A fire at a wildlife park in Ohio killed at least 10 animals, according to multiple reports.
Three bongos, three giraffes, three red river hogs, and one springbok died in the blaze inside a barn at the African Safari Wildlife Park in Port Clinton on Thanksgiving night, reported the Toledo Blade.
Danbury Township Police Officer Carolyn Demore responded around 6:15 p.m. on Thursday and saw a zebra running loose and a barn on fire. Park staff freed a zebra in a habitat attached to the burning barn and another zebra and a giraffe in a nearby barn, fearing that the fire would spread to another barn, the African Safari Wildlife Park said in a Facebook post.
It took three fire departments and more than an hour to contain the fire around 7:30 p.m., reported the newspaper.
All three animals have since been returned to their barn.
“We are grateful that our staff is safe and no one was injured, but the loss of the wildlife that we care for every day is tragic for our team members who love these animals,” said Holly Hunt, co-owner of the Wildlife Park, according to the post.
The wildlife park was closed on Friday to mourn the loss of the animals and care for the surviving animals.
“Despite being so saddened by losing 10 animals we loved, our team is here caring for the more than 400 other animals living in the park. Thankfully they are all safe. We are providing grief counseling to our team members, who are heartbroken by the loss,” said Hunt.
“The fire was traumatic for all the animals, particularly those closest to the flames. They are under the care of our veterinarians, who were also at the park throughout the night as we brought the animals back inside. We cannot express how appreciative we are to the team members, the firefighters and police officers who were here helping manage this crisis,” she said.
The Wildlife Park listed the animals lost in the fire:
1. Giraffe, Waylon, 3 years, a resident since 2017
2. Giraffe, Quinn, 1.5 years, a resident since June 2019
3. Giraffe, Beltre, 2.5 years old, who arrived this week
4. Red River Hog -Merlin, 9 years, resident since 2012
5 & 6. Two Red River hog sisters, 7 years, that arrived at the park this week. Named RJ and Priscilla, they were to join Merlin in the new red river hog exhibit constructed this year.
7. Springbok, Chip, 9 years, lived at African Safari for 7 years 8. Bongo, Tank, 15 years, lived at the park since 2006. A staff favorite, he always greeted keepers at the door for head scratches.
9. Bongo, Diesel, 10 years, resident since 2010
10. Bongo, Binti, 5 years, resident for 4 years. Keepers were hoping she would have a baby in early spring 2020.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums were also contacted by the park staff on the night of Nov. 28, and Rob Vernon, the spokesperson for the AZA said that no other animals were affected by the fire, according Toledo Blade. No animals managed to escape from the Park’s property.
Meanwhile, the barn was completely destroyed and authorities are still investigating the fire.
