ZOO NEBRASKA The Dismantling of an American Dream

Calm gives way to rising tension in Patrick Lawlor's voice as the real-life story of the zoo in Royal, Nebraska, unfolds. A chaotic scene with escaped chimpanzees is its sad climax. Journalist Carson Vaughn's account begins when Dick Haskin returns to his hometown to start a primate center. Lawlor creates voices for the many people who knew and worked with Haskin as they tell of the small-town zoo's growth, changes in management, and developing discord. Lawlor narrates with urgency, slowing down occasionally for a note of atmosphere or detail, as he describes the fateful 2005 day when chimps got loose and three were shot,. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2019]