The Silky Seal Pup Read online

  That night, Zoe and Meep crept out of the cottage. First they stopped at the seal enclosure to check on Star. The little seal was awake, her eyes shining in the dim light…

  With special thanks to Natalie Doherty

  To Amy x

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One Diving with Dolphins

  Chapter Two The Snowball Seal

  Chapter Three The Scared Seal

  Chapter Four The Mysterious Meeting

  Chapter Five The Rescue Zoo in Danger

  Chapter Six The Midnight Meeting

  Chapter Seven Zoe and Meep Get to Work!

  Chapter Eight Parrot Practice

  Chapter Nine The Big Day

  Chapter Ten Chrysalis Surprise

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Diving with Dolphins

  Zoe Parker splashed through the water, giggling as a playful young dolphin swooped along beside her. It was a warm Friday afternoon at the Rescue Zoo and the last of the visitors had gone home – which meant that Zoe Parker could play with all her animal friends!

  As soon as everyone had left the zoo, Zoe had put her wetsuit on and rushed straight to the lagoon for a swim. There were five bottlenose dolphins at the zoo, who lived together in a small group called a pod. They were some of the cleverest creatures Zoe had ever met – and some of the friendliest too!

  As Zoe swam with the pod, the smallest dolphin popped her head above the surface. She chattered cheerfully and Zoe grinned. “I love swimming with you too, Coral,” she replied.

  Coral gave a happy squeak. Wriggling excitedly, she leaped out of the water, turned a fast, slippery somersault, then dived back in. Zoe laughed as the young dolphin splashed around proudly.

  “Hurry up, Zoe. I’m hungry!” squeaked a little voice.

  Zoe turned to smile at her best friend, who was hopping up and down impatiently at the edge of the water.

  Meep was a tiny grey mouse lemur with huge golden eyes and a long, curling tail. He was very cute, but also very mischievous! He went everywhere with Zoe, except when she went swimming, because he hated getting wet.

  “Coming, Meep!” Zoe called to the cheeky lemur. She kicked her way over to the side, with the dolphins splashing along behind her. She climbed out and grabbed a fluffy towel that she’d left on a nearby rock. When she was dry, she pulled her jeans and a jumper over her swimming costume and sat down on the rocks next to Meep. “We’ll get you a snack in just a minute,” she promised him, stroking his little head. Meep was always ready to eat!

  Zoe had lived at the Rescue Zoo ever since she was very small. Her Great-Uncle Horace owned the zoo, and was a famous animal expert and explorer. While he was travelling around the world, he’d met lots of injured, lost and frightened animals, so he’d decided to turn his home and gardens into the Rescue Zoo, a home for any animal in need.

  Zoe’s mum, Lucy, was the zoo vet, and Zoe, Lucy and Meep lived in a cottage on the edge of the zoo, so that Lucy could help any poorly animal at any time, even in the middle of the night. Zoe thought she was the luckiest girl in the world to live so close to so many amazing animals.

  But there was something even more special about Zoe. She could talk to animals! All animals can secretly understand what humans say, but hardly anyone knows that. Zoe was one of the few people who could understand animals, and talk to them. But she had to be very careful to keep their secret and only speak to them when there was no one else around.

  Coral swam over to the edge of the lagoon and clicked curiously. “I don’t know when Great-Uncle Horace is coming back next, Coral,” Zoe replied sadly. The Rescue Zoo’s owner still travelled around the world looking for animals in danger, and only returned when he’d found a new creature in need of a safe home. “A postcard arrived from Alaska last week – he’s been helping a grizzly bear with a sore throat. But it could be weeks until he comes back with the Rescue Zoo’s next animal.” Reaching down, she stroked Coral’s smooth snout and added, “Luckily for me, the zoo already has hundreds of lovely animal friends!”

  Meep bounced up and down again. “Zoe, I’m still hungry,” the little lemur said hopefully.

  Zoe laughed. “All right, Meep, let’s go home. I’ll come swimming again soon, Coral. Bye, everyone!”

  As the dolphins clicked goodbye, Zoe and Meep started wandering back towards the cottage, chatting about all the fun things they could do at the weekend. With all the visitors gone, the zoo was quiet and peaceful. The only sounds Zoe could hear were from the animals around her. The two panda cubs were playing chase in their enclosure. The flamingos squawked, and waved their wings. And the enormous white rhino, Mwamba, grunted a friendly greeting as they passed.

  Suddenly Meep’s ears pricked up. “Listen, Zoe!” he chattered.

  Zoe stopped. Over the snorts, squeaks and whinnies of the animals came a deep growling sound. Zoe had grown up knowing the calls of every single creature at the zoo, and recognised it straight away. It was one of the leopards. But the leopard enclosure was at the other side of the zoo – and this rumbling growl was very close by!

  “Do you think Asha or Kafi has escaped, Zoe?” Meep asked nervously.

  “We’d better find out. Come on!” Zoe replied, and they rushed down the path towards the sound. Asha and Kafi were her friends, and Zoe knew they’d never hurt her or Meep, but it was still dangerous for a big cat to be loose. And if any of the timid gazelles found out, they’d be very frightened.

  As they reached the parrot enclosure, there was another giant growl. It sounded as if the leopard was right next to them! Zoe looked around anxiously, but there was no sign of Asha or Kafi’s beautiful spotted coats on the pathway or in the bushes around the nearby enclosures.

  “I don’t understand, Meep,” said Zoe, frowning. “Where is the noise coming from?”

  Meep scampered to the top of the fence and peered down into the nearest enclosure. “Maybe the parrots will know,” he suggested.

  Zoe followed Meep up to the enclosure and peered in. It was a large forest enclosure, full of trees. She spotted the scarlet macaw, Ruby, straight away because of her glossy rainbow-coloured feathers, but it took her a while to spot Cupid’s emerald-green body among the leaves.

  The cheerful lovebird flapped over to Zoe and perched on a branch in front of her, bobbing his pink head up and down in greeting. Rio, a white cockatoo with a bright-yellow crest sticking up from his head like a spiky hairstyle, followed behind him.

  Although the birds wouldn’t live together in the wild, they liked living together in a friendly flock.

  “Have you seen a leopard around here?” Meep called. “We think one might have escaped!”

  To Zoe’s surprise, the parrots burst out laughing, flapping their bright wings in the air. Then Ruby opened her beak – and made the sound of a leopard growling! Zoe gasped. “It was you!” she said, smiling in relief. “It wasn’t a leopard at all. You naughty thing, Ruby!”

  The cheeky parrot fluffed her feathers proudly and made a loud trumpeting noise, which made Meep squeal with laughter. It sounded just like Oscar, the African elephant.

  Giggling, Zoe waved to the parrots and carried on down the path, with Meep on her shoulder. As they walked towards the cottage where they lived, the sun began to set, bathing the zoo in beautiful reds and pinks.

  Meep yawned sleepily and snuggled against Zoe. “All that swimming has made me tired,” he chirped.

  Zoe giggled as she cuddled her friend. “You didn’t even go swimming, Meep!”

  They turned the final corner to the cottage – and suddenly Meep was wide awake again, chattering in glee. Zoe gasped. Outside the cottage, swaying gently in the evening breeze, was a huge, colourful h
ot-air balloon. Great-Uncle Horace was back!

  Chapter Two

  The Snowball Seal

  Zoe burst into the cottage. “Great-Uncle Horace!” she called as she kicked off her shoes and ran inside. “I can’t believe you’re back!”

  Zoe’s mum popped into the hallway. “We’re in the living room,” she explained in a whisper. “Try to be quiet, love – our new arrival is asleep!”

  Zoe’s tummy was suddenly full of butterflies. She’d been so eager to see Great-Uncle Horace, she’d almost forgotten that he might have a new animal for the Rescue Zoo! She and Meep grinned at each other. Meeting new creatures was one of their favourite things about living at the zoo.

  “What do you think Goo has brought back, Zoe?” whispered Meep excitedly as they tiptoed into the living room. Zoe giggled at Meep’s cute nickname for her great-uncle.

  Great-Uncle Horace was sitting in a comfy chair with a cup of tea and a plate of his favourite custard cream biscuits next to him. His friendly brown eyes lit up when he saw Zoe. Kiki, the hyacinth macaw who went everywhere with Great-Uncle Horace, was perched on the back of the chair, preening her beautiful blue feathers. And huddled on Great-Uncle Horace’s lap was a ball of pure white fluff.

  Meep squeaked curiously. “Zoe, what is it?” he whispered. “It looks just like a big fuzzy snowball.”

  Zoe grinned. “I think it’s a baby seal!”

  Great-Uncle Horace beamed. “That’s right, my dear!” he said. “She’s a harp seal pup, and she’s just a week old. Come and have a closer look.”

  As Zoe and Meep crept forward, the seal woke up. Slowly, a pair of huge, inky-black eyes blinked open and stared at them. Then the baby seal twitched her black nose and whiskers, and looked nervously at Great-Uncle Horace.

  “She’s quite timid,” Great-Uncle Horace explained. “She’s had a rather scary time, I’m afraid. She was taken from her home by hunters.”

  Zoe gasped. “That’s awful!”

  Great-Uncle Horace nodded gravely. “A baby seal’s splendid white coat is very valuable to some people. Luckily, Kiki and I found her just in time – and I knew the Rescue Zoo was the right home for her!”

  Gently, Zoe reached out and stroked the pup’s fluffy white head. “She’s so beautiful,” she said.

  “And a fascinating animal too!” said Great-Uncle Horace. “Did you know that baby harp seals learn to swim and find their own food when they are just a few weeks old? Truly incredible. And even though seals live in some of the coldest oceans in the world, they’re actually warm-blooded mammals – just like tigers, or elephants. Their beautiful coats and a thick layer of blubber keep them toasty and warm.”

  Zoe sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her great-uncle with Meep on her shoulder. She loved it when Great-Uncle Horace told her about animals! “What’s a group of seals called?” she asked.

  “Well, there are a few different names,” Great-Uncle Horace replied. “Some people call it a herd, some a rookery, and others a pod.”

  “Like a group of dolphins!” said Zoe. “That’s who we were visiting today, before you arrived.” Suddenly a thought popped into her head. “Great-Uncle Horace, why didn’t you let anyone know you were coming home? Normally you sail your hot-air balloon right over the whole zoo, so all the animals know you’ve arrived.”

  To her surprise, Great-Uncle Horace blushed bright pink. “Well…er…would you like a custard cream?” he asked quickly, holding out the plate of biscuits. Zoe glanced down at Meep, who looked just as puzzled as she felt. Was Great-Uncle Horace trying to keep his arrival a secret for some reason? Before she could say anything, her uncle continued. “I almost forgot! I have some more exciting news, Zoe,” Great-Uncle Horace smiled. “I’ve brought home some wonderful chrysalises. They’re the little homes that caterpillars make for themselves when they are getting ready to turn into butterflies. They’re still in the balloon, and I must take them to the butterfly room at Higgins Hall before they hatch. Would you like to come?”

  Zoe hesitated. She loved butterflies, but she was eager to try and speak to the seal pup alone. New animals were sometimes nervous when they arrived at the zoo, and Zoe always tried to give them a friendly welcome in the special way that only she could! “Can I stay here and help the baby seal settle in?” she asked hopefully.

  Great-Uncle Horace nodded, smiling. “Of course, my dear! I know you’ll take excellent care of her.”

  He stood up, with the seal cradled in his arms, and held her out to Zoe. Zoe scrambled up on to the sofa and Great-Uncle Horace carefully placed the seal pup in her arms so she could hold her like a baby. Zoe gasped as she cuddled the little seal. She was so soft and warm! As Zoe looked down at her, the pup gazed up with her big black eyes, her sweet black nose snuffling curiously. She was absolutely beautiful!

  Before he left, Great-Uncle Horace turned to Lucy. “I’ll see you at the, er, I mean, in the morning,” he added mysteriously.

  Lucy walked him and Kiki to the door and waved them off. Meep hopped on to Zoe’s shoulder. “What’s happening in the morning?” he squeaked.

  “I have no idea,” Zoe whispered back. Great-Uncle Horace was acting strangely, but she wasn’t too worried. He was probably just planning his next adventure. Anyway, she had other things to think about – like the gorgeous, silky seal pup!

  Chapter Three

  The Scared Seal

  Once Great-Uncle Horace had left, Lucy popped her head round the living room door. “We’ll let the pup sleep here tonight, until Lorna the seal keeper comes to work tomorrow and gets her enclosure ready,” she told Zoe. “Can you look after her while I make a bottle of milk?”

  Zoe nodded eagerly. As soon as her mum went into the kitchen, she lowered her voice to a soft, friendly whisper. “My name’s Zoe,” she told the pup, who was still cuddled up in her arms. “And this is my best friend, Meep.”

  “I’m a grey mouse lemur,” Meep chirped proudly. “What’s your name?”

  The pup’s eyes opened wide. She hesitated, then gave a timid squeak.

  “Star? That’s such a pretty name,” replied Zoe, smiling. “Welcome to the Rescue Zoo, Star.”

  Star squeaked again, very nervously. Zoe realised the poor little seal was trembling. “No, there are no bad people here,” she reassured Star. “The horrible people who snatched you are far away now. Everyone at the Rescue Zoo cares about animals more than anything.”

  Meep gave a warning squeak as he heard Lucy coming back from the kitchen. Zoe quickly stopped talking.

  “Here we go!” announced Lucy, walking in with a bottle. “Do you want to give her the first feed, Zoe?”

  “Yes, please!” said Zoe. She loved feeding baby animals! Carefully, she moved Star so she was leaning against one arm, and took the bottle with her free hand. As soon as she offered it to Star, the seal started to gulp hungrily.

  “Is this normal milk from our fridge?” Zoe asked.

  Lucy shook her head. “It’s special milk replacement,” she explained. “Seal milk is the creamiest in the world, much creamier than cow’s or goat’s milk. It’s packed full of goodness for seal babies, to help them grow strong and stay nice and warm in the freezing-cold conditions. But because this baby’s mum isn’t here to provide milk, we’ll give her this instead. It’s almost as good, although we have to make sure she drinks lots. In fact, we’ll need to do night-time feeding, as well as day.”

  “I’ll help,” offered Zoe. She wouldn’t mind getting up in the middle of the night to feed a gorgeous baby animal like this one!

  Star hiccuped as she finished the bottle, and snuggled happily against Zoe’s tummy.

  “I think she enjoyed that!” said Lucy, smiling. “Now it’s time for our dinner, Zoe. Pasta for us, and seeds for Meep.”

  They had dinner sitting on the sofa because Star was still nestled cosily against Zoe and they didn’t want to disturb her after her long journey.

  “We’ll have to think of a name for the seal!” Lucy said as they ate
. “Do you have any ideas yet, Zoe? You’re always so good at choosing names for our new arrivals.”

  Meep giggled, and Zoe did her best to hide a smile. She picked the right names because the animals told her what they were called! “How about Star?” she suggested.

  “Star the seal. That’s very pretty!” said Lucy approvingly.

  After dinner, they all cuddled up together to watch a film about blue whales. After a few minutes, Zoe glanced down at Star to make sure the noise wasn’t frightening her. But the little pup had fallen fast asleep, her tummy rising and falling gently. Suddenly Zoe found herself yawning.

  “Let’s watch the rest of the film tomorrow,” suggested Lucy. “It looks like everyone needs a good night’s sleep! Why don’t you and Meep go to bed? I’ll set my alarm for midnight so I can give Star her next feed. I promise you can be in charge of her breakfast bottle.”

  Zoe hugged her mum and gave Star a gentle goodnight cuddle before heading upstairs. She brushed her teeth, put on her green, frog-patterned pyjamas, then climbed into bed. Meep snuggled up next to her, his tiny ears poking out from under the covers. “I like Star!” he chattered.

  “Me too,” Zoe whispered back. “And I think she likes us, Meep, even though she was so nervous to begin with.”

  She kissed the top of Meep’s soft little head and switched off her bedside lamp. “Goodnight, Meep. We’ll have lots of fun showing Star around the zoo tomorrow!”

  “Zoe! Wake up!”

  Zoe blinked sleepily. She’d been having a funny dream about hippos, until a gentle nibbling on her ear had woken her up. Her bedroom was still dark, with moonlight streaming through a gap in the curtains, but Meep was tugging urgently at her pyjama sleeve. “W-what time is it, Meep? What’s wrong?” Zoe asked, rubbing her eyes and yawning.