A massive blaze at a zoo in Germany has killed dozens of animals after tearing through the ape enclosure in the early hours of January 1.
In a statement on its Facebook page, Krefeld Zoo said its “worst fears had become a reality” and that there were no surviving animals in its monkey house.
“An unbelievable tragedy rolled us shortly after midnight. Our human monkey house has burned down to the basic scaffolding,” it said.
“The cause of the fire is still unknown,” it said.
German Animal Welfare Society James Brückner commented on speculation that fireworks may be to blame for the fire.
“If fireworks really caused the fire, this would be a terrible proof of the dramatic consequences uncontrolled fireworks can have,” he said.
“At least around areas where many animals live – and of course zoos are among them – there is an urgent need for protective zones where private New Year’s Eve fireworks are prohibited.”
“Otherwise, even fatal fires cannot be ruled out – regardless of whether they are in zoos, animal shelters or farms. We now hope for a quick clarification of the tragedy in Krefeld for all parties involved.”
A video shared on social media showed the blaze as high as the tops of trees as it ripped through the ape house.
According to the zoo’s website, the ape house was more than 2,000 square metres and housed chimpanzees and orang-utans, as well as marmosets, acouchis and birds.
The zoo confirmed that the gorillas – including Kidogo, a primate famous for performing tricks including walking a tightrope – had not been affected by the fire.
The post on the Zoo Krefeld post has already received more than 2.2k comments in just six hours.
