9780008390662

a situation
Officer Williams climbs onto a picnic table. Someone hands her a
megaphone so she can be heard over the din.
“Folks,” she yells, “listen up. We’ve got a handful of animal control workers
coming over, but several roads are already flooded out, and the weather guys
are saying Gus is gonna take his sweet time. Meantime, park supervisors, call
in more help, but only if your workers can get here safely.”
The unmistakable roar of a big cat rolls over us like slow thunder.
“Any more tranq guns?” Officer Williams asks the park director, who’s just
arrived.
“Three in reserve,” she answers.
“Nets?”
“We have a dozen.”
“Okay, then.” Officer Williams’s radio crackles. I can hear more shouting,
more barking dogs. “Shelter’s flooding,” she says.
“Yeah, that’s happened there before,” the director says. “Usually just a foot
or two of water.”
“Okay, public safety is where we start.” Officer Williams wipes rain from her
forehead. “We need to get the word out that these animals are on the loose.”
“Of course,” says the director. “We have protocols in place. But we need to
be careful how we word this. People might overreact, might—”
“Ma’am,” a firefighter interrupts, “I see a python in my backyard, I’m sure as