Former Zoo Property Offered at Auction
ROYAL (AP) - Most of the northeast Nebraska land that used to house Zoo Nebraska is going up for sale as part of a plan to liquidate the assets of the closed zoo. The seven-acre zoo in Royal once housed a number of exotic animals such as tigers, monkeys and parrots. It made headlines in 2005 because three escaped chimpanzees were shot and killed on zoo grounds. Bids will be accepted through June 28 on four lots of land. Mark Fitzgerald, the Norfolk attorney overseeing the sale, says a fifth piece of land covering about five acres was returned to the family that donated it because it was no longer being used as a zoo. The zoo has been closed to the public since May 2007. Zoo Nebraska's animals were rescued by wildlife refuges and sanctuaries in other states.
