by Amelia Cobb
Great-Uncle Horace picked up the rucksack and looked at it carefully. “I see! You mean something a little bit like a baby sling? Goodness, Zoe, that is an excellent idea. We’ll need to cut holes for his arms and legs, and make sure it’s comfy enough for him to sit in … but yes, I think it could work!”
Zoe was so relieved that Great-Uncle Horace liked her idea. As he found scissors and a needle and thread in a kitchen cupboard, she ran into the library and grabbed a well-worn cushion from one of the chairs. It already had a hole in it, and Zoe brought it back to Great-Uncle Horace.
“Is it OK to use this for Kipp’s carrier?” she asked him.
“Of course! Go ahead,” Great-Uncle Horace replied with a grin.
Great Uncle Horace pulled the squishy filling out of the cushion, and Zoe sewed the soft fabric cover inside the rucksack, so that it would be more comfortable for Kipp. Then, very carefully, they cut four arm and leg holes in the rucksack. Zoe found a blue marker pen and added the finishing touches. She wrote Kipp’s name in big letters across the front of the rucksack, and drew little pictures of leaves around it as decoration.
“There!” said Great-Uncle Horace, standing back to take a proper look at their creation. “It looks splendid, Zoe, I must say. Perhaps we should try it out?”
Great-Uncle Horace helped Zoe put the rucksack on, and then looked at Meep. “I wonder if we could persuade Meep to jump in?” he said. “Perhaps we should scatter some crumbs or pieces of fruit inside – I know he has a big appetite for such a tiny creature…”
But Zoe winked at Meep, and Meep scampered straight into the bag, disappearing inside. “It’s as if he knew just what we wanted him to do!” said Great-Uncle Horace, his eyes twinkling, and Zoe giggled.
Meep was much smaller than Kipp, but wiggled right to the bottom of the rucksack and stuck one of his little paws out of a leg hole. “It’s very cosy in here, Zoe!” he squeaked.
“I think it’s going to work,” said Great-Uncle Horace with a satisfied nod. “Well done, Zoe.”
“But we still need to make sure it’s the right fit for Kipp,” said Zoe. “And we need to see if it helps his confidence! Can we go straight to the hospital now?”
“I think that’s an excellent idea, my dear,” Great-Uncle Horace replied, grabbing his hat. “Let’s go!”
They arrived at the zoo hospital just a few minutes later. Lucy was crouched beside Charles, the enormous giant tortoise, listening to his heartbeat through a stethoscope. Charles was the oldest animal in the whole zoo. In fact, he was even older than Great-Uncle Horace!
“Charles has a bit of a cold, but nothing to worry about,” Lucy explained to them. “It’s been such a busy morning here – a parakeet with a broken wing, a meerkat with a cut paw, and Alex the gorilla has a tummy bug! And poor Kipp is still here,” she added, glancing over to where the little joey was huddled sadly.
“Another zookeeper took him over to the koala enclosure this morning, and tried to encourage him to climb again. But Kipp just clung to her, and in the end she had to come back here because he was too heavy to hold for much longer and she had other work she had to do.”
“Well, Zoe has had an idea that might help!” Great-Uncle Horace told her. “Zoe, why don’t you explain?”
Zoe showed her mum the specially adapted rucksack, and Lucy listened carefully. “I see no harm in trying it,” she said eventually. “I’ll put the rucksack on, Zoe, and you lift Kipp inside it. We’ll have to make sure it fits properly and that Kipp is comfortable.”
As Lucy slipped the straps of the rucksack over her shoulders and knelt down, Zoe went over to pick Kipp up. Very quietly, she whispered to him, “Kipp, I’ve got an idea to help you – and if it works, I think I’ll be allowed to look after you again. But you have to trust me!”
The little joey nodded eagerly at her, and Zoe lifted him inside the rucksack on her mum’s back. She gently guided his arms and legs through the holes that Great-Uncle Horace had made in the bag, and then she stood back to take a look. Zoe waited nervously as Kipp looked down at the funny sling he was sitting in. Then he looked up – and gave a big, happy squeal!
“He likes it!” cried Zoe.
“Hooray!” chirped Meep.
“It’s a perfect fit,” said Lucy with a huge smile. “Well done, Zoe.”
“Mum,” asked Zoe, “would it be OK if I took Kipp over to the koala enclosure, so he can get used to his new sling?”
Lucy smiled. “I think so. You’ve obviously given so much thought to this, Zoe, and you must really care about Kipp. I’m very proud of you.”
Great-Uncle Horace helped to transfer the rucksack from Lucy’s back to Zoe’s, and then waved them off at the door.
Once they were out of earshot, Zoe turned her head to speak to Kipp. “You look very comfy back there!” she said. “Do you feel nice and secure in your new harness?”
Kipp nodded eagerly and gave a happy squeak. He loved his new harness!
“You seem more confident already!” Zoe took a breath, then began again gently. “Listen, Kipp – I would love to see you give climbing another try. I promise that if you take it really slowly, and don’t go too high at first, you’ll love it. And I’m sure you won’t fall again! What do you think?”
Kipp paused for a moment, and Zoe knew he was thinking about his fall the other day. Then he gave a small squeak, and Zoe beamed. “Of course I’ll stay with you the whole time,” she said. “I’ll stand right next to the tree, and if you start to feel frightened, I’ll lift you straight down.”
Zoe felt so happy as she walked through the zoo, with Kipp snugly nestled against her back and Meep scampering next to her. The other animals thought the rucksack looked brilliant too – and some of them wanted one for themselves!
“I don’t think you’d fit into one, Bertie,” giggled Zoe as the funny baby elephant trumpeted excitedly. “You’re just a bit too big!”
When they got to the koala enclosure, even Matilda came to see the special sling, and squeaked approvingly. “Now, let’s just try a very small tree,” Zoe suggested to Kipp, who was starting to look nervous again. “Maybe Matilda could show us a good one to start with?”
Matilda gave an eager squeak. She led them through the enclosure to a slender tree that looked younger than most of the others, and had lots of claw-marks along its trunk. “So this was the tree that you learned to climb on, Matilda?” said Zoe, smiling at the koala. “Kipp, this is perfect!”
Zoe helped Kipp out of the rucksack, and slowly the little joey crept over to the tree. He gave it a cautious sniff and then looked at Zoe uncertainly.
“You can do it, Kipp!” said Zoe. “Just take it nice and steady.”
Meep and Matilda made encouraging squeals too. Kipp took a determined breath, put his front paws against the tree trunk and slowly started climbing.
“That’s it! You’re doing it, Kipp!” cried Zoe. “We’re all right here if you need our help, I promise.”
After a few minutes Kipp squeaked to be brought down, but as Zoe lifted the little koala on to the ground she could see how much happier and more confident he looked. His eyes were bright and he was squeaking excitedly. “Yes, you were so brave!” Zoe told him. “Soon you’ll be climbing and playing and picking juicy leaves right at the top of all the highest trees, just like Matilda. And I’ve got lots to write about for my school project now,” she added with grin. “I think Miss Hawkins will love hearing all about you!”
“And you can write about the special harness you made too,” Meep chirped. “You might even win the prize!”
“I hope so,” replied Zoe. “But the best prize is being able to help my friends like little Kipp here. And thank you so much for your help too, Meep,” she added, smiling at her best friend. “I feel luckier than ever to live at the Rescue Zoo!”
Chapter One
A Special School Trip
Zoe Parker rushed excitedly towards the Rescue Zoo gates, followed by her teacher and the rest of the class.
“We’re here!” she said happily. “Welcome to the Rescue Zoo, everyone!”
“I still can’t believe you actually live here, Zoe,” her friend Nicola exclaimed. “You’re so lucky.”
“I know!” replied Jack, who was walking next to Nicola. “I can’t imagine how cool it must be waking up every morning and seeing elephants and giraffes out of your bedroom window!”
Zoe grinned at her friends.
“It’s so much fun!” she replied. “I’ve lived at the Rescue Zoo ever since I was a baby, and sometimes I still can’t believe it!”
Zoe’s Great-Uncle Horace was a world-famous explorer and animal expert, and he had started the zoo so that any lost, injured or endangered animals he came across on his travels would have a safe and caring home. Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was the zoo vet, and Lucy and Zoe lived in a cosy little cottage on the edge of the zoo. Zoe loved animals more than anything, and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. As she and her friends reached the gates, she felt like she might burst with pride.
Zoe had been looking forward to this day for weeks. Halloween was coming up soon, and her class had been learning all about creatures like bats, beetles and spiders. Miss Hawkins had explained that lots of people thought these animals were scary or spooky, but that really there was nothing to be frightened of. Zoe had agreed – they were some of her favourite animals! Now everyone in the class loved them, and when Zoe had mentioned that the Rescue Zoo had a huge spider house, several types of snake and a big family of bats, Miss Hawkins had decided to organise a special class trip to the zoo!
Zoe’s class had had normal lessons that morning, and after lunch they had set off together, walking through their town towards the zoo, carefully supervised by their teacher. Zoe couldn’t wait to get to the Rescue Zoo – and neither could her friends! Lucy, Zoe’s mum, was waiting for them at the entrance. “Hi, everyone!” she said as they walked inside. “You’re right on time! I’m so glad you could all make it.”
“Thank you for having us!” replied Miss Hawkins, smiling. “Where are we going to start?”
“I thought we’d go to the spider house first, which is over in that direction,” said Lucy, pointing. “After that we’ll go and see the bats, and, if there’s time, the snakes right at the end. Zoe, why don’t you lead the way?”
Zoe led her class proudly through the zoo, pointing out her favourite animals to Nicola and Jack as they walked along the path. “That’s Leonard and Rory, our lions,” she explained. “Well, Rory’s a lion cub! And that’s the panda enclosure. Chi Chi and Mei Mei are twin sisters, and they came all the way from China. They’re really naughty, but so cute!”
Her friends peered into each enclosure, grinning broadly. But when they arrived at the spider house, Zoe spotted a grumpy-looking man waiting outside, wearing a spotless zoo uniform and hat, and holding a broom. “Oh no,” she sighed. “Mr Pinch!”
“Who’s that?” whispered Nicola. “Does he work here? He looks a bit cross!”
Zoe nodded. “He’s the zoo manager,” she whispered back. “He’s always grumbling or groaning about something – especially mess. He hates it when anything’s untidy!”
“I heard your class would be visiting the zoo today, Zoe,” said Mr Pinch. “If you ask me, there is nothing that creates more mess at this zoo than school trips. Always dropping litter and chewing gum and bits of packed lunch everywhere! If I see any mess, I’ll know who was responsible.” Mr Pinch narrowed his eyes at Zoe and her school friends, then muttered, “It’s not as if I don’t already have enough to do without sweeping up after you all. Being the zoo manager is a very busy and important job.”
“Oh, you won’t need to sweep up after us,” Miss Hawkins replied firmly. “My class certainly won’t be dropping any litter or chewing gum, and they’ve already had their packed lunches at school.”
“Hmmm. Even so, I still think I’d better supervise,” replied Mr Pinch, frowning.
Zoe’s mum winked at Zoe and then turned to Mr Pinch. “Oh, there’s no need for that, Percy,” she said firmly. “I can look after everyone!”
Lucy and Miss Hawkins ushered everyone inside the spider house and Mr Pinch stalked away, muttering crossly to himself…
Copyright
With special thanks to Natalie Doherty
For Jenna x
ZOE’S RESCUE ZOO: THE CUDDLY KOALA
First published in the UK in 2015 by Nosy Crow Ltd
The Crow’s Nest, 10a Lant Street
London, SE1 1QR, UK
This ebook edition first published 2015
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Text © Hothouse Fiction, 2015
Cover photography © Sophy Williams 2015
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictiously. Any resemblence to actual people, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
ISBN: 978 0 85763 448 1
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