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Police in western Germany have said that a Chinese lantern released during New Year’s Eve celebrations may have caused a fire in a zoo that killed more than 30 animals.
The fire burned down Krefeld Zoo’s Great Ape House, killing primates including chimpanzees, orangutans and two elderly gorillas.
“It is the worst day in the history of Krefeld Zoo,” the zoo’s director Wolfgang Dressen told reporters on Wednesday.
The incident was an “inconceivable tragedy,” the zoo wrote on Facebook. “Our worst fears have come true.”
The zoo, outside Dusseldorf, was closed to visitors on New Year’s Day and was to remain closed on Thursday.
The police suspected that the fire may have been caused by a Chinese lantern released into the air during New Year’s Eve celebrations. Several lanterns like this had been found in the area.
Investigator Gerd Hoppmann said that the lanterns were “highly dangerous” and could fly more than half a mile. They have been banned in Germany since 2009.

After an appeal to anyone who had lit lanterns in the area to come forward, several people reported to the police station in Krefeld. Police said they were treating the fire as a case of negligent arson.
Dressed in black, Dressen said that only two chimpanzees named Bally and Limbo survived the fire, which reduced the Great Ape House to its bare structure. They sustained minor injuries and were now under sedation, he said.
Australia fires: zoo staff take monkeys and pandas home to save them
Pygmy marmosets, birds and flying foxes also died in the blaze, a zoo spokeswoman said.
A neighbouring gorilla enclosure, where a young family of seven gorillas lived, was spared any damage.
The fire service said they were called and arrived at the scene within minutes.

By this time, the monkey house had already been consumed by the flames.
“It was clear to us that we could not save it,” said Kai Guenther from the fire service.
Krefeld Zoo sees about 400,000 visitors each year. It counts elephants, leopards and rhinos among its star attractions, with a total of around 1,000 animals.
The ape house was opened in 1975, and has a total area of some 2,000 square metres.

The fire prompted the German Animal Welfare Federation to call for an exclusion zone around zoos when it comes to New Year’s fireworks.
Germans often use powerful fireworks to celebrate the New Year and in Berlin, rescue services on Wednesday recorded 22 injuries, some of which required amputations, from the holiday.
That was roughly comparable to levels seen in previous years.
Chinese zoo asks tourists not to feed cash to its animals after visitor throws US$1,500 to giraffes
The effect of fireworks on air quality has also begun to spark debate and the federal environment agency UBA estimated that the amount of fine particles released in one night was comparable to two months of highway traffic.
Several major German supermarket and hardware chains have decided to stop selling fireworks.
Demand remains strong for now however, with the people spending around €113 million (US$127 million) for New Year fireworks, the same amount as last year, according to sector federation VPI.
Around 57 per cent of the county’s inhabitants would support a ban on firework sales but 84 per cent of those questioned also said they looked forward to displays next year.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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Germany

Chinese lantern may have sparked New Year’s blaze that killed dozens of monkeys at German zoo

Candles and soft toys placed at the entrance of the zoo in Krefeld, Germany. Photo: EPA

01 January 2020, North Rhine-Westphalia, Krefeld: A general view of the burned monkey house at the Krefeld Zoo after a New Year's Eve fire that claimed the lives of at least than 30 animals. Photo: Christoph Reichwein/dpa

epa08097713 A placard with text 'Died for your New Year's Eve entertainment!' as people mourn at the entrance outside of the zoo in Krefeld, Germany, 01 January 2020. All animals, in total more than 30, died during the fire at the Krefeld Zoo ape house in the New Year's night. The dead animals include chimpanzees, orangutans and two older gorillas. The criminal police in Krefeld currently assume that so-called sky lanterns may have set the monkey house on fire on New Year's Eve. According to reports, eye-witnesses had seen sky lanterns land on the roof of the building. EPA-EFE/SASCHA STEINBACH

epa08097707 People mourn as they gather at the entrance outside of the zoo in Krefeld, Germany, 01 January 2020. All animals, in total more than 30, died during the fire at the Krefeld Zoo ape house in the New Year's night. The dead animals include chimpanzees, orangutans and two older gorillas. The criminal police in Krefeld currently assume that so-called sky lanterns may have set the monkey house on fire on New Year's Eve. According to reports, eye-witnesses had seen sky lanterns land on the roof of the building. EPA-EFE/SASCHA STEINBACH

Firemen at the burning monkey house of the zoo in Krefeld. Photo: DPA

Australia fires: zoo staff take monkeys and pandas home to save them

The zoo’s larger animals – its giraffes, zebras and rhinos – couldn’t be relocated. Instead, zoo staff sheltered them. Photo: Chad Staples

Koala stops cyclists to ask for water as Australia’s heatwave and bush fires continue

A thirsty koala in Australia gets a drink from a cyclist. Photo: Instagram, via Reuters

FIEL - In this image made from video taken on Dec. 22, 2019, and provided by Oakbank Balhannah CFS, a koala drinks water from a bottle given by a firefighter in Cudlee Creek, South Australia. Thousands of koalas are feared to have died in a wildfire-ravaged area north of Sydney, further diminishing Australia's iconic marsupial, while the fire danger accelerated Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 in the country’s east as temperatures soared. (Oakbank Balhannah CFS via AP, File)

epa08092338 A handout photo made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of a satellite image showing part of mainland Australia, 26 December 2019, where historic bushfires still rage in the southeastern states and territories, especially intense around the South Australian city of Adelaide (L, bottom). Meanwhile, fires around Sydney have mostly been brought under control, but the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (NSWRFS) advised affected residents that weather conditions are forecast to deteriorate over the coming days. This image was captured by the NOAA-20 satellite's VIIRS instrument, which scans the entire Earth twice per day. EPA-EFE/NOAA HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES

A koala looks at the camera while receiving water from a cyclist during a severe heatwave that hit the region, in Adelaide Hills, South Australia, Australia December 27, 2019 in this image taken from social media. Picture taken December 27, 2019. INSTAGRAM/@BIKEBUG2019/via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES.

In black and white: Berlin Zoo reveals twin panda cubs are boys called Meng Xiang and Meng Yuan

Meng Yuan and Meng Xiang appear at Berlin Zoo for the first time on their naming day. Photo: AP

Panda cubs Meng Yuan and Meng Xiang are seen during a news conference to announce their names at the Berlin Zoo in Berlin, Germany, December 9, 2019. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

Flames of love burn too brightly after Chinese couple accidentally start woodland fire during romantic evening on mountain

More than 200 firefighters were needed to bring the fire under control. Photo: Weibo

== PICTURE CAPTURED FROM WEIBIO == A couple in southern China were put under detention for 15 days for causing a forest fire after they set off firecrackers to create romance on the mountain.Â The blaze started on Queya Mountain in Dongyuan county in northern part of Guangdong province in the evening of Saturday (Dec 14), news portal kankanews.com reports. It was put out within two hours.Â More than 200 firefighters were dispatched to extinguish the fire that burned trees and grasses in an area of 7,000 sq metres, the report said.Â The couple were caught on the spot and the fire happened because they made firecrackers while taking photos, said policePhoto: WEIBIO

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The blaze burned down the zoo’s Great Ape House, killing chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and flying foxes
Police urged those who had lit the lanterns, which have been banned in Germany, to come forward



The blaze burned down the zoo’s Great Ape House, killing chimpanzees, orangutans, gorillas and flying foxes.
