She always wore a religious medallion around her neck and it is believed that she prayed. She was raised a strict Catholic and both of her children (Ryszard and Teresa) were baptized. The real Zookeeper's Wife, Antonina (born Antonina Erdman), was a Russian-born Pole who lost her parents in the early days of the Russian Revolution at the hands of the Bolsheviks. Author Diane Ackerman drew in part from Antonina's diary for her book on which the movie is based. During the occupation, she and their young son Ryszard fed and cared for the fleeing Jews who they had given shelter to at the zoo. She assisted with the day-to-day operations at the zoo, including caring for the animals. She also had an affinity for the piano and painting.

The Zookeeper's Wife true story reveals that Antonina Zabinski was a teacher and respected author who published children's books about animals. His job with the parks gave him the opportunity to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to inspect the flora there, while at the same time connecting with prewar Jewish friends and colleagues to help them escape. During the occupation of Poland he also held the title of superintendent of the city's public parks from 1939-1945. He was a zoologist and zootechnician by trade, in addition to being a scientist and an author of books about biology and animal psychology. Prior to and during WWII, Antonina's husband Jan was the director and organizer of the Warsaw Zoo, one of the largest zoos in Europe at the time. What were Jan and Antonina Zabinski's exact roles at the Warsaw Zoo? Antonina Zabinski, The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story

I feel like I'm drowning in a gray sea, like they're flooding the whole city, washing away our past and people, dashing everything from the face of the earth.

Dawn Light by Diane Ackerman