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Zoo


James Patterson's Zoo is a novel where animals have suddenly started to wage war on each other. Jackson Oz, the main character, has been collecting data on animal attacks over the past years, but no one has listened to him. During a trip to Botswana, he survives a lion attack and receives footage of undeniable animal aggression. At the same time, he saves an ecologist named Chloe. However, when he reaches home, he realises that his girlfriend, Natalie, had been killed by his pet chimpanzee which has gone wild. He eventually marries Chloe and works together with to implement his plans to solve the problem. His plans were slowly listened to, then accepted, as animal aggression had escalated to a much more serious degree and animal-related human deaths were commonplace. After Jackson's plans were put in place, he found certain people still not abiding to the laws that were set (incluing not using technology and driving) and throws the person's car keys into the drain in a fit of anger. However, after a week, normal activites resumed, and so did animal aggression. In the end, as the scientists retreat to the Arctic Circle to study the effects of animal aggression, a death spiral is mentioned -- a phenomenon where ants follow each other blindly and end up in an endless loop where they all eventually die. This endless loop actually signifies the humans blindly continuing with their lives without consideration for the long-term effects. The book is fictitious but is an analogy of human interference with the activities of Nature, and that humans cannot continue with their ways, if not, the negative impacts will one day destroy them utterly. This book is a good read as it reminds us of ethics and that we are actually at the mercy of Mother Nature; if the world turns on us, we are finished.


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