The zookeepers' war : an incredible true story from the Cold War / J.W. Mohnhaupt ; translated by Shelley Frisch.
TITLE:
The zookeepers' war : an incredible true story from the Cold War / J.W. Mohnhaupt ; translated by Shelley Frisch.
Publication Date:
2019
Publication Information:
New York : Simon & Schuster Paperbacks,
Edition:
First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition.
Physical Description:
261 p., [8] p. of plates : ill.
Geographic Term:
Additional Contributors:
Bibliography Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-248) and index.
Summary:
In the 1960s, the East Berlin zoo was spacious and lush, a socialist utopia where everything was perfectly planned-- but rarely successfully finished. Berlin's two zoos became symbols of the divided city's two halves. Eventually the head zookeepers on either side started an animal arms race: competing to have the most pandas and hippos. State funds were quietly diverted to give these new animals lavish welcomes worthy of visiting dignitaries. West German presidential candidates were talking about zoo policy on the campaign trail. Mohnhaupt tells a tale of desperate rivalries, human follies, and an animal-mad city in which zookeeping became a way of continuing politics by other means.
Language:
English
ISBN:
9781501188503
