灵长类动物故事聚焦动物园与异常灵长类接触.pdfVIP

PRIMATESbyDavidD.Levine

DavidD.Levine’sfirststoryforAsimov’s,“Tk’tk’tk”(March2005),is

currentlyafinalistfortheHugoaward.Whilethatstorygaveusaninsightintoalien

intelligenceonadistantnet,thistaleallowsforsimilarinsightsmuchcloserto

home.

****

Ipickedupthephoneonthethirdring.“WoodlandParkZoo,primatesection.Ed

Vickspeaking.”

“Uh,yeah,mynameisDanStark,I’mcallingfromStaircase,andIwantedto

talktosomeoneabouta...agorilla.Orsomething.”Thevoicewasdeep,gravelly,

andseemedabitslurred.

“You’recallingfrom...Staircase?”

“Yeah.ThetownofStaircase.IntheWonderMountainWilderness.Onthe,

y’know,OlympicPeninsula.”

“Okay...”

“Anyway,there’sagorilla,orsomeotherkindofmonkey,that’sbeendigging

inmygarbage.Iwaswonderingifthezoomightwantit.To...tobuy,or

something.”

“Well,Mr.Stark,zooisnottopurchaseanimalsfromprivate

collectors.”

“Uh.”

“But,”I,“ifyouseriouslybelieveyouhaveagorillaontheloose

there,wemightbeinterestedinsendingsomeonetoinvestie.Privatelyheld

gorillasdosometimesescapefromtheirowners,orareabandoned,andtheycan

becomeadangertothemselvesandothers.Sowewouldwanttocheckitout,andif

itreallyisagorillawewouldworkwiththelocalanimalcontrolagencytobringitin.”

“Isthere,alikearewardorsomething?”

“I’mnotsureaboutthat,buttheremightbeasmallfinder’sfee.”

“Uh,okay.WhatdoIneedtodo?”

“Whydon’tyoustartbydescribingthesituationtome?”