First images of rescued Chester Zoo animals after fire
Written by News on 21/12/2018
The first pictures of animals settled in new habitats after they were rescued from a fire at Chester Zoo have been released.
During the incident in the zoo’s Monsoon Forest last Saturday, a range of animals were taken to safety by firefighters and zookeepers.
This including the critically endangered Sumatran orangutans and Sulawesi macaques and a range of other species, from lizards to tortoises and birds.
Mike Jordan, Director of Plants and Animals at Chester Zoo, said: “Everyone has pulled together and worked incredibly hard to relocate the many wonderful species whose homes were affected by the events of Saturday.
“Our animal experts will now be keeping a very close eye on each and every one of them – helping them to fully settle in to their temporary accommodation and ensure they have everything they need.”
Meanwhile, a conservation fundraising page which was set up in response to a deluge of offers of support has topped £140,000.
The Monsoon Forest habitat was home to threatened wildlife from South East Asia, so the fund will go towards the zoo’s charitable mission of preventing extinction for those species.
Jamie Christon, Chester Zoo’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Knowing how much people are behind us has made this terribly difficult time a little easier to bear and we really have been bowled over by all of the support.
“We’re a conservation charity, working to prevent extinction and the overwhelming generosity of our supporters will enable us to deliver an incredible amount of conservation work for threatened South East Asian species, both here in Chester and around the world.”
(c) Sky News 2018: First images of rescued Chester Zoo animals after fire
