Chester Zoo counts cost of fire
CHESTER ZOO has said it is “devastated” by the loss of some of its animals in Saturday’s fire, as supporters helped it smash a fundraising target.
Members of the public donated more than £50,000 online in little more than 24 hours since the blaze began on Saturday morning. The money will help the zoo recover from the fire that destroyed much of the roof covering its Monsoon Forest area.
Jamie Christon, the zoo’s chief operating officer, said the fire was one of the “toughest days” in the zoo’s history. He said no staff or public were harmed in the fire, which was eventually brought under control by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service crews.
Visitors were evacuated and keepers were able to move all the zoo’s mammal species to safety – including its group of critically endangered Sumatran orang-utans, Sulawesi macaques, endangered silvery gibbons and birds such as rhinoceros hornbills.
Mr Christon said: “We are, though, devastated to say that we were unable to save some of our insects, frogs, fish and small birds that were located near to the outbreak of the fire. It’s absolutely heartbreaking to lose any animal, especially when conservationists have worked so hard to breed these wonderful species.”
Mr Christon added: “The strength and support from the public has been incredibly overwhelming and the messages of goodwill have been of great comfort to our teams. We will support each other in rebuilding this part of the zoo and continue our mission of preventing extinction.”