NORFOLK, Neb. -- A well-known former Nebraska zoo owner is back in the spotlight with the release of his new book.

On Thursday, Dick Haskin, the former owner of the Royal Zoo, stopped in at the Norfolk Public Library to promote his new book “Monkey on the Other Side of the Window: The True Story of the Northeast Nebraska Zoo in Royal, Nebraska.”

The book is Haskin’s biography and chronicles his life as a child, an adult, and a zoo owner, detailing stories and experiences he has had with animals all his life.

“I was around animals my entire life. I had an uncanny ability to work with animals and then decided to work with primates early on, I was in eighth grade,” Haskin said. “I got the education necessary to work with non-human primates. I got a job at the zoo in Lincoln and was their primate specialist and research director for several years.”

At the library, Haskin gave a presentation titled "Animal Tales" which detailed his favorite parts about working with animals throughout his life.

In his lifetime, Haskin has worked alongside chimpanzees, alligators, ostriches, lions, and bears.

He said his fondest memory of the Royal Zoo is the positive impact that the animals and zoo keepers left on children and visitors.

“I enjoyed working with the animals. Working with the different kinds of animals that I worked with was quite an honor, as I worked with endangered species,” Haskin said. “And of course the children. Being able to encourage the children, know they looked up to zoo keepers and encouraged them to dream.”

Since the Royal Zoo closed, Haskin has been researching the history of the Ashfall Fossil Beds and wrote three books on the topic.

Haskin said you can purchase all four of his books on Amazon.