Death of animals a terrible shame

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I read the Gleaner article ‘Apes, monkeys among 30 animals killed in German Zoo fire’ (January 1, 2020) and thought that this was a terrible (and preventable) tragedy that occurred due to wayward fireworks to supposedly ring in the New Year of 2020 and which caused a huge blaze at the Krefeld Zoo on the German-Dutch border.

Any loss of animal life is sad, but this was especially distressing, with the entire ape-house burning down with five orangutans, two gorillas, a chimpanzee and several monkeys, as well as fruit bats and several birds, dead. Only two chimpanzees were rescued, but they sustained burns.

The article noted how it was a miracle that ‘Bally’, a 40-year-old female chimpanzee, and ‘Limbo’, a younger male, survived the inferno. Although it was obviously a shock to zoo workers, the proximity of fireworks to this obviously caged area dedicated to the welfare of animals as a sanctuary was a setting that was inappropriate.

What is even more heartbreaking was that the report concluded by saying that “many of the dead animals were close to extinction in the wild”.

ANIMALS HAVE RIGHTS

I hope that officials examine this case so that zoo keepers and managers worldwide can learn from the mistakes that transpired, and such a careless and preventable tragedy will never happen again. It won’t bring back the dead animals to life, but it may safeguard the animal rights and animal welfare of others elsewhere.

Human beings need to learn that animals have rights, too. And having sky lanterns or any other pyrotechnic display in a caged-area is a recipe for catastrophe and death such as what, sadly, occurred.

Fireworks did the damage, yet humans ultimately have control of the decision-making process to safeguard animals and humans, alike.

JAMES A. MARPLES

Longview, Texas