England’s Marwood Zoo has just been acquired by a ruthless media mogul who will accept nothing less than a 20% return on any investment, or he will close it down. To meet the new owner’s mandate, the zoo’s new director, Rollo Lee, has come up with a sure-fire marketing scheme to boost attendance: From now on, Marwood will stock only “fierce creatures” –animals billed as violent, man-eating predators because violent entertainment is what people want.

Horrified at the prospect of destroying all the soft cuddly animals at the zoo, the keepers revolt –and the fun begins.