Crisis at Monkey Zoo
This story has everything I like. It has land dealings right out of "Chinatown." It has monkeys, lots of monkeys.
And it was written by a good friend of mine.
Doug Irving, currently at the Orange County Register has what is certainly the coolest beat in all of journalism: He covers the Santa Ana Zoo.
Yeah, I've never been there either. How many of you even knew Santa Ana HAD a zoo?
But here's the best part: Under an agreement with the man who donated the property 60 years ago, the zoo must maintain population of at least 50 monkeys at all times or his heirs get to take the property back.
Well, wouldn't you know it, the monkey populatioin recently dwindled to 48. What do you suppose happened next?
Go read the story and find out. I'll give you a clue. It has a happy ending. When you're done, send Doug an e-mail about bees. Doug LOVES bees.
Photo from the Orange County Register
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.
Leave a comment