“Hmmm.” Grandfather peered at him, head cocked to the side as if Doane were a new and interesting animal he wanted to identify. “If you’re looking for work in the wildlife management area, you’re talking to the right people. What qualifications do you have?”
Doane wilted slightly.
“I was working on my bachelor’s at Virginia Tech. But I had to put it on hold. No money.”
“What were you majoring in?” Caroline asked. “And what do you want to do when you finish?”
Doane looked uncomfortable.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk about this—but could we take Sheba into a cool place first? Even with the door open, the van’s going to be an oven before long.”
“Follow me,” Grandfather said.
“Bring the birds,” Caroline said over her shoulder.
They strode off toward the aviary section of the zoo. Doane grabbed his hawk, Zeke and I hoisted the pigeon cage, and we scrambled to follow.
We turned the pigeons loose in a big empty cage. They fluttered around nervously for a while, possibly because Sheba was keeping them under close observation. So we took her with us to Grandfather’s air-conditioned office and he poured cold waters for everyone, Sheba included.
“Rather large for a red-tail,” Grandfather said. “So—you planning to specialize in ornithology? Focus on raptors, maybe?”
“Actually, hawks aren’t really my main interest,” he said. “Not that I’m not very fond of Sheba. She’s a great little hunter. But I’ve got something more interesting I’m working on.”
He looked as if he were waiting for us to ask what—for that matter, dying to be asked. We all exchanged glances, and then Grandfather cocked one eyebrow. It was enough.
“Cadaver birds!” Doane exclaimed.
I glanced over at Grandfather. His face bore a look of puzzlement that I’m sure was echoed on mine.
“Vultures,” Doane added, as if that explained everything.
“You’re planning on specializing in vultures?” Grandfather asked finally.
“Not just that,” Doane said. “I’m training them. You’ve heard of cadaver dogs.”
“Also known as human remains detection dogs,” I said. “Yes. My cousin Horace has worked on some cases where they’ve used dogs to find buried remains, or clues at a crime scene.”
“And they do a great job,” Doane said. “Don’t get me wrong. But you know what’s the greatest problem with your typical cadaver dog?”
“Attention span, maybe,” I suggested. “They’re right in the middle of a hunt and—squirrel!”
“No, actually it’s mobility,” he said. “Especially in your rough terrain, like woods and mountains, it could take a cadaver dog hours to cover a few square miles of territory. But one of my vultures can soar above the treetops and pinpoint its target in a fraction of the time.”
“Along with every bit of roadkill in the immediate vicinity, I should think,” Grandfather said.
“It’s a training issue,” Doane said. “It’s slow, but we’re making very real progress in teaching them to hunt for human remains.”
“And what happens when they find remains?” I asked. “Do they fly back and fetch you?”
“We mount a GPS device on their legs,” Doane said. “And we track them, with a monitoring system, and when the vulture becomes stationary, we head for that location.”
“And damn well hope your vulture isn’t far away,” Grandfather said with a snort. “Or are you also training them to wait until you give them permission to eat?”
Doane sighed.
“We do have some obstacles to overcome, I admit,” he said. “But just look at the potential benefits.”
“You could fit them with little muzzles, like dogs,” I suggested.
“Now that’s an idea,” Grandfather said. “Much the way fishermen put bands around the throats of trained cormorants to keep them from swallowing the fish they catch.”
“We’re actually doing some work along that line,” Doane replied.
“Maybe I’m picky,” I said, “but I’m not sure they’ll ever replace search and rescue dogs. If I get lost in the wilderness and a vulture shows up, I’m not going to be reassured.”
“If you’re merely lost, they won’t show up,” Doane said. “Not until you’re dead.”
“So how are you teaching them to prefer human remains?” Grandfather asked.
I decided this was not an explanation I needed to hear.
“I should probably get back to town,” I said.