Four chimpanzees still on the loose at zoo in Sweden
Four chimpanzees were still on the loose in the monkey house at the Furuviksparken zoo near Gävle on Friday, after attempts to get them back into their enclosure failed.
Staff at the park are now hoping to use drones to get a view of the animals, with staff hoping they will be able to enter the monkey house and feed the animals.
One of the chimpanzees is injured after it was shot during the escape attempt on Wednesday. Three other chimpanzees were shot and killed.
On Thursday, staff were able to find the chimpanzees using a drone, identifying three moving around with another lying down on the ground.
"It's difficult to ascertain the state of that chimpanzee's injuries," said Annika Troselius, information head at Parks and Resorts, which owns the Furuvik zoo. "We're all incredibly concerned about the chimpanzee's situation and are very anxious to be able to enter the building," she wrote in a press statement. At the same time, we need to do everything in a safe manner to ensure the safety of our employees."
The plan is to now try and enter part of the building where staff are protected behind bars in order to give the chimpanzees food.
Chimpanzees are classified as a high-risk animal, Troselius explained on Wednesday, meaning that staff are not permitted to get too close to the animals due to the danger they pose to human life.
It is also impossible to a tranquilizer on the animals, she explained, as it is too dangerous for staff to get close enough to administer a dose.
"There’s tranquilizer in the park but it was never an alternative to use it," she explained. "Chimpanzees are high-risk animals and if there is a danger to human life, the only alternative is to euthanise them, according to the risk group and experts."
It is not yet clear how the chimpanzees managed to escape from their enclosure on Wednesday.
“This whole situation is tragic in every possible way,” Troselius said. “It shouldn’t happen. We need to take full responsibility and investigate this."
The police have also reported the park for violating the Animal Welfare Act, due to suspicions that the park's enclosure was not sufficiently secure to prevent the animals from escaping.
"We welcome all kinds of investigation in this case," Troselius said.
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Staff at the park are now hoping to use drones to get a view of the animals, with staff hoping they will be able to enter the monkey house and feed the animals.
One of the chimpanzees is injured after it was shot during the escape attempt on Wednesday. Three other chimpanzees were shot and killed.
On Thursday, staff were able to find the chimpanzees using a drone, identifying three moving around with another lying down on the ground.
"It's difficult to ascertain the state of that chimpanzee's injuries," said Annika Troselius, information head at Parks and Resorts, which owns the Furuvik zoo. "We're all incredibly concerned about the chimpanzee's situation and are very anxious to be able to enter the building," she wrote in a press statement. At the same time, we need to do everything in a safe manner to ensure the safety of our employees."
The plan is to now try and enter part of the building where staff are protected behind bars in order to give the chimpanzees food.
Chimpanzees are classified as a high-risk animal, Troselius explained on Wednesday, meaning that staff are not permitted to get too close to the animals due to the danger they pose to human life.
It is also impossible to a tranquilizer on the animals, she explained, as it is too dangerous for staff to get close enough to administer a dose.
"There’s tranquilizer in the park but it was never an alternative to use it," she explained. "Chimpanzees are high-risk animals and if there is a danger to human life, the only alternative is to euthanise them, according to the risk group and experts."
It is not yet clear how the chimpanzees managed to escape from their enclosure on Wednesday.
“This whole situation is tragic in every possible way,” Troselius said. “It shouldn’t happen. We need to take full responsibility and investigate this."
The police have also reported the park for violating the Animal Welfare Act, due to suspicions that the park's enclosure was not sufficiently secure to prevent the animals from escaping.
"We welcome all kinds of investigation in this case," Troselius said.
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