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Firefighters in front of the burning monkey house at Krefeld Zoo in Germany today. Alexander Forstreuter/DPA via AP

Scores of animals killed in fire at German zoo

Local media reported that New Year’s Eve fireworks could have started the blaze.

A FIRE AT a zoo in western Germany killed a large number of animals in the early hours of the new year, authorities have said.

They did not comment on local media reports that the blaze was started by fireworks.

Krefeld Zoo, near the Dutch border, said the entire ape house burned down and all the animals inside died.

The DPA news agency, quoting officials, said the dead animals included chimpanzees, orangutans and two gorillas, as well as fruit bats and birds.

However, the zoo said on Facebook that the nearby Gorilla Garden escaped the flames and that gorilla Kidogo and his family are alive.

“An unfathomable tragedy hit us shortly after midnight.” the zoo said in a statement. “Our ape building burned down to the foundation.”

Both the zoo and city officials said they did not know what had caused the fire and that police are investigating. They would not confirm local media reports that New Year’s Eve fireworks could have started the blaze.

The zoo remained closed today.

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    Mute Tim Henchin
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    Nov 16th 2011, 9:01 AM

    ………. what is the betting that not one of them will have a legitimate mandate. We live in a post-democratic age, it is disturbing to see how many accepted this.

    We have the man who fudged Greece’s books, so they could get in to the Euro, while he was the head of their banking system made leader. It is like having Sean Fitzpatrick rammed in as leader of this state by Europe.

    It will either go down in history as the start of a dark but temporary blot on European democratic history or else as a great day for Europe, written by our new technocratic masters in the future, the corporatization of the continent. There used to be a name for the merging of corporate power and State control in to one entity. A predecessor of this man invented it.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnTOiso08HM

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    Mute Uncle Mort
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    Nov 16th 2011, 9:40 AM

    Good link Tim,thanks for sharing it.
    The mention of the ‘intense talks’ by Monti begs the question as the what bribes were offered, by bribes I mean offers of position and power.

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