War. War never changes.
Thousands of years ago the world was divided into two major groups of animals. There were the predators: strong, fierce, and dominating the at the top of the food chain. Then there were the prey: meek, frail, and while their numbers were greater, they still cowered in fear of the predators. It was not the need to expand or a battle over resources, it was simply a fight for their own survival.
Over time the different species put away their claws and started to develop their minds. They created cities, new technologies, and drastically changed their way of life. This new life included the union of predator and prey forging a peace that would exist for centuries, forever changing how the world of mammals would interact with each other.
Unfortunately, evolution comes at a cost. Peace cannot exist without those whom oppose it. In the past, war was symbolized by the most basic of needs: food, shelter, reproduction. Predators killed to eat and fought to gain better hunting grounds. Prey foraged and sought shelter from those who would make meals of them.
Today wars are fought over resources, land, and due to bigotry. Hate and fear still live within the world. Even in great cities such as Zootopia, where peace and harmony areadvocated, a place where anyone can be anything, there does still exist the primal urges that resides deep within every mammal. The urges that make prey turn against predators. Predators shunned for simply what they are. A placewhere fear still exists deep within the subconscious of everyone. It is because of this that war will never fade.
War is inevitable. For the most basic need for war comes down to survival, and it is because of this that war never truly changes.
For years there was a growing unease in the world. As resources started to dwindle, many nations began to find ways to harness the natural resources of other countries. This caused violence to break out between the nations, and even as the World Peace Organization attempted to maintain trusts and find ways to share resources, it did not help to quell the growing violence. Anonymous threats started to fall upon the different nations. Rumors of prey uprising in Oxenburg. Missing mammals in Slothrend. Vicious predator attacks in cities around the world. The world was starting to break.
The world changed when the first nuclear bomb went off. The arctic nation of Svalbear were the first to demonstrate the devastation of a nuclear blast. It detonated it high in the air where it's power could be seen for thousands of miles. Soon nations all over were creating their own weapons of mass destruction to protect themselves from the inevitable.
In this age of fear one group stepped up to bring peace of mind to the masses. Burrow-Tec, founded within Zootopia's Little Rodentia district, promised to keep mammals of all species safe. From the smallest mouse to the tallest giraffe. They designed the Burrows. State of the art underground shelters that can house hundreds of animals comfortably for decades. These high tech shelters offered the world a shining light in the encroaching darkness. Combined with the technological efforts of SwineCo, leader in robotic technologies, these Burrows were built within record times. Many hoped that there would not be need for these shelters. They were wrong.
In the year 3026 in the Modern Era, a thermonuclear explosive went off in Zootopia's Tundratown. It was unexpected and caught the rest of the world by surprise. No one took credit for the detonation but it did not matter. Nations started to fire their own warheads at those they thought were responsible. The war only lasted a few hours. After the smoke cleared the world was reduced to ash. Many were able to make it into the safety of Burrows, but many more lost their lives that day.
When the doors to Burrow 76 closed on that fateful day, the residents were told that it would reopen again in thirty years once the world above was safe again.
It is now the year 3228, and the doors are still sealed.