When she comes eyeball to eyeball

with a two-hundred pound pygmy

hippo, veterinarian Sierra Sanchez be-

gins to have suspicions about the "acci-

dents" that have been plaguing the

Mariposa Zoo. Esmerelda couldn t

have gotten out of her enclosure on her

own. Sierra has heard the rumblings of

local businessmen who would like to

see the zoo razed and a shopping mall

put up in its place. Still, who would be

so callous as to endanger the lives of the

animals--and the zoo staff?.

Sierra s problems are compounded

by the appearance of new zoo director

Frank Woodard. Sure, he is handsome

and charming, but he also follows her

around all day, jotting in his notebook

the cost of every syringe and cotton ball

she uses. At first she is tempted to wrap

his pet boa constrictor around his neck.

But as Frank lets down his guard, Si-

erra learns that there is a lot more to

the man than dollars and cents. And as

they fight to keep the zoo afloat, the

love they feel for the animals begins to

spill over into their personal lives