Day of the Animals (1977): Cast & Plot

The film examines a troubling environmental crisis: the depletion of the Earth’s ozone layer driven by aerosols has begun to flood high-altitude environments with intense UV radiation. Scientists warn that animals above about 5,000 feet become unusually aggressive, and a small-town sheriff narrowly escapes a deadly mauling by rats as authorities order the evacuation and quarantine of all settlements above that altitude.

Against this perilous backdrop, a group of tourists in Northern California sets out on a wilderness trek, led by tour operator Steve Buckner and Native American guide Santee. The party includes the bickering Mandy Young and Frank Young, Mrs. Shirley Goodwyn and her son John Goodwyn, Paul Jenson, the scholarly Prof. Taylor MacGregor, the team of Bob Denning and Beth Hughes, Terry Marsh, and Roy Moore.