Z – Zeal (of truth and consequences)

Z – Zeal (of truth and consequences)

Zane was a unique individual. He would do anything you asked of him and do it well. He was punctual if you asked him to get something or be on time for a meeting or event. For most things, he was someone you could rely on.

He became unreliable when it came to answering questions with facts. Oh, he gave answers to your questions, but the facts that he used in his answers rarely, if ever, came from a legitimate source other than his own thoughts. 

Take, for example, his first job: 

There was a serious lack of personnel at the Bronx Zoo that year. They were hiring bodies to fill positions as long as the person involved demonstrated excitement for the opportunity and fundamental knowledge of animals and animal care. They didn’t even ask for proof.

Zane showed great enthusiasm in his interview. When asked about his experience with animals, he responded clearly. “I’ve worked as a caretaker in a facility with multiple types of animals. I fed and took care of their medical needs and maintained a sanitary environment such that others could enjoy the company of those animals. I also instructed visitors to the facility on animal care techniques in the hopes that they would learn more.” 

All this might have been true, but, in reality, Zane had no job. His wife provided the income for their family. They did own two cats, a dog, and a parakeet. It was these animals that Zane took care of by feeding them, cleaning out litter boxes and a birdcage, and taking the dog for walks. When any of the animals were sick, he was the one who took them to the vet. He was instructive to his kids and their friends about what to do and not do with these pets, and even let his kids periodically walk the dog. 

Zane’s zeal for his work was contagious, and he was hired immediately as one of their zookeepers. 

At first, Zane did well. For any task he was given, he did what he was instructed. He fed the animals and organized groups for tours. He made sure that all of the animals were well-treated. He even got to assist in some of the tours as an assistant. When the tour guide wanted to show some animal to a group, he would ask Zane to help point out what was being described. Since the tour guide talked to the group, his back was always to the described animal. The guide assumed Zane was pointing out the right thing, which wasn’t always the case. 

Then came the day that Zane was asked to solo as a tour guide to a group of five-year-olds. As you know, children that age can be very inquisitive, so they ask a lot of questions.

“Why do the tigers have stripes on their backs?” one girl asked.

Zane had learned that if you sound confident in your response, people will believe what you tell is true. His response to the girl was, “Someone forgot to coat the tiger’s skin fully with sunscreen, and since they are out in the sun all day, only those parts of the tiger’s skin that were covered didn’t get tanned.”

As they passed the elephant enclosure, a boy asked, “Why are elephants so wrinkly?

Zane did not hesitate, “You know how your skin turns wrinkly when you stay in a bathtub too long? Well, a long time ago, when the earth was mostly water, elephants spent too much time in the water. To this day, they still do.”

When the children saw the hippopotamus with its mouth opened wide. Zane was asked, “Why do the hippos have teeth so spread apart?”

“You have to blame their lack of hands. When they are young, they have no way to brush their teeth, so many of them fall out,” Zane replied. 

The question that did Zane in was the last one. “Why do giraffes have such long necks?”

He responded, “Because, in the jungle where giraffes live, all their food was stored on very large shelves, so other animals couldn’t just take it. Giraffe, however, never gave up trying. He stretched his neck to reach the food until he could. Unfortunately, he stretched his neck too far and got stuck at that height. The other animals were so upset about the giraffe’s trickery that they made man take down the shelves, so now you don’t see any shelves in the forest anymore. 

The kids loved Zane’s answers and believed every word he said. As I said, his zeal for his work seemed to give him credibility, and it would have worked as it had when he was interviewed for the job if it weren’t for the adult chaperones of this group who recognized and did not appreciate the false information given to their children.

They reported Zane’s misinformation to the Bronx Zoo officials and shared videos the adults took on their phones as evidence. Once those videos were made public on social media, the Zoo had no choice but to fire Zane. 

This was only one example of Zane’s untruthful truths, and there are plenty more. His wife constantly had to correct their children’s beliefs based on Zane’s teachings. 

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Believe me, I would continue telling you more about Zane’s zany adventures, but the truth is that Z is the last letter of the alphabet, and my letters have run out on this 2024 A to Z Blog Challenge. 

Till next year.