What’s Happening at The ZOO
The attack on a Toledo zoo keeper by an elephant he was working with earlier this month brings renewed attention to the thorny questions surrounding zoos. In a new book, Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives, St. Petersburg Times reporter, Thomas French, examines those questions, based on the six years he spent reporting on the Tampa Zoo, once declared one of the worst zoos in America.
Reviewing the book on Salon, Laura Miller, admits the writing is just “meat and potatoes” journalism, but is clearly captivated by the story, “All the artistry in Zoo Story comes in the form of scene-setting and storytelling, at which French most certainly excels.”
The book received starred reviews from both Kirkus and Library Journal. Libraries are showing 1:1 holds on modest orders. It’s also an August Indie Next pick.
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Tantor Audio; Read by John Allen Nelson; UNABR; On Sale Date: 07/31/2010
Trade 9781400118830 9 Audio CDs $34.99
Library 9781400148837 9 Audio CDs $83.99
MP3 9781400168835 1 MP3-CD $24.99
July 17th, 2010 at 7:42 pm
I sure hope this book is not just another “hit piece” aimed at zoos. Calling zoo animals “captives” is a bit revealing of an anti-zoo attitude. Yes, they really are living “in captivity”, but it’s also true that zoos are much more “animal resorts” than “animal prisons”. In (most) American zoos, animals are well fed, cared for, protected, and loved. For the most part, they live a better life than their wild relatives.
Allen Nyhuis, Coauthor: America’s Best Zoos