Predator Island

by Douglas Cameron

  “I thought these were all rescue animals,” Monica said.

  “No,” Issaack explained, “They are all obtained legally.”

  “Yes,” the black man agreed. “Johnson, Joshua Johnson. That’s my name. All the animals were legally obtained and from various sources. This is the only one from a zoo, but he had only been there six months and he wasn't very happy. Not eating and kept in a small cage. So I guess this was a rescue of sorts. We kept him in a large cage with an outside area and he was quite happy. Or as happy as a wild animal can be in captivity. Picked up twenty-seven pounds.”

  “You name him anything?” Issaack asked.

  “Bolt,” Joshua replied. “The first time we let him outside, he shot out of the cage door like Usain Bolt out of the starting blocks in the finals of the Rio Olympics’ 100 Meter Sprint.”

  Monica laughed. “Bolt. I like it.”

  Chapter 23

  Still laughing Monica turned to continue on and found herself staring into the eyes of Ramiro Esteves. “Staring into the eyes” is a misnomer because if she had looked straight ahead she would have seen his hair peripherally below her eye level, but he was so close to her that if they both inhaled and held it they would have touched, even if ever so slightly.

  “You’re in my way,” Monica said, the laughter gone from her voice and her face.

  “My zought exactly,” Ramiro said, a lecherous grin on his face.

  Monica stepped to her left and passed by him, Gloria right behind her. Harvey Gladstone and Phil were in front of the next cage admiring the occupant. Phil noticed the two women and waved at them.

  “This snow leopard is a beaut, but he’s suffering in the heat,” Phil offered as the two came up.

  “Doubt he will put up much of a fight unless we get some cool weather,” Harvey Gladstone said as he moved to follow Ramiro.

  “Any of the others look interesting?” Issaack asked Phil as he joined the three looking at the snow leopard’s placard.

  Male

  Snow Leopard

  Panthera uncia

  6 years

  Nepal

  “A couple,” Phil answered. “The grizzly’s a monster, and the tiger is ready to chew anyone’s head off.” With that he motioned that he wanted to catch up with Harvey Gladstone and Ramiro and hurried off.

  “How did we get him?” Gloria asked Joshua as he came up to her side.

  “A man who lives in the northern frontier of Nepal was leading a group of visitors on a day hike and they discovered the animal with its foot caught under a boulder in what looks to have been a small landslide – no cause was given for that. He had started to chew his foot off to get free. He was taken to a veterinarian hospital and treated. Because they had been on the lookout for one at the request of this organization, they called, and we answered.”

  “How much did we answer?” Gloria inquired.

  “Have no idea. We were not told.” Joshua shrugged his shoulders and held out his hands palms up to emphasize his inability to answer.

  “I can find out if it’s important,” Issaack said.

  “No, I am certain that we will get a full report when this is all over – if it’s ever all over and we …,” Gloria said.

  “Now we need a name,” Monica said.

  “Well,” Joshua said, “the Nepalese considered them to be spiritual so what about Deva, which is Buddhist term for a higher being or a god.”

  “I like it,” Gloria said, and Monica agreed.

  “Good,” Joshua said.

  They were at the end of the cages and black drapes hung across the cargo bay indicated they should go left so they did. The first cage they saw contained a big gray wolf with blue eyes.

  “Wow!” Monica said. “Bedroom eyes.”

  “I don’t think you want to go to bed with that,” said the black female veterinarian standing by the cage. “He’s a beast. A real Alpha dog.”

  The placard on the cage read:

  Male

  Gray Wolf

  Canis lupus

  Six Years

  Wyoming USA

  Gloria turned to the veterinarian.

  “I’m asking everyone: ‘How did we acquire this one?’”

  “Interesting story but similar to so many,” the woman answered. “First, we were told to introduce ourselves. I’m Shelia Dupuis from Trinidad. My husband is a missionary currently in South Africa. Now about Lobo, he …”

  “Lobo?” Monica said.

  “Well, yes. Most gray wolves are considered lobo’s and it seemed to fit this one. He was bedeviling a sheep rancher killing at least two a week. He ate his kills or parts of them before the farmer found the kills and removed them. So one night the rancher positioned himself on a hill overlooking the flock of sheep that the wolf had been using as his larder. He was camouflaged and descented like when he’s hunting deer and elk. He said that he must have fallen asleep because when he awoke – and realized he been asleep – the wolf was standing right next to him looking down at the flock. It just happened his head – the rancher’s – was turned the right way to see the wolf. He said he blinked because he thought he was dreaming, but the wolf was there. Then the wolf turned his head and looked at him. He said – the rancher – that it was a staring contest and the wolf won. The wolf bared his teeth, snarled – a low rumbling deep in its throat – turned and walked away. Never did bother the sheep again.”

  “Well, how did we get the wolf?” Gloria asked.

  “Oh, yes, that’s the point of the story. Sometimes I get sidetracked. Ha! My husband Pierre would say ‘Sometimes! You ask her what time it is, and she will tell you the history of clockmaking.’ He says I just go on and …”

  “On and on. Yes, madam, we get it,” Issaack said. “Now about the wolf?”

  “Oh, the rancher set traps out and the wolf got caught in one, a leg hold trap. Nasty. Do you know how many…?” She noticed the three of them glaring at her and smiled. “He was going to kill the wolf, but it lay there with those eyes looking up at him. Those bedroom eyes. They say Paul New…. Oops. Doing it again. The veterinarian who cares for his sheep had told him about a notice saying that a wolf was wanted, and a good reward would be paid. So he managed to muzzle the wolf, hogtied it, made a travois … You know a thing with two poles and skin between them … He used a blanket because he didn’t have a skin but most people... Again. Sorry. He was on his horse, so he had to have something. Anyway the veterinarian fixed Lobo and called the number and someone came and bingo. Lobo’s here.”

  “Long story, longer,” Issaack said.

  Issaack noticed that Waldo and Siegfried were standing just behind them. Siegfried jerking his head in the “come here, I need to talk to you” motion.

  “Ladies, you decide on a name and move on. I’ll catch up.”

  “Lobo,” the two said simultaneously, laughed and started for the next cage.

  “What’s up?” Issaack said to Siegfried as he stepped over to join them.

  “A bet,” Siegfried said holding out a handful of bills.

  “A bet? About what?”

  “Who wins the predator contest.”

  Chapter 24

  “From whom?” Issaack asked.

  “The veterinarians,” Siegfried answered.

  “Is this what you were talking to Linda Bagnola about?”

  “Yes. She and the other veterinarians talked about the contest and predicted the outcome and want to place a bet.”

  “At what odds?”

  “10 to 1,” Siegfried. “This is six thousand dollars. Each put in one thousand.”

  “And the bet?”

  “They predict, based on what they know about the island and the animals that the big guys – lions, tigers and bears and the like – will duke it out until only one survives. That will leave the wolf, coyotes, and the caracal.”

  “And the survivor which is…”

  Siegfried shrugged. “Doesn’t matter they say. Whichever one it is, it will be battered. No one will c
ome out unscathed.”

  “Why will the wolf, etc.?”

  “Because they survive a lot on small creatures that are aplenty on this island – mice, rats, nutria, monkeys, birds. In the time since the hurricane, no one has given them any mind and they have had plenty of food, no natural predators and have multiplied … well, like rabbits. There will be plenty of food for those critters.”

  “So who wins? The Hatfields or the McCoys?”

  “The coyotes. They predict the two of them will form a pack and work together. With the two of them attacking, they will win.”

  “The caracal can climb a tree and heal from any injuries.”

  “Eventually the coyotes will win. Especially if it goes on for a while, they will have a litter and then watch out.”

  “Interesting. We’ll have to talk about it with the group.”

  “Oh, one other thing,” Siegfried said putting the money away. “If you ask any of them – even Linda at this point – they will say they know nothing about it. That was the agreement.”

  “And if we don’t take the bet?”

  “The money comes back. Oh, if there is a betting pool and they win, they will be happy with the pot whatever it is.”

  At that point, there was a roar from ahead and the three broke into a run. They passed one cage without looking at it and found Monica, Gloria and Shelia standing in front of a cage and laughing. In the cage was the most beautiful tiger Issaack had ever seen. The placard said:

  Female

  White Tiger

  Panthera tigris

  Four Years

  Gir Forest National Park

  India

  The tiger was standing at the front of the cage, snarling and reaching her right foot out, claws extended toward the group.

  “What’s going on?” asked Issaack.

  “It’s the tiger,” Monica said. “We think she’s going to win.”

  “Why?” Issaack responded thinking of the veterinarian’s bet.

  “Because she has PMS.”

  “You mean she’s in heat?”

  “Well, I think it is highly possible,” Shelia said. “The way she is acting it makes sense. She is very agitated.”

  “Do you think she’ll win?”

  “Oh, I don’t have an opinion on that,” Sheila said. “I am just doing my job like we were told to do.”

  Issaack looked at Siegfried who mouthed “I told you so.”

  “So, girls, do you have a name for her?”

  “Cleopatra,” Gloria said. “Empress of the Isle.”

  “She wasn’t an empress and it’s the Nile,” Siegfried said.

  “I’m talking about the tiger and this island,” Gloria said. “And don’t call her Cleo. She’ll bite your head off.”

  And Gloria, Monica, and Shelia laughed.

  “Okay, okay,” Issaack said. “Who did I miss?” and he started back for the missed cage.

  It was the grizzly, who at the moment was lying on the floor of his cage, head next to the bars under his placard, big eyes watching Issaack’s every move.

  Male

  Brown Bear (Grizzly)

  Ursus arctos

  6 years

  Canada

  “Looks formidable,” Issaack said. “Look at those claws.”

  The bear’s right paw was hanging out of the cage and his long claws were obvious.

  “They have to be six inches long,” Waldo said.

  “More like four,” Shelia said. “And they’re sharp.”

  “What’s his name?” Issaack asked.

  “Adam,” Gloria said.

  “Why, was he the first in this menagerie?”

  “No. He’s named after Grizzly Adams but ‘Adams’ as a name sounded stupid, so it’s ‘Adam’.”

  “I like the name,” Monica said. “It has an epochal ring to it. Like he is destined to greatness – maybe to be the last survivor.”

  “Only time will tell,” Issaack said. “Okay, let’s finish our tour so these animals can be put to sleep the last time and taken to their release spots.”

  The animal in the next cage after the tiger was lying back in a corner, catnapping as though not at all interested in the proceedings. His placard read:

  Male

  Cougar

  Puma concolor

  4 years

  Canadian Yukon

  “That’s two from Canada. Who would have thought?” Waldo said. Then turning to Shelia, “And how was this beauty acquired.” And how can I acquire you with your husband out of the picture – at least temporarily.

  “You won’t believe this one, but I can give you a video link and you can go online and see the news telecast on Dawson CHWT-TV-10. It is part of Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) which is a Canadian broadcast and cable television network.

  “Anyway, a seventy-five-year-old miner in the area north of Dawson chanced upon a cougar kitten in a cave. It had evidently been abandoned by its mother and was starving to death – remember this is his story as told to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Cal (that’s the miner’s name, short for Calvin) took it to his cabin and nursed it back to health using dried milk that he kept for himself. When it was old enough for solid food, Cal started feeding it what he ate: poached rabbit, poached deer, poached elk or anything else that he could get that was edible. Now when I said ‘poached’ I didn’t mean the cooking term like ‘poached’ egg; I meant ‘illegally taken.’ At one year, he took the kitten out into the woods with him on a leash. He knew where rabbits abounded and so that was his goal. As they were walking, Cal saw the kitten (he called him ‘Cat’) go into stalking mode. So he undid the rope and let Cat have free rein. Cat didn’t catch the first rabbit, but that was his only miss. Cal kept Cat in a pen or in the house and they would hunt together and share the kill. Naturally Cal would cut his own part out and cook it just in case you were wondering. When he went to town, Cal would brag about his pet and the Mounties heard about it and confiscated it. They knew about your interest and notified your representative and here Cat is.”

  Monica moved a little closer to the cage. Cat gave no mind. Then she said, “Hello, Cat.” And the cougar’s ears perked up and he looked right at Monica.

  “Don’t get too close,” Shelia said. “Despite his looks, he’s mean. I have a feeling he resents being taken from Cal.”

  “Well, it isn’t the best name, but since it’s his, he can keep it as far as I am concerned,” Monica said to Gloria.

  “Works for me,” replied Gloria. “Onward and upward.”

  Chapter 25

  The animal in the next enclosure was pacing the outer perimeter of the cage.

  “Oh, goodness,” Monica said. “That’s an ugly dog.”

  She looked at the placard:

  Male

  Spotted (Laughing) Hyena

  Crocuta crocuta

  2 years

  Niger, Africa

  “Oh, that’s why,” Monica said.

  “He acts like a husband whose wife is in labor for the first time,” Gloria said. “Pacing back and forth.”

  “Great name!” Monica said enthusiastically, “Pacer.”

  “He’s been doing that for several weeks now,” a short-stocky-on-the-verge-of-obese man said. He was obviously one of the veterinarians. “Nervous. Don’t know why.”

  “Maybe he’s randy,” Monica said.

  “What’s ‘randy’?” the man asked.

  “Shag,” Monica replied.

  “I don’t…”

  “Oh, for God’s sake, he needs to fuck,” Monica said frustratingly. “I was trying to keep it clean.”

  “Oh, yes,” the veterinarian said. “Sorry, not up on British terms, Ms. Bartlett. By the way, I’m Lars Bakker and I’m from South Africa. Used to work in the Kruger National Park until this came up and I decided to retire.”

  “He looks pretty mean,” Issaack said.

  “Oh, he is. Actually, I think he is looking for a fight.”

  “Oh, he’ll get on
e soon,” Siegfried chimed in.

  “Indeed. Maybe more than one,” Waldo said. “I like his chances. But moving on.”

  The next cage obviously held the male coyote who was curled up sleeping in a back corner.

  “Look where he’s from,” Gloria said looking at the placard:

  Male

  Coyote

  Canis latrans

  3 years

  Eastern Panama

  “I didn't know they went that far south.”

  “Yes, their range is expanding,” Lars said. “He’s a real beauty. His coat is almost all red. A beautiful rust color.”

  “Let’s see,” Gloria said. “The female is Moxie. He’s red so … Foxy.”

  “Poifect!” Monica said laughingly.

  “If I remember correctly, a woman brought him into an animal shelter saying he bit her son and she wanted him killed.”

  “Bit her son?” Siegfried said. “How did she catch him?”

  “She wouldn’t say. Just that her son tried to pet him and got bit. The shelter had seen our request and didn’t want to kill him. We got him for a song. Actually, enough food to support the shelter for a year.”

  There was a roar from the next cage and Monica and Gloria hurried onward with the men following.

  “Ooh, what a beauty,” Monica said.

  Standing at the front of the cage was a black panther.

  Male

  Leopard

  Panthera pardus

  5 years

  Tsavo West National Park

  Kenya, Africa

  When he saw the women, he roared again and crouched as though he was preparing to spring.

  “He’s hungry,” David Brimley said. “But then they all are. It’s been six days since they’ve had their last meal.”

  “I’d be hungry too,” Gloria said.

  “I’m hungry now,” Monica said.