Four chimpanzees are shot dead after sparking panic when they escaped from their Swedish zoo enclosure
- Five chimpanzees escaped from Furuvik Zoo, around 100 miles from Stockholm
- Four were shot dead and one found its own way back inside the enclosure
- It is unclear how the apes escaped and the public have been told to stay inside
Four chimpanzees have been shot dead after sparking panic when they escaped from their zoo enclosure in Sweden.
The five chimps escaped at around lunchtime on Wednesday from their enclosure at Furuvik Zoo, which is part of an amusement park near Gavle, around 100 miles north of Stockholm.
Annika Troselius, spokesperson for the zoo, told the Expressen daily that the animals had to be euthanized because there was not enough tranquilizer for all of them.
A fifth chimpanzee is also believed to have escaped but found its own way back into the enclosure, according to Expressen.
Four chimpanzees have been shot dead with one more on the run after they escaped from a zoo in Sweden, as people have been advised to stay indoors for their safety. Pictured: A chimp at the zoo in 2009
Ing-Marie Persson, who was primate manager of the zoo for 30 years, said that the killings were deplorable
The public has been asked to stay indoors following the incident. It is unclear how the apes were able to leave their enclosure.
Troselius said that the chimpanzees are strong and dangerous animals and the zoo’s main focus ‘is that no human gets hurt’.
She added that the deaths of the mammals was tragic but that they could see no other option.
Ing-Marie Persson, who was primate manager of the zoo for 30 years, said that the killings were deplorable.
She said that the animals were her ‘best friends’ and part of her ‘family’, and that their deaths had broken her heart.
She said that the animals were her ‘best friends’ and part of her ‘family’, and that their deaths had broken her heart
The five chimps escaped at around lunchtime on Wednesday from their enclosure at Furuvik Zoo, which is part of an amusement park near Gavle, around 100 miles north of Stockholm (file image)
She told Afton Bladet: ‘It should not have been necessary to shoot the escaped monkeys.
‘It is deplorable. So poorly done.’
Persson added that the animals should have been stunned. When she was in charge and the chimpanzees escaped, the zoo was evacuated so staff could safely load guns with anaesthetic.
The Furuvik zoo had seven chimpanzees. According to the park’s web page, it is also the only primate research station in the Nordic countries.
The zoo plans to set up an investigation to find out how happened and will introduce measures to ensure it won’t happen again.
In 2009 the BBC reported that Santiano, a chimpanzee at the zoo, planned hundreds of stone-throwing attacks on the zoo’s visitors.
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