Probe after lions maul endangered monkey to death at safari park
A safari park has launched an investigation after an endangered monkey was mauled to death by a pride of lions as horrified families looked on.
The barbary macaque was killed after it escaped from its enclosure at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling.
Shocking footage was cap - tured by visitors as the lions caught the small monkey when it entered the drivethrough lion enclosure.
It is understood at least two families witnessed the “distressing” killing.
Blair Drummond has issued an apology to the families and confirmed an internal investigation is under way.
The park' s owners have informed the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), which can issue sanctions if there is evidence that an establishment is not working to the appropriate standards.
The barbary macaque is endangered species, with only between 8,000 and 12,000 remaining in the wild.
A spokesman for the safari park said: "Our lion warden was alerted immediately and did all he could to protect the macaque.
"However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to distract the lions who responded as they would in the wild, by chasing and sadly killing the animal.
"We are truly sorry that our visitors witnessed what must have been a really distressing sight.
"This tragic event is being felt deeply by the teams involved who care for our animals around the clock.
"We are taking this extremely seriously; the safety of our visitors and the safety and care of our animals is our highest priority.
"The incident in the lion enclosure has never happened before in the history of Blair Drummond Safari Park and we share the shock and concerns that this took place.
"The macaques escaped through the gates to their habitat, which had been opened to allow a visitor car through - the macaque habitat forms part of our drive-thru and the gates are manually operated by a member of staff.
"The staff member involved was not to blame and raised the alarm immediately.
"We have implemented new operating produces and staff training to ensure that this doesn't happen again, and we have provided support to the staff involved."
A spokesman for BI AZA said: "We are carrying out our investigation, working with Blair Drummond to ensure a thorough internal investigation is carried out to prevent such incidents in future."
The safari park opened to the public in 1970 and is home to more than 350 animals, many of which roam freely or are kept in large enclosures in the 120-acre estate. The Safari Park is normally open from mid March but this year’ s opening was put back to June because of the corona virus lockdown.
The lion reserve is home solely to African lions as part of a Europe-wide breeding programme.
The Barbary macaque reserve, or“Monkey Jungle ”, was opened to the public in 2015 and houses solely Barbary macaques. They were transferred to the park from Gibraltar, to reduce problems.”