The idea of taking six (very different) wild animals and two domestic dogs and training them to be used in search and rescue work lends itself to an almost realistic idea of combining the fantasy of speaking animals with human beings. In this adventure, the animals, who become the first trained SARAR team, become involved with the search and rescue of twenty-one people trapped in an old gold mine in the mountains of Southern California. Along the way the lives and behavior of the animals are explained as they are introduced to each other and are trained to perform in a manner and speed as yet unheard of, in the science of search and rescue work. The fact that the animals communicate verbally with each other and their human handlers adds a fantasy touch that adds enjoyment to the story and an appreciation for their intellect and physical power and speed. This episode in the old gold mine is just the first, in what hopes to be, a long series of adventure stories using the same team of eight animals. The book is set out in three parts. Part I introduces Nocaed the Giraffe to the reader in an exciting and action filled first chapter in his native home in Kruger National Park in the far off land of South Africa. Three years later Nocaed's destiny is changed when he is selected for a new program of search and rescue work conceived by some very smart zoo administrators and animal scientists. In this first part the eight animals are introduced to each other and to a new training center constructed specifically for their size and natural habits. Part II tells how the SARAR animals jell into a well organized team over a period of six months of disciplined training on land, in water, and in the air. During their training period the animals end up in several thrilling and exciting adventures that show off their extraordinary skills and talent. The last section, Part III, lays out an actual adventure over a period of three days. A Southern California family with two children sets out for their annual summer vacation, only to be re-routed due to heavy automobile traffic, that subsequently changes their lives forever and brings them into contact with the SARAR team."