Animals and Other Stories

This radio series is a collection of short pieces reflecting on life, love, and death among the species. It contains monologues, montages, portraits, and dreams. Some are funny, some are strange, some enlightening, some sobering: "Hide and Seek": Animal trainer and behaviorist Ken Decroo tells the story of the first time he talked to a chimpanzee and the chimp talked back. An aural metaphor ends this piece. "Noah's Ark": A strange blend of Beethoven and speculation about the thoughts of cattle at the moment of death. (Caveat: contains some graphic description of the slaughtering process) "Snakes": A montage meditating on the worth, or worthlessness, of the legless reptile. Civilized and primitive man collide...In discussing the snake, the human is revealed. "Treeline": Vietnam veteran Jim McMullen tells of the time he shot a blackbird outside his hometown, and was compelled to destroy his weapons for good. "Michi Belle White and the Birds": A portrait of a California woman who takes in