thought she was still dreaming. Then she remembered that she was staying at her Great-Uncle Horace’s house, Higgins Hall, over the school holiday while her mum was away.
Great-Uncle Horace was a world-famous explorer and founder of the Rescue Zoo where Zoe lived with her mum. He’d started the Rescue Zoo to give animals who were endangered, lost or at risk a safe place to stay. The bear had been one of the first animals he’d rescued and Great-Uncle Horace had asked an artist to do a special painting of him. The painting now hung on the wall in the spare bedroom where Zoe was sleeping.
“Good morning, Bobo,” Zoe called sleepily to the bear.
“I’m hungry!” the voice from her dream said. It sounded as if it was coming from somewhere above her.
Zoe rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn’t still dreaming.
“When is it time for breakfast?” the voice called, and Zoe realised that it was Meep, her pet mouse lemur. Zoe had a special secret that not even her mum or
Great-Uncle Horace knew. She could talk to animals and understand what they said!
“Meep, where are you?” Zoe asked.
“On the roof,” Meep chirped.
“The roof?” Zoe sat up.
“Yes, the roof of the bed.”
Zoe heard the pitter-patter of paws above her and giggled. All the furniture in Great-Uncle Horace’s house was old and grand, including her bed. It had tall wooden posts at each of the corners.
A green velvet canopy hung over the posts, making curtains on either side of the bed. Meep must have climbed on to the top while she was asleep. He scampered down one of the posts and on to her pillow.
Just then, there was a knock on the bedroom door.
“Good morning, Zoe!” Great-Uncle Horace called from outside. “Are you awake?”
“Good morning, Great-Uncle Horace! Yes, I just woke up,” she called back.
“Excellent! I’ve made some breakfast for you. It’s on the kitchen table, along with a special surprise,” he replied. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to stay. I’ve heard of another animal that needs a home, so I’ve got to go and pick him up now, but I’ll be back soon.”
“OK,” Zoe said, jumping out of bed.
“What kind of animal is he?”
Great-Uncle Horace chuckled. “You’ll see.”
Zoe giggled. She loved it when Great-Uncle Horace brought a new animal to the zoo. She couldn’t wait to meet this one. And what was her special surprise?
“Do you think the special surprise is something to eat?” Meep chirped as Zoe quickly got dressed.
“I don’t know, but don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll have plenty to eat.” She picked Meep up and kissed his silky grey head. He was always thinking about food!
They hurried down the big wooden staircase and into the kitchen. The table was laid with breakfast cereal, a plate of toast and a boiled egg in a cup. The egg was wearing a little woollen hat to keep it warm. Great-Uncle Horace had also made a bowl of blueberries and sliced banana for Meep.
“Yum!” Meep exclaimed, scampering over to his dish.
As Zoe sat down, she spotted a postcard propped against a jug of orange juice.
There was a picture of an animal Zoe had never seen before on the front. It looked a bit like an anteater, but its back was covered in hard, dark scales. She grabbed the card and turned it over. “I’ve found the surprise, Meep,” she cried. “It’s a postcard from Mum!”
Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was the vet at the Rescue Zoo. She’d been away in South Africa for the past two weeks, having special training in how to take care of exotic animals. As Meep gobbled up his breakfast, Zoe began to read out loud.
“Dear Zoe, I hope all is well at the Rescue Zoo. I’m having a lovely time in South Africa and I’ve learned so much.
I can’t wait to share it all with you.The animal on the card is called a pangolin and it’s an African nocturnal creature. See you soon! Lots of love, Mum.”
“Pangolins look cool!” Meep chirped as he looked at the picture.
“We should take the postcard to the nocturnal mammal house and show it to Alice,” Zoe said. “I bet she’d love to see it.”
As soon as they finished breakfast, they set off. Great-Uncle Horace’s house was on top of a hill at the back of the zoo. They followed the winding footpath down the hill and past the zebras’ enclosure and the rainforest dome. It was a beautiful summer morning and the sun was shining brightly.
When they got to the nocturnal mammal house, it was like stepping into night-time. The animals who lived there liked to be awake at night and asleep during the day, so the keepers kept the nocturnal house dark for the animals to be awake for visitors.
Once Zoe’s eyes had adjusted, she saw Alice, the nocturnal mammals’ keeper, feeding Hugo the hedgehog.
“Good morning, Zoe,” Alice said with a cheery grin.
“Good morning, Alice. Hello, Hugo! I thought you might like to see this.” Zoe showed Alice the postcard. “Mum sent it from South Africa.”
“Oh wow, a pangolin!” Alice exclaimed, looking at the picture.
“Mum’s been working with them,” Zoe said proudly.
“She must be having a great time,” said Alice. “Pangolins are such interesting creatures. Did you know that when they feel under attack they curl into a ball and look just like a pinecone?”
“No way!” Zoe exclaimed. “Yes. They tuck their head under their tail and use their scales as armour to protect themselves.”
“That’s so cool,” said Zoe. “I wish we
had a pangolin at the zoo. Maybe that’s what Great-Uncle Horace has gone to fetch. He left early this morning to go and get a new animal.”
“Or maybe your mum will bring one back from South Africa,” said Alice. “You must really be missing her while she’s away.”
“I am but it’s been fun staying at Great-Uncle Horace’s house.” Zoe grinned. “I’ve been sharing my bedroom with a bear!”
But before she had a chance to explain, there was a loud beep-beep from outside.
“Great-Uncle Horace!” Zoe exclaimed. She’d know the sound of his motorbike anywhere.
“Goo! Goo!” Meep squeaked from Zoe’s shoulder. That was Meep’s special
name for Great-Uncle Horace.
Alice put down her container of food. “Come on, let’s go and meet the new animal.”
Zoe said goodbye to Hugo and they emerged from the darkness of the nocturnal mammals’ house to see some of the other zookeepers hurrying along the path. They’d obviously heard the beep of Great-Uncle Horace’s motorbike and were making their way to the zoo entrance too.
“Hello, everyone!” Great-Uncle Horace called as he got off the bike and removed his helmet. Kiki, his beautiful blue pet hyacinth macaw, flew down from his shoulder and perched on the handlebars. “I’d like to welcome a very special new arrival to the Rescue Zoo.”
He took a basket from the motorbike sidecar and Zoe’s excitement grew. What could it be? “Oh!” Great-Uncle Horace held up the basket to reveal a huge hole in the side. It was jagged around the edges as if something had bitten its way through. The basket was empty.
“The new animal’s run away!” Meep cheeped in Zoe’s ear.
Suddenly a little face with a shiny black nose and brown fur popped over the edge of the sidecar. Great-Uncle Horace burst out laughing. “There he is!” He picked up the animal to show everyone. “Well, you have been a busy little beaver!”
Zoe felt so excited. They’d never had a beaver at the Rescue Zoo before, and if his arrival was anything to go by, it looked like he was going to be a lot of fun!
Chapter Two Dam Building
Zoe hurried over to see the new arrival.
“Where did you rescue him from, GreatUncle Horace?” she asked as she stroked the beaver’s head.
“A pair of them had been building a dam in a river next to a local farm,” Great-Uncle Horace replied. “When we had all that rainy weather a while
ago, the dam flooded the farmland. The authorities moved the beavers away from the river, but they found their way back. The farmer asked if I’d give them a new home here.”
“But there’s only one,” Zoe said, looking into the sidecar to check. “What happened to the other one?”
“There was a bit of a mix-up and she was accidentally sent to another zoo,”
Great-Uncle Horace said. “But I’m going to pick her up in a couple of days.”
Zoe sighed in relief. She hated thinking of the beavers being separated. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if Meep was sent to live somewhere else.
“Zoe, could you help Mo and me settle this young chap into his new enclosure?”
Great-Uncle Horace asked, handing the
little beaver to her. Mo, the zookeeper who took care of the meerkats, grinned at her.
“Of course!” Zoe replied. She wanted to be a zookeeper when she grew up and she loved helping out whenever she could.
The little beaver wriggled around and sniffed her, his whiskers twitching.
“It’s OK,” she whispered. “You’re safe here.”
She followed Great-Uncle Horace and Mo along the footpath towards the meerkats’ enclosure. Max the meerkat was busy digging a new tunnel. When he saw Zoe, he came scampering over to say hello.
“Hello, Max,” Zoe replied. “You’re going to have a new neighbour. Well, two new neighbours.” She showed the beaver to Max. “His friend will be joining him in a couple of days.”
Max gave an excited yelp.
Great-Uncle Horace led them to a new enclosure in between the meerkats and the wombats’ enclosure. There was a pond in the middle surrounded by tall grass. Snowy-white lily pads floated on the surface.
“Beavers love to live by water,”
Great-Uncle Horace explained as he opened the gate and let them in. “They enjoy swimming and it makes them feel safe from predators. Not that there would be any predators here at the Rescue Zoo!”
“Apart from Mr Pinch,” Meep chirped in Zoe’s ear. She bit her lip to stop herself giggling. Mr Pinch the zoo manager could be a little grumpy.
“I’ll go and get him some food to help him settle in,” Mo said.
Great-Uncle Horace nodded. “Good idea. While you’re doing that, I’ll ring up the other zoo about the female beaver.”
“What do beavers like to eat?” Zoe asked Mo.
“Leafy greens, vegetables and wood,” Mo replied.
“Wood!” Zoe exclaimed.
Great-Uncle Horace laughed. “They love having something to chew on.” He held up the basket and showed off the hole.
Zoe giggled and waved as Great-Uncle Horace followed Mo out of the enclosure and down the path.
As soon as the adults had gone, Zoe put the beaver down on the ground.
“My name’s Zoe and this is Meep,” she said.
The beaver sniffed them curiously and grunted.
“Hello, Buster,” Zoe replied. “That’s a great name.”
Buster looked around the enclosure and grunted again.
“What did he say?” Meep chirped.
“He likes his new home, especially the pond,” Zoe explained. “He says it looks like the perfect place to build a new dam.” She stroked Buster on the back. “I’m so glad you like it here.”
Buster hung his head and gave a sad little whine.
“Why does he look sad if he likes it here?” Meep chirped.
“He’s worried about where his friend Betty is,” Zoe replied. She picked the little beaver up and gave him a comforting cuddle. “Don’t worry, she’ll be joining you here in a couple of days.”
Buster gave a relieved yelp. Then he looked at the pond and grunted.
“It’s so nice that you and Betty want to start a family,” Zoe replied.
Buster scampered over to a pile of wood by the fence and picked up a branch.
“Is he going to eat that?” Meep asked.
“No!” Zoe laughed. “He’s going to use it to build a dam for him and Betty to live in. He says he does most of his work at night but he’s going to get some wood
ready so he can start building as soon as it gets dark. He says he really wants the dam to be built before Betty gets here, so she’ll have a nice place to live and will know how happy he is to see her.”
As Zoe watched Buster get to work, she heard the enclosure gate open. She thought it was Great-Uncle Horace and Mo coming back with the food. But when she turned round, she saw Dr Brink. Zoe’s heart sank. Dr Brink was the replacement
vet while Lucy was away. She was nice but thought Zoe was too young to help out with the animals.
“Zoe, what are you doing in here?”
Dr Brink asked, hurrying over. She was holding a clipboard and pen, and she looked worried.
“Great-Uncle Horace asked me to help get our new arrival settled,” Zoe replied.
“His name’s Buster and he’s getting ready to make a dam, look.” Zoe pointed to the pile of branches Buster was making by the pond.
“Well, he certainly looks very healthy, and I suppose Buster will work as a name for him,” Dr Brink said, writing something on her clipboard. “I need to give him a check-up as he’s new to the zoo.” She looked back at Zoe and
frowned. “I really don’t think you should be in the enclosure by yourself though. Wild animals aren’t always safe to be around.”
“Can’t I help you give him his checkup?” Zoe asked. “I could hold him for you while you check his paws. I do that for my mum sometimes.”
But before Dr Brink could reply there was the crunch of shoes on the footpath outside and Mr Pinch peered over the fence. As usual, he was very smartly dressed in his zoo manager’s uniform. His polished shoes shone in the sun.
“What’s going in there?” he asked.
“Good morning, Mr Pinch,” Dr Brink replied. “I’m just checking the new arrival at the zoo, this little beaver named Buster.” She pointed to Buster, who was over by the pond. “I was also saying to Zoe that I really don’t think she should be in the enclosure.”
“I totally agree, Dr Brink,” Mr Pinch replied, nodding his head. “Children make the zoo so messy. If I had my way I wouldn’t even allow them to visit!”
“Oh, well, I didn’t mean that. I was thinking about her safety,” Dr Brink replied.
“Oh yes, that too.” Mr Pinch beckoned to Zoe. “Come on, young lady. Out you go.”
This is so unfair! How can I help Buster feel comfortable at the zoo if I can’t even
be here to talk to him? Zoe sighed as she picked up Meep and made her way over to the gate. She pressed the silver pawprint pendant on her necklace to the gate and it swung open. Great-Uncle Horace had given her the pendant and it opened all the enclosures in the zoo. He wouldn’t have given it to her if he didn’t think it was safe. She really wished her mum would come home so things could go back to normal.
