Page 59 of Tiger Queen

“We feed the big cats animal bones with most of their meals,” I overheard her telling one little girl.

The girl gasped. “Won’t the bones get stuck in their throat?”

“You would think so, but nope! Siberian tigers have a bite force of a thousand pounds. They can snap the bones of their prey like that.” She snapped her fingers. “The bones are good for them. That’s how they get calcium and other nutrients…”

Later that day, while I was giving an impromptu lesson on the difference between Siberian and Bengal tigers, I caught Anthony snapping photos of me. He was trying to be all sneaky about it too, hiding around the side of the visitor’s center like paparazzi stalking Lady Gaga.

“Another difference is their teeth. Hey Caesar, can you yawn for us?”

The big Bengal tiger gazed back at us serenely.

“Stay here everyone. Let’s see if I can’t convince Caesar to show us the goods.”

After working at the zoo for a few weeks, I was a lot more comfortable around Big Caesar. I had gone into his enclosure several times now and never once felt afraid. I unlocked the first fence, closed it behind me, then did the same for the inner fence. Big Caesar sat up on his haunches and waited for me to approach.

“My puppy does that when he gets a treat!” a little boy said excitedly.

“That’s because Caesar knows he’s getting a chicken neck if he behaves for me.” I stroked the big cat’s fur and scratched him behind the ears. He closed his eyes and leaned into it happily. Then I used both hands to open his mouth.

“A lot of people call these fangs, but that’s not the proper term for them. These are a tiger’s canines.”

“Canine means dog!” the little boy said.

“That’s right. Kind of silly for a cat to have canines, isn’t it? They can grow up to three inches in most tigers. Now, you guys can’t smell it because you’re too far away, but Caesar has stinky breath! This is because their diet of meat causes a lot of plaque build-up on their teeth and gums. The meat particles putrefy and give the cats bad breath!”

“Gross!” the children said in a chorus.

I demonstrated brushing Caesar’s teeth with a brush, and how it was similar to how humans did it. Then I answered some questions and the group dispersed.

“Thanks for being a good sport,” I told Caesar. He licked my cheek, which felt like wet sandpaper scraping across my skin.

My phone buzzed in my pocket after I left his enclosure. It was my mom again. She’d called several times in the last few days.

I still didn’t know what to say to mom and dad. They expected me to take a job at a legitimate zoo or animal preserve. The idea of telling them I worked at a place called Crazy Carl’s terrified me and filled me with shame. Eventually I would have to tell them something, but for now I didn’t have the energy to deal with it.

I ignored the call and quickly sent mom a text that I was at work and would call her back later.

“You’re good at that,” Anthony said as he approached.

I shoved my phone back in my pocket. “Good at what?”

“The tours,” he explained. “Educating the visitors. You have a knack for it. And unlike Mary Beth, you’re knowledgeable on the subject.”

I smiled at the compliment. “Shouldn’t you be in the visitor’s center?”

“Jake’s manning the counter.”

I barked a laugh. “Now there’s a disaster waiting to happen. We should keep him as far away from the visitors as possible.”

“He’s alright in small doses,” Anthony replied with a smile. “But if we leave him longer than an hour he gets grumpy and starts insulting the visitors. I got some good shots of you.” He hefted the camera.

“Shots that you can look at later, when you’re in the privacy of your bedroom?” I teased.

He took a step closer. “Why do I need photos when I’ve got the real thing?”

“Sexy photos can be fun.”

His eyes lit up with excitement. “Or sexy video.”

---