I finished an interesting and compelling read: The Zoo Keeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman. The essence of the story is a Zookeepr, his wife and cohorts employ the zoo over which they have stewardship as a haven, hiding post and transitional stage for those persecuted and hunted by the Germans during the war - be they human or animal.

" rescuers tended to be decisive, fast-thinking, risk-taking, independent, adventurous, open-hearted, rebellious and unusually flexible - able to switch plans, abandon habits, or change ingrained routines at a moments notice" are words used to describe rescuers but I find it lacking the descriptors that must also be included: charitable, loving, kind, sacrificing.

Beyond the courage of Jan and Antonia, I was intrigued by the story of Nazi Germany's obsession with prehistoric animals, a forest primeval and an ideology that embraced attempting to restore an historic Germanic environment and animals. Consistent with other Nazi philosophy of trying to rewrite the genetic code of the entire planet, but unexamined by me prior to this reading.