Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives

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Welcome to the savage and surprising world of Zoo Story, an unprecedented account of the secret life of a zoo and its inhabitants, both animal and human Based on six years of research, the book follows a handful of unforgettable characters at Tampa s Lowry Park Zoo an alpha chimp with a weakness for blondes, a ferocious tiger who revels in Obsession perfume, and a brilliant but tyrannical CEO known as El Diablo Blanco Zoo Story crackles with issues of global urgency the shadow of extinction, humanity s role in the destruction or survival of other species More than anything else, though, it s a dramatic and moving true story of seduction and betrayal, exile and loss, and the limits of freedom on an overcrowded planet all framed inside one zoo reinventing itself for the twenty first century Thomas French, a Pulitzer Prize winning reporter, chronicles the action with vivid power Wild elephants soaring above the Atlantic on their way to captivity Predators circling each other in a lethal mating dance Primates plotting the overthrow of their king The sweeping narrative takes the reader from the African savannah to the forests of Panama and deep into the inner workings of a place some describe as a sanctuary and others condemn as a prison All of it comes to life in the book s four legged characters Even animal lovers will be startled by the emotional charge of these creatures histories, which read as though they were co written by Dickens and Darwin Zoo Story shows us how these remarkable individuals live, how some die, and what their experiences reveal about the human desire to both exalt and control nature. Read Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives – kino-fada.fr I ve always felt conflicted about zoos On the one hand, I enjoy seeing the animals up close and personal On the other hand, I always feel guilty No matter how big or friendly their habitat, I still feel a bit melancholy when I see magnificent wild animals living their lives in such an unnatural way Then I try to make myself feel better by telling myself that they might be better off in a zoo safe from poachers and other dangers found in the wild In short, like many others, I have a I ve always felt conflicted about zoos On the one hand, I enjoy seeing the animals up close a...I found stacks and stacks of this book in a neglected corner during a Borders going out of business sale It was odd for me, because I hadn t heard of it at all So I picked it up and took it home How could I not It had elephants on the cover and promised to be a behind the scenes look at a zoo It was over and above anything I was expecting It is, in fact, the first in depth look at the personal life of zoos that I ve been able to find French, a journalist with no zoo ties, does an I found stacks and stacks of this book in a neglected corner during a Borders going out of business sale It was od...I caught myself constantly wanting to shout Yes You sooo get it throughout this book It manages to capture all of the ethical quandaries and essentially doublethink games keepers face every day when taking care of exotic animals in a zoo It s a highly conflicted field and French does a wonderful job of summarizing it I can even forgive his occasional digressions into utterly ludicrous flowery prose On a personal note, Enshalla the tiger s story is one out of my nightmares Literally I caught myself constantly wanting to shout Yes You sooo get it throughout this book It manages to capture all of the ethical quandaries and essentially doublethink games keepers face every day when taking care of exotic animals in a zoo It s a highly conflicted field and French does a wonderful job of s...Welcome to the savage and surprising world of Zoo Story, an unprecedented account of the secret life of a zoo and its inhabitants, both animal and human Based on six years of research, the book follows a handful of unforgettable characters at Tampa s Lowry Park Zoo an alpha chimp with a weakness for blondes, a ferocious tiger who revels in Obsession perfume, and a brilliant but tyrannical CEO known as El Diablo Blanco Zoo Story crackles with issues of global urgency the shadow of extinction, Welcome to the savage and surprising world of Zoo Story, an unprecedented account of the secret life of a zoo and its inhabitants, both animal an...I think most people are either for zoos or against them I don t really like the idea of any animal being kept in captivity, but this book presented a rational argument for the need for zoos one which didn t sugarcoat their dark histories and sad anecdotes I was initially drawn to the book because it was written b...There are so many superlatives I can use to review this book It s riveting, fascinating, heartbreaking, funny and a real page turner It s the story of the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa Florida It tells the story of the rise, fall and rise again of America s Number One Family Zoo and all the characters in it both human and animal Everyone from the obsessive dictatorial CEO Lex Salisbury to Herman the King of the Chimpanz...I am glad I listened to this challenging and thought provoking audiobook ZOO STORY is not simply about cute and clever exotic animals Instead, it s an examination of the complex ethics, motivations, and responsibilities involved in animal captivity, through the trials and tribulations behind the scenes at one nationally known Florida zoo.I m an animal advocate, but I do not blindly follow what this or that group says Instead, I strive to research the issues and form my own opinions I do not I am glad I listened to this challenging and thought provoking audiobook ZOO STORY is not simply about cute and...I picked up this book at the library as I do many of my books randomly cruising the animal conservation related shelves in the non fiction section As I was just about to start reading, my friend told me the author had appeared on The Colbert Report So of course, I had to check that out I was surprised to see that Colbert actually let him talk during the interview, which is unusual, but I think it may have been because the subject was not political per se.I absolutely enjoyed this book, as I picked up this book at the library as I do many of my books randomly cruising the animal conservation related shelves in the non fiction section As I was just about to start reading, my friend told me the author had appeared on The Colbert Report So of course, I had to check that out I was surprised to see that Colbert actually let him talk during the interview, which is unusual, but I think it may have been because the subject was not political per se.I absolutely enjoyed this book, as the 5 star rating implies I felt that it was very well written highly nuanced and absolutely engrossing I myself have a mixed view of zoos, I feel they are necessary but I m slightly uncomfortable with the concept I ve visited several and even have ambitions to possibly work at one one day, but all of that is very pie in the sky.It was very informative to read the story of the Lowry Park Zoo, in Tampa, FL It was an inside view that I ve never gotten to see read before I really liked how French tried ...Interesting subject matter presented in a convoluted manner Story lines would end abruptly and then pick up later in the middle of another tangent Rather than build suspense or deepen our appreciation of a particular point, this jumbled writing style left the reader frustrated and trying to remember the finer details of previous chapters The lack of flow hurt the story.Second, I think the book also suffered from too many themes was this mostly about the displaced elephant pod an inventory Interesting subject matter presented in a convoluted manner Story lines would end abruptly and then pick up later in the middle of another tangent Rather than build suspense or deepen our appreciation of a particular point, this jumbled writing style left the reader frustrated and trying to remember the finer details of previous chapters The lack of flow hurt the story.Second, I think the book also suffered from too many themes was this mostly about the...Many people hold ambivalent feelings about zoos Without them, most would never have the opportunity to see many of the beautiful and fascinating animals with whom we share the planet Zoos also offer the best hope for the continued survival of threatened species whose habitats we ve obliterated through our profligacy Yet there is an unease that comes with holding wild animals in captivity In Zoo Story , Thomas French examines these complex and often contradictory issues at the Lowry Park Zoo Many people hold ambivalent feelings about zoos Without them, most would never have the opportunity to see many of the beautiful and fascinating animals with whom we share the planet Zoos also offer the best hope for the continued survival of threatened species whose habitats we ve obliterated through our profligacy Yet there is an unease that comes with holding wild animals in captivity In Zoo Story , Thomas French examines these complex and often contradictory issues at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa Florida and their importation in 2003 of 4 African elephants 3 wild and 1 raised in captivity There are ethical problems that arise when intelligent animals are taken from the wild and placed in an artificial environment Every a...

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives
  • English
  • 02 October 2018
  • Hardcover
  • 288 pages
  • 1401323464
  • Thomas French
  • Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives