I like to think that I have some symbiosis with the animals I keep at the zoo. I’ve been here for more years than I can count paws in the tiger’s den. There were two tigers and a lion and lioness. Management had given me increased responsibility as my expertise and ability to know what the animals wanted became invaluable and irreplaceable.

I brushed through my bushy beard as I made my last patrol before my night shift was over. I went into the reptile section, these had amphibians, lizards, iguanas and snakes. Some were not shy but most hid in their coves and dens. I checked the aviary and there wasn’t much movement. This was expected and so I would normally do a proper check in the morning. There were sensors to detect when animals go to places they’re not meant to so I rely on this system to be my first response. I looked over the Safari section and again, most of them would be cosying up in their packs in comfortable and natural beds. However, my head count came short by one. It’s not big alarm bells when I can’t see one as they can get quite hidden within the set landscape but this one in particular was significant because of its size. The elephant was missing!

My heart escalated to a panic and I shone my torch over the usual areas it would be. His name was Duncan, which I named as it was the closest name to Dumbo that wasn’t Dumbo. I started calling “Duncan!”, as if I expected him to respond. I received back instead growls and decided against this method.

I ran to the control room and looked at the live cameras. They were set to night mode and showed everything in varying green. Nope, nope, nope. Where is Duncan? My brain demanded and my responded “How should I know?!”. And finally I pause on the the one room that I rarely look at. One that only one creature. The human being. The zookeeper. I had to address the elephant in the room. I turned my swivel chair ever-so slowly and there in his massive glory Duncan was looming over me. Through my years of experience, I fancy myself a bit of an jack-of-all-whisperers and those eyes told me... that he was expecting me.