Page 24 of Just Like That

‘I’m assuming you don’t use that voice to get contracts either.’

‘Wheesht, you.’ I fire a look up at him. ‘This little one looks like she needs a bit of love.’

‘That’s interesting. I thought I was the animal expert in the room.’

‘Really?’ I turn and this time he gets my full glare.

‘I was only saying.’

‘Well, don’t. Tell me about her instead.’

Nick crouches down next to me, giving me a waft of his delicious eau de toilette as he does, and I have to remind myself that any bloke can make themselves smell good. A nice aroma may cover up the smell of animals, but it doesn’t fix an annoying personality.

‘She’s come to us from a wildlife park down south that’s just gone bankrupt. Her mother had a problem during delivery and died, along with Rana’s only sibling, so she’s an orphan unfortunately.’

‘That’s dreadful.’ My hand goes to my mouth in horror. ‘Poor little thing. I assume she can’t ever be let into the wild?’

He shakes his head. ‘No, she’s been bred in captivity so she’ll spend her life here, but we’ll make it as fulfilling as possible for her. If she were in the wild, she’d face all sorts of threats, so she’ll at least be safer with us.’

‘You mean poachers and loss of habitat? Gwen mentioned that yesterday.’

‘That’s right.’

Nick goes on to explain that sun bears are severely endangered and that their numbers in the wild are estimated to have fallen by about a third in the last three decades due to threats such as deforestation, hunting and poaching. He tells me how, in some countries, the captured bears are kept in illegal bear farms, often in tiny cages and squalid conditions, and how their digestive fluid is harvested for traditional Asian medical practices. I’m left feeling shocked and outraged at this awful behaviour.

‘I guess it’s good she’s at least safe then.’ I find myself blinking back tears as I watch her cowering in her cage. ‘Will she always be alone?’

‘No, we’ll look for a mate to introduce to her to when she’s a bit older and we’ll try to breed her to support conservation efforts.’

‘So, she might end up having a family in years to come?’

‘Yes. That is the plan. Though it’s not quite the same as how humans do it.’ The corners of Nick’s mouth curl up in amusement.

‘I know that.’ I frown at him. ‘It’s just so sad. I want her to have a good future.’

Staring through the bars of the cage at little Rana, who’s now having a sniff at us from the safety of the opposite side, a thought comes to me.

‘What happens to Rana if this place ends up closing like the other park did?’

‘We’ll look to rehome her to. Don’t worry, she won’t be put down or anything, she’ll be in high demand,’ he reassures me. ‘But some of our animals might not be so lucky.’

‘Gosh, that must be a worry for you.’

‘It is. That’s why you’re here. Anyway, you fancy a cuddle?’

‘I can hold her?’ My eyes light up.

Nick smiles at me. ‘Probably not so much hold her as have her climb all over you. We can see if she’ll come to you when we take her outside. That’s our project for the afternoon, it’s time to introduce Rana to her new enclosure.’

‘Ah, the empty one along from the red pandas?’

‘That’s right. We’ll get her into a smaller carry cage to move her. Are you ready?’

‘Am I ever,’ I declare with delight while thanking my lucky stars my afternoon will not be spent scooping up animal poo.

Chapter 11

Nick has to draft in one of his team members to help him get Rana into the carry cage, while I watch from the other side of the room. It’s clear that the experience is stressing the bear cub and my instincts are to cry out at them to be gentle with her, but I keep my mouth shut, because they know what they’re doing – and as Nick quite rightly (and a bit rudely) pointed out before, they’re the experts, not me.

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