KEEPERS at Chester Zoo have released the first images of animals safely settled in new habitats, after they were rescued from a fire in the zoo’s Monsoon Forest last Saturday.
During the incident, a huge range of animals were led away from the fire to safety by zookeepers with the help of firefighters.
Sumatran orangutans at Chester Zoo have been safely settled into the Realm Of The Red Ape habitat.
These included all the mammals in the building, such as critically endangered Sumatran orangutans and Sulawesi macaques, as well as a range of other species, from lizards to tortoises and birds.
Conservationists have since worked round the clock to relocate all the animals within the zoo’s 125 acres of habitats. Now, six days on from the incident, the first images have been release of the species safely settled into their new homes.
Sunda gharial crocodile, Frank, basks in the unaffected area of Monsoon Forest.
Remarkably, some - such as the Sunda gharial crocodiles, turtles and fish – will remain in the Monsoon Forest building, where their habitats have been undisturbed. The zoo’s vets and keepers have been conducting thorough checks of the area to ensure it remains suitable for these species.
Asian brown tortoise, Sally, was rescued from a fire by keepers and firefighters at Chester Zoo.
Mike Jordan, Director of Plants and Animals at Chester Zoo, said: “Everyone has pulled together and worked incredibly hard to relocate the many wonderful species whose homes were affected by the events of Saturday.
“Our animal experts will now be keeping a very close eye on each and every one of them – helping them to fully settle in to their temporary accommodation and ensure they have everything they need.”
Sulawesi macaques, a species listed as critically endangered in the wild, in their new home.
Meanwhile, a conservation fundraising page, which was set up in response to a deluge of offers of support, as visitors asked how they could help or donate, has now topped £140,000. The Monsoon Forest habitat was home to threatened wildlife from South East Asia, so the fund will go towards the zoo’s charitable mission of preventing extinction for those species.
Green crested lizards, safe after the fire, in their new habitat.
Jamie Christon, Chester Zoo’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Knowing how much people are behind us has made this terribly difficult time a little easier to bear and we really have been bowled over by all of the support.
“We’re a conservation charity, working to prevent extinction and the overwhelming generosity of our supporters will enable us to deliver an incredible amount of conservation work for threatened South East Asian species, both here in Chester and around the world.”
Painted batagur turtles, a critically endangered species, remain in an unaffected area of Monsoon Forest.
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