Whatever the cause of Aposymbiotism or the acquisition of mashavi, the characters in Zoo City who have animal familiars face strong prejudice, both because they are different and because they’re different for a reason. One of the first known Aposymbiots, Dehqan Baiyat, was an Afghan warlord with a Penguin. After millions watched as he was taken by the Undertow after his penguin died, the animalled were quarantined and/or executed across the world.

In South Africa, the animalled have a relative degree of autonomy: The country’s constitution keeps them from being studied by the government, and they are able to live amongst the populace. Although they have full rights, they are ghettoized in Zoo City and vilified by many who have no animals. They live in a version of apartheid, and their condition parallels the HIV/AIDS epidemic. People with HIV/AIDS are stigmatized because certain behaviors that spread HIV, like unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, are also stigmatized; people sometimes assume that those who suffer from the infection deserve what they get.

By focusing on the lives of a fictional minority group, the novel explores the ways that prejudice shapes identity. Although Zinzi has a mostly positive outlook and tries to lead an honest life, being animalled means she has limited options; she has to work for

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