cover image Monkeys on Interstat

Monkeys on Interstat

Jack Hanna. Doubleday Books, $18.95 (292pp) ISBN 978-0-385-24731-3

When the Columbus Zoo (Ohio) hired Hanna as director in 1978, its chief attraction was the gorilla collection, but all the animals were caged and the buildings run-down. With hard work, imagination and a genius for promotion--this man could have given P. T. Barnum lessons--Hanna revamped and revived the zoo, turning it into one of the finest in the country. Since his childhood, he has loved animals; he had a home menagerie, ran a pet shop and petting zoo, worked for a wildlife adventure outfit. Written with Stravinsky ( The Not So Great Moments in Sports ), here is a collection of exuberant stories about the Columbus Zoo: successful breeding of endangered species, animal births and deaths, escapes (the monkeys of the title went north on I-71 to Cleveland in seven months), local and national TV appearances ( Good Morning America ; Late Night with David Letterman ), safari adventures. The book will leave zoophiles and animals lovers breathless. Photos. First serial to Cosmopolitan; Troll Book Club selection; author tour. (June)