diff --git a/packages/ludic.wildlife/index.ludic b/packages/ludic.wildlife/index.ludic
index a7499956..0a65d1ed 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.wildlife/index.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.wildlife/index.ludic
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import "port.ludic"
 import "facts.ludic"
 import "table.ludic"
 import "store.ludic"
+import "near.ludic"
 import "guest.ludic"
 import "record.ludic"
 import "habitat.ludic"
diff --git a/packages/ludic.wildlife/near.ludic b/packages/ludic.wildlife/near.ludic
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ffc71f5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/ludic.wildlife/near.ludic
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# near.ludic - the animals around a point, living ones only, into a list the CALLER keeps (in its own
+# state, reused every frame): from the grid, or a species' own list when it is rare. Nothing is
+# allocated or written here.
+export function wildlife_near(wildlife_st: WildlifeState, x: float, z: float, r: float, out: []WildAnimal) -> int {
+  let w = wildlife_st.wl
+  return tb_within_recs(w.tab, w.grid, x, z, r, -1, 0, out)
+}
+
+export function wildlife_near_of(wildlife_st: WildlifeState, sp: int, x: float, z: float, r: float, out: []WildAnimal) -> int {
+  let w = wildlife_st.wl
+  return tb_within_of_recs(w.tab, w.grid, w.species, x, z, r, sp, out)
+}
+
+# how many of a species are alive, legends included, without a walk
+export function wildlife_alive_of(wildlife_st: WildlifeState, sp: int) -> int { return ix_count(wildlife_st.wl.species, sp) }
diff --git a/packages/ludic.wildlife/tests/wildlife_test.ludic b/packages/ludic.wildlife/tests/wildlife_test.ludic
index 6c393fae..840d0921 100644
--- a/packages/ludic.wildlife/tests/wildlife_test.ludic
+++ b/packages/ludic.wildlife/tests/wildlife_test.ludic
@@ -243,6 +243,10 @@ program WildlifeTest {
     expect_eq(wildlife_count(wildlife_st, 1), 0)
     expect(wildlife_nearest(wildlife_st, -1, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0) == a)
     expect(wildlife_nearest(wildlife_st, 1, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0) == c)
+    let near = new []WildAnimal
+    expect_eq(wildlife_near(wildlife_st, 0.0, 0.0, 40.0, near), 2)
+    expect_eq(wildlife_near_of(wildlife_st, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 200.0, near), 2)
+    expect_eq(wildlife_alive_of(wildlife_st, 1), 1)
     wildlife_remove(a)
     expect_eq(wildlife_count(wildlife_st, 0), 1)
     expect(wildlife_nearest(wildlife_st, 0, 0.0, 0.0, 0.0) == b)