Part 1 begins with Doyle recalling a trip to a local zoo with her wife and young daughters. The family ventures to the Cheetah Run and prepares to watch the exhibition. The zookeeper introduces the crowd to Tabitha, a female cheetah, and her best friend Minnie, a yellow Labrador Retriever. The zookeeper explains that “we raised Minnie alongside Tabitha to help tame her” (xiii). The exhibition starts with Minnie first chasing a stuffed bunny tied to the tailgate of a Jeep. Trained from birth to mimic Minnie’s actions, Tabitha soon follows and is rewarded with a steak. As the audience cheers in excitement, Doyle recalls how “I didn’t clap. I felt queasy” (xiv). Doyle watches Tabitha eat her reward and reflects on Tabitha’s tamed instincts that block her from unleashing her true deadly potential.

The zookeeper answers questions and assures the audience that Tabitha does not miss the wild as “she doesn’t know any different. She’s never even seen the wild” (xv). Meanwhile, Doyle’s eldest daughter Tish observes Tabitha “stalking the periphery, tracing the boundaries the fence created” and comments, “‘Mommy. She turned wild again’” (xv). Doyle is struck by her daughter’s words and imagines a conversation where Tabitha expresses her frustrations with her restricted life and her desire to live out in the wild.