For many, working as a vet in a major zoo is the ultimate dream. For Tim Bouts, it's daily life.

As Chief Veterinary Officer, Tim Bouts has spent more than two decades tending to animals in some of the world's most renowned zoos, from London Zoo to the Sheikh of Qatar's prestigious Panda House. In this compelling book, Tim opens the doors to his extraordinary world.

His patients range from a lion battling Covid and a hippo diagnosed with tuberculosis to a tigress needing dental surgery and a gorilla in chronic distress. Some stories are heartwarming - like his first successful operation or the birth of twin pandas. Others are full of suspense: a failed antelope anesthesia, the sudden escape of two chimpanzees. And some are deeply moving, such as the euthanasia of a herpes-stricken elephant herd or the tragic loss of a walrus mother and her calf.

With empathy and candor, Tim reflects on the dilemmas and decisions in zoological medicine. He addresses ethical grey areas around euthanasia, contraception, and quarantine with a rare honesty that invites readers behind the curtain.