BOGOTA, Colombia – Two chimpanzees that escaped from a zoo in Colombia have been shot lifeless on Monday, police stated.
The immensely highly effective primates escaped on Sunday night time from the Ukumari Biopark within the western metropolis of Pereira, prompting a warning to residents to remain indoors.
Several hours into the escape, police stated they discovered the male chimp Pancho about 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) from the zoo, alone.
He was shot after he appeared to lunge for a zookeeper among the many rescue workforce, police official Alexandra Diaz informed native outlet Blu Radio.
“There was an imminent need to act to safeguard the life of the park official,” stated Diaz, who added that an order had been issued to shoot in case of an assault, quite than utilizing tranquilizer darts.
Chita, a feminine who had escaped with Pancho, was killed close to the park, stated Diaz, with out offering additional particulars.
Army Lieutenant Carlos Salas informed AFP the animals have been killed “despite the efforts made by the biopark to use tranquilizer darts to subdue them.”
The park in an announcement lamented the lack of two animals that “stole the heart of all visitors.”
The chimps escaped as a result of human error, zoo supervisor Sandra Correa stated at a news convention.
Pancho had beforehand escaped from captivity in 2007, inflicting havoc on the Pereira airport and grounding air visitors for a number of hours.
He had arrived on the zoo that yr after being donated by a circus, after a legislation got here into impact banning working with chimps in such contexts.
“He was very intelligent, he knew how to open locks, doors,” Raul Gasca, one of many circus house owners, recalled in an interview with Blu Radio.
Gasca stated that Pancho was born in a zoo in Cuba and was 22 or 23 years previous. Apes of this species sometimes stay for round 50 years.
“It is a very dangerous animal, because when they grow up they are very dangerous… A male chimpanzee when it bristles and stands tall is very powerful,” he informed Blue Radio.
Animal rights teams have requested for a legal investigation into the deaths. — Agence France-Presse
Source: www.gmanetwork.com
