More than 30 animals dead, burned alive by a fire in the Krefeld zoo. Five Borneo orangutans, a West African chimpanzee and two lowland gorillas have died in the flames of the monkey house. There was also no escape for several smaller primates, birds and bats.
The fire broke out shortly after midnight. The fire department was on site within five minutes, said operations manager Kai Günther at a press conference at the zoo on Wednesday. Too late. The monkey house burned down completely. The financial damage is in the millions.
photo gallery
5 pictures
Krefeld Zoo: silent mourning for beloved monkeysThe extent of the emotional loss is shown by the sympathy from the population. In front of the zoo, which was closed on Wednesday, people laid flowers and pictures to commemorate the popular animals. The zoo, opened in 1975, attracts around 400,000 visitors annually. But not on Thursday, then the doors will remain closed.
SASCHA STEINBACH / EPA-EFE / REX
Souvenirs of animals from the Krefeld Zoo burned by a fire
"We have to work through the grieving process seriously," said zoo director Wolfgang Dreßen on Wednesday. The fire is an unfathomable tragedy for him and his team.
At least two chimpanzees survived. The 40 year old female Bally and the young male Limbo. "It borders on a miracle," said Dreßen. Both suffered only minor burn injuries and were housed in a previously unused enclosure in the gorilla garden. The gorillas' kennel had been spared the fire in the adjacent ape house.
Possible suspects arise
After the suspicion that the cause of the fire could have been so-called sky lanterns, the police had appealed to the alleged owners of the lanterns to report. The floating lamps are prohibited in Germany. Several of them, some with handwritten notes on them, had been seized in Krefeld.
In fact, some people followed the police call and reported to the authorities. "The police have interrogated the people and will check their information," said the investigators on Wednesday. As the review takes some time, no further information on the circumstances and the suspects would be given on Wednesday.