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A LARGE FIRE at London Zoo killed an aardvark and four meerkats today, while several staff were treated for smoke inhalation.
The zoo, which attracts 1.2 million visitors a year, was closed following the pre-dawn blaze but said it would reopen again tomorrow.
It took 72 firefighters more than three hours to bring the fire under control, after it broke out in the Animal Adventure cafe and spread quickly to an adjacent shop.
“Sadly our vets have confirmed the death of our nine-year-old aardvark, Misha. There are also four meerkats still unaccounted for, but we are now presuming these have also died,” a statement from the zoo said.
It said keepers living at the zoo in Regent’s Park had responded quickly to the fire, which began shortly after 6.00am, and some staff had required medical attention.
The London Ambulance Service said it had treated eight patients at the scene, six for smoke inhalation and two for minor injuries.
One of these, a firefighter who suffered a minor wrist injury, was taken to hospital as a precaution, the London Fire Brigade said.
“We have keepers living on site and they, along with our security team, responded incredibly quickly to move animals to safe locations within their enclosures,” the zoo said.
It added: “All other animals in the vicinity are being monitored closely by our vets, but early signs suggest they have not been affected. We will continue to monitor them over the coming days.
We are all naturally devastated by this, but are immensely grateful to the fire brigade, who reacted quickly to the situation to bring the fire under control.
It’s too soon to speculate on the cause of the fire but we will be working very closely with fire investigators over the coming days and weeks to ascertain the cause.”
The zoo was closed today, but it said that after consultations with fire experts, “we are confident that we can safely open the zoo tomorrow”.
‘Arduous conditions’
The zoo opened in 1828 and is now a leading conservation organisation as well as a major tourist attraction.
According to the Visit Britain tourism agency, it attracted 1.21 million visitors last year, making it the ninth most popular paid-for attraction in the country.
London Fire Brigade officer Clive Robinson said that three-quarters of the cafe and shop, and half the roof, had been damaged by the fire, which also affected a nearby animal petting area.
“When they arrived our crews were faced with a very well-developed fire,” he said.
“They worked incredibly hard in arduous conditions to bring it under control as quickly as possible and to stop it from spreading to neighbouring animal enclosures.”
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We had 6 horrible miscarriages before we were lucky enough to have our 4 and 5 year old – we have never forgotten them and they all counted to us.
touching story, makes me think how lucky some women are to get pregnant the first time and also how sad for those who run off to england to abort. funny old world
@hit not sure what abortion has to do with this story at all.
Think link is that in both cases child / foetus (depending on point of view) both die in womb. One through natural causes, one via medical procedure.
Poor pet is obsessed with the choices that women he doesn’t even know have to make ..
Don’t you DARE hijack this
I know of a couple who really want a child. they are happily married have tired many times. it was so sad to hear their newborn passed away in their arms. she had a miscarriage and alot other compactions along the way…
They never gave up. she is pregnant with twins now and i wish them the very best with everything. you have people out there who are selfish dont care about having kids or think its Ok to have an abortion for the sake of it… Crazy world we live in.
and you have people sitting around judging complete strangers and manipulating their story for their own benefit, it’s a crazy world Byyys, but you’re not making it any better.
congratulations that’s gonna be one rich baby
Why was my comment deleted? It doesn’t contravene the comments policy in the slightest. Censorship that’s all it is.
Because someone is applying common sense for you. Just because you can say something doesn’t mean that you should say it.
Have a bit of dignity and wait for a more appropriate article to discuss that subject on.
” In our ultrasound, she even gave me a thumbs up “like” with her hand, so I’m already convinced she takes after me.”
Even when discussing a child in the womb his main interest is in promoting his business.
Disgusting attitude.
Having lost five pregnancies myself, I think it’s a very positive thing for people to speak about it. Pregnancy loss can be a very isolating experience. It’s a loss that many people feel should be buried and not grieved. I say fair play to them for being open and honest about their experiences.
Ffs…is nothing sacred?…tellin aint sellin. Too Much Information. Sorry for their pain/losses/grief…but, really, a letter in the public domain?
Lovely irish attitute, you can celebrate the birth of your child, only after the 4th one, until then speak no more just in case.
ya, how dare they reach out and tell their story to give hope to others in a similar situation positive, how bloody dare they! As humans we’re here to keep each other going when it’s tough not to make it harder
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