INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas are among more than 30 animals to have died after a fire inside an ape house at a German zoo.Krefeld
Zoo, located near the Dutch border, said an "unfathomable tragedy" had befallen the wildlife park, with the flames erupting shortly after
midnight as the city welcomed the new year.In a post on Facebook, the zoo initially said that none of the animals who lived in the monkey
sanctuary had survived, but later revealed that two chimpanzees had made it.Image:The fire started shortly after midnight"The chimpanzees
Bally and Limbo miraculously survived the devastating fire," the zoo said."They are only slightly injured and are now housed in two boxes in
They are being looked after by several zoo veterinarians."Image:Firemen inspect the burned-out monkey sanctuaryImage:Local media reported
that fireworks caused the blazeEarlier on Wednesday, the zoo had posted: "An unfathomable tragedy hit us shortly after midnight
Our ape building burned down to the foundation."It said every chimpanzee, orangutan and gorilla inside had died, adding: "Our worst fears
have become reality."Fruit bats and birds also died.The nearby Gorilla Garden exhibit escaped unscathed, with popular resident Kidogo and
his family alive and well.Image:Every animal inside the ape house diedThe zoo said it was thankful for the offers of assistance, but said it
could not accept volunteer aid because the devastated sanctuary "is in danger of collapsing"."We are grateful for donations of any amount,"
the zoo said."We will continue to focus on keeping apes in the future and we will build a new house."Local media reported the fire was
started by fireworks, but the zoo - which will remain closed on Wednesday - has not commented on the cause.Police are continuing to
investigate but have said it could have been caused by a Chinese lantern.Krefeld Police spokesman Gerd Hoppmann told reporters that
witnesses had spotted lanterns "flying close to the zoo and very low, so we can assume they fell on the ground in this area".Image:The zoo
will remain closed on WednesdayAccording to Deutsche Welle, the monkey sanctuary had stood since 1975 and was home to orangutans, gorillas,
chimpanzees and other animals.One woman who visited the zoo on New Year's Day said: "We went into every house and looked at all the animals
that are outside and of course we were also in the monkey house."The new gorilla enclosure has become beautiful and in 2020 an outdoor
enclosure for the orangutans was planned and for the chimpanzee forest is also being built
All this is no longer necessary."Another local said he was "speechless" that fireworks were still allowed in the vicinity of the zoo and
called on city authorities to ban them within a mile radius.The man added: "The animals suffer extremely from these fireworks, they panic
and especially the zoo should have been protected."
