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operas before miraculously landing the part of Big Daddy in a Scranton dinner…theater production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof。 A freelance critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer described Strickland's performance as 〃gutsy and brooding。〃
Several weeks after fire swept through Francis X。 Kingsbury's theme park； a piano…sized crate from Auckland； New Zealand； was discovered outside the padlocked gate。 No one was certain how long the crate had been there； but it was empty by the time a security guard found it； whatever was inside had clawed its way out。 Soon residents of the nearby Ocean Reef Club began reporting the disappearance of pet cats and small dogs at a rate of two per week…a mystery that remains unsolved。 Meanwhile； Kingsbury's estate received a handwritten invoice from a person calling herself RACHEL LARK。 The bill； excluding shipping； amounted to 3；755 for 〃miscellaneous wildlife。〃
The widow of DR。 WILL KOOCHER hired a Miami lawyer and filed a wrongful…death action against the Amazing Kingdom of Thrills； Ramex Global Trust； N。A。 and Bermuda Intercontinental Services； Inc。 The insurance panies hastily settled the lawsuit out of court for approximately 2。8 million。 The gutted ruins of the Amazing Kingdom were razed； and the land was replanted with native trees； including buttonwoods； pigeon plums； torchwoods； brittle palms； tamarinds； gumbo…limbos and mangroves。 This restoration was acplished in spite of rigid opposition from the Monroe County mission； which had hoped to use the property as a public dump。
The surviving owners of the FALCON TRACE golf resort sold all construction permits and building rights to a consortium of Japanese investors who had never set foot in South Florida。 However； the project stalled once again when environmentalists surveying the Key Largo site reported the presence of at least two blue…tongued mango voles； previously thought to be extinct。 According to an unsigned press release faxed to all major newspapers and wire services； the tiny mammals were spotted at Falcon Trace during a nature hike by MOLLY MCNAMARA and the Mothers of Wilderness； who immediately reported the sighting to the U。S。 Department of Interior。
Eventually the Falcon Trace and Amazing Kingdom properties were purchased from bankruptcy by the state of Florida； and became part of a preserve on NORTH KEY LARGO。 In the spring of 1991； a National Geographic photographer set out to capture on film the last surviving pair of blue…tongued mango voles。 After two months in the woods； the photographer contracted mosquito…borne encephalitis and was airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital； where he spent three weeks on clear fluids。 He never got a glimpse of the shy and nocturnal creatures； although he returned to New York with a cellophane packet of suspect rodent droppings and a pledge to keep searching。