Taronga

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Taronga is a young adult's science fiction novel written by Australian author Victor Kelleher. It was first published in 1986.

The history preluding the novel is assumed to be- Two years ago (at the time of the events in the book), something catastrophic rocked the northern hemisphere. They thought that they were safe in the southern hemisphere, but they were wrong. Anarchy broke loose, and soon Australia devolved into what it is now- gangs fighting it out for food, supplies, and control of the cities.

The story revolves around a young boy named Ben. He has telepathic powers which allow him to send 'messages' to animals, effectively controlling them. These 'messages' are called Calls. Living in the bush with a man named Greg, he grows sick of his role of flushing game out of the bushes to eat. He leaves, and finds his way back into Sydney and discovers a group of survivors living in Sydney's Taronga Zoo, which has been left apparently untouched by the chaos, being defended by a band of tough survivors. However, this group of survivors is far from friendly, and they are using the animals in the zoo to keep themselves alive. The big cats are released at night, slaughtering any break ins from a rival gang, and the herbivores, are for want of a better term, 'farmed'.

He is recognized by Molly (the leader of the group) for his unique talents. Re-caging the big cats so that the other animals can be fed during day is a tricky business, and so anyone with powers to command animals is invaluable for this dangerous work. He is paired with Ellie, and together they must cage the cats. Although Ben quickly gains the trust of all the other cats, he simply cannot gain the trust of the male tiger Raja. Fiercly independent, he sees that Ben is not simply attempting to restrict his physical freedom- he is trying to 'reduce him to the level of a tame dog.' In the end of the book though, Raja is freed into the Blue Mountains by Ben (who is accompanied by Ellie.)