Antonina had a way with animals. She identified with them and
understood how their instincts worked. So who better to live in a
large urban zoo and help her husband manage it than this
unassuming, young Polish mother?

In early September 1939 the routine of daily life in Warsaw was
horribly and quickly destroyed by the German war machine. Much of
the city was physically ruined, and the zoo and its many
inhabitants and employees were caught in the horror of war. Many of
the zoo's buildings, shelters, cages and habitats were destroyed or
badly damaged. Most of the vast collection of exotic animals died
in the bombings. Still, some escaped, while others were brutally
shot in their cages by Nazi soldiers. This premier zoo abruptly
became a tattered shadow of its former self.

Dr. Jan Zabinski, the zookeeper, and his wife Antonina provided a
temporary hiding place for many Jews. Some were friends, but most
were total strangers. Not only did the Zabinskis provide a safe
haven for Resistance activists and persecuted Jews, they actually
hid some refugees in plain sight. Their "Guests," who had Aryan
features, were given jobs at the zoo. The Zabinskis worked
tirelessly with the Underground. Every day they lived with fear,
dread and uncertainty, and even carried a cyanide tablet with them,
just in case.

Jan joined the Resistance, hiding explosives in the elephant
quarters and holding various jobs that allowed him to enter the
Ghetto on work-related matters. He smuggled food and information to
his friends in the Ghetto and made several useful contacts. Much of
Jan's work for the Underground kept him away from home, so it fell
to Antonina to look after their young son, the remaining menagerie
and the Guests. Somehow she managed to feed and shelter everyone
who sought her help, a huge undertaking that required quick
thinking and the ability to size up whether or not a person could
be trusted. She kept her wits about her and learned to lie credibly
to the German officials and soldiers who often stopped by. Against
all odds, she even managed to provide some calm and a bit of
normality in the frightening and dangerous world they now
inhabited.

In July 1942 the Nazis began "liquidating" the Warsaw
Ghetto. In just two months 265,000 Jews were shipped from the
Ghetto to the death camp Treblinka. Only 55,000 remained in
the Ghetto, which then became a labor camp run by the SS. A new
type of Underground emerged. Zagota, a rescue group, provided
much-needed cash and thousands of precious fake documents to the
Zabinskis. Approximately one-twelfth of the entire population of
Warsaw and its suburbs helped many Jews escape. 

The war and cruel occupation raged on. In June 1943 Antonina gave
birth to a daughter --- a blessing and a ray of hope amidst so much
cruelty, death and terror. Jan joined the Home Army and was
summoned to battle on August 1, 1944. Early in the Warsaw Uprising
he was shot through the neck. The hospital where he was
recuperating was captured by the Germans, and he was sent to a POW
camp. During his long absence, Antonina looked after their two
young children and her sickly, elderly mother-in-law.

Antonina's story is testimony that fear can be overcome by courage
and that good can triumph over evil. The spirit of one dedicated,
Christian Polish woman and her love of animals and mankind shine
through the pages of this intriguing book.