Dr Sami is without a doubt the film’s protagonist: a passionate vet, with a big heart for animals, but without being sentimental about it. When giraffe Brownie died and one of his staff members was crying, Dr Sami asked him if he had shed as many tears for the human victims of the intifada. Officially, his task is to keep the animals healthy, but dr Sami’s many skills push him much further. He is also a collector, designer, guide, decorator, repair man and taxidermist. On his initiative, the zoo built the first and only Natural History Museum in Palestine.

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Due to the political and economic situation Dr. Sami has to be practical and original in his approach on solving problems, helped by his understated sense of humour. Dr Sami is a Palestinian refugee who grew up in Saudi Arabia. In a small and provincial town like Qalqilya he will always be an outsider. His total disinterest toward political issues make him even more isolated because he doesn’t belong to any faction, nor Hamas nor Al Fatah. Because of this the administration does not give him decision-making power, even if he is the only one who has knowledge about wildlife and zoos and he is the only one in Qalqilya with an international network. Nevertheless, he is persistent and drawbacks do not seem to influence him too much. He licks his wounds and immediately proceeds to the next plan.