A fire at Krefeld Zoo in western Germany has killed more than 30 animals, including chimpanzees, orangutans and two elderly gorillas, zoo authorities and emergency services said on Wednesday.
The incident was an “inconceivable tragedy,” the zoo said in a statement on Facebook.
“Our worst fears have come true. There are no surviving animals in the monkey house.”
The cause of the fire has not been determined, police said. The zoo said it was “in shock” and would be closed on New Year’s Day.
Birds and flying foxes also died in the blaze, a zoo spokeswoman said.
A neighbouring gorilla enclosure, where a young family of seven gorillas lived, was spared any damage.
The fire service said they were called at 0038 am and arrived at the scene within minutes.
By this time, the monkey house had already been consumed by the flames.
Krefeld Zoo, about 15 kilometres outside Dusseldorf, sees about 400,000 visitors each year. It counts elephants, leopards and rhinos among its star attractions. The monkey house was opened in 1975. — dpa
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