The Nature of Predators - Why the Caged Bird Sings (8/11) (Patreon)

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Memory Transcription Subject: Cala, Krakotl Child 

Date [standardized human time]: September 4, 2137

The tigers weren’t quite as bright orange as they were in the cartoons, lounging in their grassy enclosure. They sat in the shade of the rocks the humans had left out for them, not seeming particularly energetic to go hunt anything down. Come to think of it, there really wasn’t any prey in the small space to feed them, and they were carnivores. There were no signs that they were starving, with how full their bellies looked. That meant that the humans must bring them food. Andy’s people were so apex that they could afford to give away meat to satisfy predators with much bigger appetites; they could hunt whatever they wanted.

“I’d love for you to hear a tiger roar. If you think our voices are deep, just wait until you hear that!” Andy remarked. “You asked why we keep the animals here, and I don’t think I fully answered your question. We like observing nature and other creatures, appreciating their strengths and weaknesses. You look at a tiger, how can you not see that they’re beautiful, powerful, majestic animals?”

I studied one that lazily stalked closer to our part of the fence; the Terran visitors didn’t react with fear at all, even though flimsy wire was all that stood between them and those huge teeth. Maybe the caged predator had scented me, and been drawn closer? The way it prowled forward over the rocks, head down, looked much more “hunting mode” than the average humans’ behavior. The other guests were just taking pictures of the striped beast getting closer, like it was a sightseeing tour back in Kiltra Tamis. Mama had called Flying Free Perch an “obelisk,” but I knew it as the famous thing that had four statues rotating in each direction on the top. A literal moral compass. The half-prey were treating the tiger like some artistic compass in the capital.

“Couldn’t they kill you in a fight?” I asked, trilling nervously. 

Andy chuckled. “Unarmed, alone in the wilderness with no escape? Sure. And there would be no escape by foot; they can run 60 kilometers per hour, which is more than enough to catch us if they wanted to. They could kill a human with a single swipe from their paw. But they’re ambush hunters, so they’re unlikely to attack anything that can see them. Their stripes are camouflage, meant to help hide in the shade to that end.”

“Do…humans ever ambush hunt?”

“Sure, we use all sorts of tactics. We use our brains to decide what’s the most effective. The tiger, meanwhile, can’t change its ways anymore than its stripes.”

“I know even predators have a role that’s important, but it’s scary to think they’d hide in the shadows, and that’s their instincts. Even you said that’s all they can be.”

The Terran paused for a long moment. “I think you should be more scared of us than them, if that’s how you feel, Cala. Tigers attacked humans and caused a great many deaths only a few centuries ago. During the 1900s, we wiped out 97% of their population, and all it took us was a hundred years. There’s more tigers in zoos like this than out in the wilds to this day. You know why that means you should fear us?”

“Because you’re good at killing?”

“Yes, that too I suppose. What I was going to say…humans are the only predator that doesn’t kill because we want anything from an animal. We’ll kill them because they’re in our way.”

“Only with animals though? Not with people, right?”

Andrew sighed. “Nowadays, yes. Nature, the law of it is really kill or be killed. Survival at any cost: that’s the traits that get passed on. Brutality is the simplest language for survival, and one that’s…easily understood. Humans had to become powerful enough that a creature as primal as a tiger was a mere inconvenience. I don’t know if what I’m saying makes sense.”

“You’re saying your role is to wipe things out that were in your way. Then why do you feel bad about it?”

“Because we have empathy. And…it’s plain to see when we’ve wiped out so many that there’s no more left to find.”

I kept my thoughts to myself, but it sounded to me like Andy’s species had done something very similar to the exterminators, just without the goal of wiping out predators and burning them. There were more of these tigers in cages than in the wilds, which must’ve unbalanced whatever ecosystem they were in. I didn’t think they were meant to be here, on display, when they evolved to roam the wilds. How many species had Krakotl…wiped out so many that no more were left? Did that make my people and the other Federation species—even herbivores—predators, that also killed animals because they were in our way? Maybe the humans weren’t the only ones. 

Is it possible to undo it or fix it, when too many of a species are gone? Also, Andy sounded a little hesitant when he answered that they didn’t do the same “wiping out” process to people. Back in my cell, he shot down the idea that humans would eat people, but today, he wasn’t denying that they’d kill a bunch.

My new papa cleared his throat. “Enough on that. Let me take you to another big cat, okay?”

“Okay, but I still have a question. You said brutality is the simplest language. Humans practiced that predatory cruelty on people, didn’t you?” I chirped.

“Yes. We condemn the awful things we’ve done, because they were terrible mistakes. But we did them once. Empathy or not, we’re capable of doing them again, even if we’ve tried to prevent monstrous acts from happening.  I won’t lie to you, Cala. I get if this frightens you, but you need to understand us, beyond the sunshine and rainbows story the UN is pushing.” 

“When I asked, you said you didn’t have killing instincts. You said you had nurture instincts.”

“The killing bit isn’t an instinct; humans almost universally respond with distress, the first time we kill. Yet we can harden ourselves to our compassion through purposeful, calculated intent. Our nature is conflicted, and there’s…a violence and a darkness inside all of our heads, like when I joined the Peacekeepers to chase revenge. Or the people who beat me up for helping you, because their hatred was that strong.”

“I don’t know about these other people, but I know the ‘darkness’ wasn’t really you, Papa. You said it wasn’t who you were, and I believe you. You’re nice and fun. You take care of me. I’m not scared of you, because I think my bad Papa and Karlem had this darkness too. They did horrible things, and wouldn’t even say they were bad.”

Andrew exhaled with sadness. “Yes, I imagine all sapients have that same conflict. We, at least, know our capabilities, and don’t stick our heads in the sand about it. You can’t prevent problems you don’t admit exist.”

The human let those words hang in the air, as we arrived at another exhibit, one that read, “Lion.” I was getting a lot better at reading the Terran words, which made me feel smart and proud of myself. I’d finally proved to someone that I could be good enough at learning. The lions seemed to be a predator that had a bit of resemblance to the tigers, with the shape of their paws and faces; the ones that didn’t have manes were the closest-looking to the tigers. None of these creatures had stripes. My gaze focused on the puffy hair surrounding half of their heads, since it sort of reminded me of the Terrans, who only had extra fur on their domes.

“These are lions: the king of the jungle! Their manes are quite recognizable, making them look bigger…and showing their status to their fellow packmates,” Andy explained, happy to redirect focus to the animals. “They’re the only social felines; their tactics are quite different to the solitary, ambush tiger. But both species are what we call a keystone species. That means big cats are very important to the health of an ecosystem. Take a guess why?”

I tilted my head skyward, thinking hard. “Because they stop there from being too many prey? That’s the answer, right?”

“Well, that is true for all predators, keeping prey populations in check and maintaining balance. But lions and tigers enforce that balance on all levels of the food chains—with animals of all sizes! Smaller predators aren’t out of their reach, as well as large-sized prey that those smaller hunters couldn’t touch. They impact everything in the ecosystem from the top down. That’s what a keystone species means. Judge, jury, and executioner over all.”

“So humans are a keystone species too. Like lions.”

“Um, yes. We have full reign of an ecosystem just by…showing up. The power is in our hands for the entire world to live or to die. And on a smaller scale, while it should be our duty to maintain balance, we often choose the opposite. We’ve talked about how destructive sapients can be.”

“So you’re a bad keystone species.”

“Yes. Definitionally, I would say that we’re an invasive species. The meaning of that term is a species that’s not native to an ecosystem, but when introduced, devours too many resources and harms the system. Again, I believe this could apply to all sapients whose settlements destroy natural habitats and result in population decline for animal life.”

“Why aren’t lions and tigers invasive too?”

Andy chuckled. “Simple. They didn’t spread everywhere and harvest all kinds of resources on a massive scale. Does that make sense?”

I nodded, signaling my agreement to the human. “Yeah.”

“Good, Cala. I’m glad you’re starting to learn about these things; it’s important to fully understand the world around you, and your place in that. Even if there’s dark truths, it’s better than believing the exterminators’ lies. The only way to be truly free, without being in a mental cage, is to have the knowledge you need. Please, don’t ever be scared to ask me the hard questions.”

“I won’t be. The lions and tigers aren’t that scary, once you get used to them. The lions look kind of puffy, like a Venlil.”

The Terran snickered. “The Venlil would not appreciate that comparison in the slightest. Now, before we move on from the big cats, is it okay if I teach you one more thing?”

“Of course, Papa! I like learning, and I want to be better. I’m smart enough to understand.”

“Well, this is a difficult thing to understand, but it’s something you need to know living on Earth. It’s a good example of the conflict between humans wiping out wildlife, and those nurture instincts. This won’t be the only place you see cats. We domesticated their smaller cousins, which basically means…they evolved to live alongside and be taken care of by us. We adopted them into our packs.”

“Like you do with me?”

“Yes, except they’re not on the…same level as a person. We provide for their basic needs, and they’re companions. Cats and dogs are both predator animals that we’ve domesticated; lots of people will keep them in their homes. While they’re friendly to humans, it’s something you should be mindful of, since they didn’t evolve to be nice to Krakotl. You’ll have to be careful around them, and have someone with you to keep you safe.”

“Humans would keep predators that would attack me, and are related to tigers and lions, in your homes?!”

“Yes. They are trained to listen to us, but there’s no guarantee that works with you. We need to figure out ways for you to interact with them, because dogs and cats are everywhere. You’ll encounter lots of them.”

“That’s scary.”

“It doesn’t have to be. Maybe we can talk about getting you a dog, a little one that won’t be a threat to you, so you can become used to them. It’d let you take care of a predator animal, and be friends with it.”

“Okay. I guess if you really want me to, Papa, but I liked my hatchday gifts a lot better.”

“Let’s not worry about that now. It’s just something to talk about later, since it might be good for you. Now, I can tell you’re getting tired. Before we call it a day, why don’t I show you one more species?”

“I’m not tired,” I protested, trying to hide a yawn. “Let’s go!”

The human chuckled, before strolling off down the pathways; I studied the other visitors, as some of them looked back at me. The children tended to stare a lot more openly than their parents, when they weren’t busy running around with a ton of energy. There were a few weird animals that we passed by but didn’t linger on. One that caught my eye was a super tall, freaky herbivore; its neck was so long that it could eat from the top of the trees! Its head was like an entire floor away from its body, and I didn’t know how it got used to moving around. I’d never seen anything like it. Once we passed that enclosure, I was reminded again how much the sunlight was wearing me out.

I haven’t been outside for this long, with the sun scorching my crown, in a while. It’s hot. I’d like to hop around in a fountain, the way we did on Nishtal, but I don’t know if humans do that.

Andrew gestured to an animal that looked much less cool to the one with the tall neck. It had the same rough, gray skin as a Takkan, and didn’t seem special at all. It hovered boringly in the water, with its flat head floating on the surface. With the side-facing eyes and lazy appearance, I wondered if this was a test from Andy. Maybe he wanted me to guess that this was a prey animal, when it was a predator that only had those traits—like with the snake! He must’ve brought me here because he wanted to teach me something, but I had no idea what that was. Maybe I was tired, and should just take a nap. It was comfortable perched on the human’s shoulder.

“These are hippos,” Papa explained. “I’ll keep it brief since I know you’re tired, and I don’t know how much of this you’ll hear.”

“I’m not tired,” I objected once more, half-heartedly.

“Just listen, Cala. These hippos are a perfect example of how predators aren’t the only ones who can be aggressive and dangerous. They’re herbivores, but they’re the deadliest land animal on Earth! They cause significantly more deaths than that lion you saw earlier, even though they’re from the same environment.”

“How?! They’re…”

“Extremely aggressive and territorial. They also have humongous teeth, and weigh so much that they can just crush you. It’s part of survival of the fittest: one of the ways herbivores survive is to be so dangerous, that predators won’t want to hunt them. Nobody wants to get on a hippo’s turf, I’ll tell you. As for their danger to humans, they have a nasty habit of charging at boats and capsizing them. Not even being on a durable object can protect you, if they attack you.”

“Humans are so dangerous that predators don’t want to hunt you. I guess that’s kind of a prey trait?”

Andrew shrugged, before realizing that he’d nearly dislodged me from my perch. “Kind of, Cala. Half-prey wasn’t that wrong, you know.”

“I like it when I’m right about stuff! I don’t want to be around the hippos if they’re dangerous. I never would’ve been afraid of an herbivore before, but if they can ram through boats, what’s to stop them from breaking out of here? There’s only glass between us and them.”

“It’s built to be safe and to hold them, but we can go. I just hope you had fun, and learned some cool stuff about animals.”

I nodded sleepily. “I did. Thanks, Papa.”

I could sense the human’s smile even as I closed my eyes, beginning to nod off. It made me feel safe to be perched on his shoulder, even if it was supposed to be dangerous around Earth or Terrans. His steps were confident and sure, walking out of the zoo, and he’d keep me safe against any threats—whether they were humans, hippos, or “domesticated” cats. My new papa knew everything, including how to protect me. This visit to the zoo might’ve been the most fun, nicest trip of my entire life. I couldn’t wait to see what adventures Andy would take me on next.

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A/N - Chapter 8! Cala finally gets to see her beloved tigers, as well as their social cousins in lions; Andy teaches her about ambush hunting, domestication in the form of our house-dwelling predator companions, and also responds honestly about darker elements in humanity’s past. Our narrator seems to understand that Krakotl are an invasive species too, when the concept is explained to her. Andrew then finishes off the zoo trip by showing her a hippo—an herbivore that is very much not peaceful prey.

What do you think of the selection of animals Cala got to see in her zoo visit? Are you happy with finally seeing hippos in main canon? Most importantly, do you think she’ll be able to coexist with dogs and cats?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!