“I like them. They’re fun.”
Joe admired everything they saw until they reached the gorillas.
“Like the statue at the entrance,” Kaden told him.
“It looks like a hairy man.”
“They’re dangerous.” Kaden looked at the information board. “Western lowland gorillas. They’re part of a breeding programme. Theyface severe threats in the wild and their numbers have declined by over sixty percent in the last twenty-five years due to poaching and disease.”
“So keeping them here is to protect the species.”
“Yes.”
“They look too humanoid. It makes me uncomfortable.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Are humans their relations?”
“We’re not descended from them but we share a common ancestor. They’re our closest relations in the animal world. We share 98% of our DNA.”
“Wow.”
As they approached the big cat enclosure, a deep resonant roar filled the air.
Joe turned to Kaden. “Predator?”
“Apex predator.”
“They’d eat us if they could?”
“Probably.”
They stared through the glass at the lions. Only one seemed to be awake.
“The females do the hunting,” Kaden said. “The males do the defending.”
“Interesting.”
“They spend sixteen to twenty hours a day resting or sleeping.”
Joe laughed. “Why?”
“I think it’s to conserve energy for when they hunt. Plus, it’s hot in the African savanna.”
“If the males don’t hunt, why do they need to sleep?”
“They do hunt just not as much as the females. The males use ambush tactics in thick bush, while the females favour team-based, open-area chases. Plus, lions have a high protein diet and need to rest to digest it. Talking of diet. Fancy something to eat?”
Joe nodded.
Kaden paid for overpriced sandwiches and apple juice and as they sat to eat, he noticed Joe seemed preoccupied.
“Like it so far?” Kaden nudged his knee to Joe’s.
“Yes. It’s amazing to get the chance to see these animals, though I feel a little sad for them. But they’re making the best of their environment.”
“Like you?”
