63-year-old mother accepts blame for deadly inferno at zoo
A fire broke out in a zoo in Western Germany just minutes into the new year, killing more than 30 animals.
A 60-year-old woman and her two adult daughters have turned themselves in after hearing that the blaze killed five orangutans, two gorillas and a chimpanzee as well as many more monkeys, birds and bats.
The women bought five Chinese lanterns, which are banned locally and in most of Germany for over a decade. The trio believed that they were allowed on New Year’s Eve and had inscribed good wishes for the new year in the lanterns, according to chief investigator Gerd Hoppmann.
Only two chimpanzees were able to be rescued from the flames by firefighters. They suffered burns but are in a stable condition.
"It's close to a miracle that Bally, a 40-year-old female chimpanzee, and Limbo, a younger male, survived this inferno," Mr Dressen said, adding that many of the zoo's animal handlers were in shock at the devastation.
"We have to seriously work through the mourning process," Mr Dressen said. "This is an unfathomable tragedy."
The Krefeld zoo opened in 1975 and attracts over 400,000 visitors each year.