Zoo Nebraska: The Dismantling of an American Dream (2019) is a brand-new book written by a freelance journalist named Carson Vaughan. The focus is on a tiny, roadside zoo in the town of Royal, Nebraska, a city which for many years has averaged approximately 80 people as its entire population. The book is 238 pages in length and is a gripping read, with the zoological element not always front and center and instead there is a long list of colourful characters who often represent small-town visions. By that I mean that many of the residents of Royal, Nebraska, have not traveled to other parts of the world and the men and women are for the most part confined to their tiny part of the mid-western USA and thus have a small-town mentality. Early on there is a mini-biography on Dick Haskin, a man who at a very early age loved non-human primates, wanted to venture forth to Africa, briefly met Dian Fossey, worked at the Folsom Children's Zoo (now called the Lincoln Children's Zoo), looked after a Chimpanzee named Reuben, and fancied himself a primatologist. Haskin attempted to found the Midwest Primate Center, which was essentially a single ape in an outdated corn-crib cage. Things picked up with the involvement of late-night talk show host Johnny Carson, who donated money that led to the birth of the Northeast Nebraska Zoo. The zoo gradually expanded, with an average of 30-50 animals at any one time, all overseen by Dick Haskin as he worked himself into the ground running the establishment that never once was anything other than a motley menagerie. The book shines a light on the growth of the zoo as it eventually contained a Cougar, an African Lion, a ragtag bunch of other exotics in substandard enclosures, and even 4 Chimpanzees. At one point the zoo had a name change to Zoo Nebraska, went through several directors in a short span of time, and the bickering, small-town politics makes for a great read that is almost like a soap opera at times. Grandiose dreams were never realized and the zoo eked out an existence in the shadow of Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo (a few hours away) until one fateful, violent day. On September 10th, 2005, human error led to the escape of 4 full-grown Chimpanzees and that section of the chapter plays out like a tense, action-packed Hollywood movie. The book is well-written, crisp and professional in its prose, and the rampaging Chimpanzees were the catalyst for the downfall of the zoo. Although I prefer more traditional zoological history books, reading Zoo Nebraska was a delight and I've already ordered another zoo book on the same subject. Reuben - The Savage Prisoner: A Chimp's Story (2015) was written by Sandra Lynch-Bakken, who was briefly director of Zoo Nebraska and wrote a book all about the zoo's most famous resident. - Scott Richardson
