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As my siblings devoured the food before them, I remained off in the corner, watching the debacle in silence until I heard the young girl’s voice coming down the hall. It wasn’t uncommon to have a few vets or handlers come in and see us. But we never had young humans come in to observe us this close.
“Does everyone get to come back here?” the young voice carried into the room.
“No, honey. We’re special because your father donated and built this section of the zoo. Your grandparents own this,” the mother explained as they walked in and gave me my first up close look at our visitors.
The young girl was wearing pigtails and was dressed in a silver jumper and boots. The item she had been carrying was no longer with her, but she didn’t seem upset as she scanned the room. “Wow!”
“Come see, Ravena.” Her father motioned her over to where our handler was dishing out our food in the form of rolled-up balls of meat and placing them on tree limbs to have us climb up and get them.
Boots clomped on the concrete floor before tiny hands, and her brunette mop of hair appeared over the fence, taking in the sight. A bright smile bloomed across her face as she watched my siblings playing tug of war over a mouse while my mother tore through some meat.
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Clarke. I’m Rachel, and this must be Ravena.” Our handler turned to smile at the visitors and bent down to the little girl’s eye level. “Happy birthday! Did you want to see the Fossas up close?”
She nodded and showcased a missing front tooth.
“Very well. They are almost done eating, and as soon as they are, I’ll put the mother in a separate area. Safety first!”
“What’s wrong with that one over there?” the father asked, pointing directly at me, causing two sets of eyes to swing my way.
“Mommy, can I see?”
The dad hoisted the little girl up so she could lean against his hip as she peered at me. I sniffed the air and found a pleasant lavender and vanilla scent. Nothing like the smoke-filled scent of the handler that was in the room.
“We’ve tried different birds, meats, and nuts, but he either won’t eat it or keep it down. Sadly, it’s not sustainable to keep him on a feeding tube for the duration of his life,” she said mournfully.
Maybe if you wouldn’t bring me raw garbage, I would actually be able to keep it down.
I don’t know how she initially did it, but as her parents bent their heads together, the girl’s voice reached out to me.
‘Aren’t you hungry?’
‘I’m starving, but the food they give me is gross,’ I admitted as I cocked my head to the side. ‘How are you talking to me anyways?’
‘I don’t know,’ she replied with a shrug. ‘But what would you like to eat? Maybe I can get it for you.’
Her mother leaned down and lowered her voice, “Sweetie, are you talking to him now?” Her eyes swung between us.
“Yes.”
My stomach rolled at her admission, reminding me that I was once again going without food. Poop. I’m in trouble. What if she tells the handler and they bring the needles again?
“Ah,” the handler said, standing up and walking over to a section in the wall. “If you want to expedite the process, there are footies by the door that go over your shoes. Once I return from putting momma in the other room, I’ll get us started on properly washing our hands before touching the babies. I’ll be right back,” she said, coaxing my mother away and disappearing into the other room.
‘If you were serious about helping, I don’t know what it’s called, but that lady was eating something that smelled good,’ I confessed.
“Daddy, can you put me down?” she asked, squirming until she was free. She ran over to a counter and grabbed a container of what looked like grass. That couldn’t be it. “He’s hungry and wants what’s in here,” she told her father, holding up the container to him.
“Ravena, are you sure?” A deep line appeared between her mother’s eyes as she took her daughter in.
“Yep, trust me. Besides, it’s my birthday.”
“You know that can’t work all day long, right?” Her father sighed and shook his head with a small smile playing on his lips.
“But it will work now, right?” she asks, smiling and lightly shaking the container in her hands. “Please! He’s hungry.”
Her father looked resigned as he looked over her head in the direction of where my mother went before he quickly picked up and placed the girl on the other side of the enclosure with me. Once her feet hit the ground, she let out a little squeak of excitement as she ran over and squatted down in front of me, not coming into the grass.
‘Is this what smells good?’ she asked, opening the container before me.
