The zoo was on the coast, and the first enclosure, right at the entrance, was made for a killer whale (Orcinus orca). It swam around in his blue pool, only a low sandstone wall separating it from guests. I watched the tall dorsal fin slicing through the water, marveling at the rarely seen sight of a captive orca. Before I could head through the gates into the main zoo, I saw my dog Beibei barreling straight for the pool. With an excited leap, he cleared the low wall and splashed into the shallows. At the same time, a keeper had hauled a bucketful of fish into the pool, and it was these that my dog wanted to play with.
The killer whale made a beeline over to the fish, its exposed tongue shining bright pink in the sunlight. Oblivious to the danger, my idiot dog continued gambolling in the shallows with the fish. When he's wet, he somewhat resembles a sea-lion, and those being the natural prey of the killer whale, he was now on the menu. I whistled for him frantically, but as in real life, his recall is abysmal, and he ignored me. With a surge that caused a wave to douse myself and the plaza where I stood, the huge whale rushed at Beibei and closed its jaws around the nape of his neck. It proceeded to shake him like a ragdoll, tossing him free of the pool entirely. He struggled to his feet, still alive but with a deep wound on the back of his neck. I scooped him up ready to take him to the vets, annoyed I would have to forego the zoo.
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