Four wolves were killed in a zoo in France after escaping their enclosure on Friday. The wolves were part of a pack of nine that tried to break free.
The four were shot dead at Trois Vallees zoo in Montredon-Labessonnie in the Tarn region. The five other wolves were anaesthetised, local officials said. Local official Fabien Chollet told news agency AFP that the wolves were killed “due to the abnormal and dangerous behaviour”.
“There were not many people in the zoo at the time, and at no time was the public in immediate danger,” Chollet said. The zoo was closed after the incident.
The zoo’s owner Sauveur Ferrara said the wolves escaped after destroying security installations. The animals were new at the park. It’s not known from where Ferrara got the wolves.
The park was already ordered to close in October 2020 due to security measures, but this was later lifted by a court.
“Your shortcomings shouldn’t cost the lives of animals,” Florent Marcaggi wrote in a review about the zoo on Friday. “Poor security should mean the end of the zoo, not of the animals,” David wrote.
“Animals die for man’s business,” another person wrote. “When you read the reviews it seemed predictable to me that this kind of prisons should no longer exist. RIP to the dead wolves because of the madness and greed of the few,” Patrice Pressard said.
“Because of your incompetence, four wolves were shot down,” Ludivine Lassere-Bourgues wrote on Facebook.
The zoo said on its website that it would remain closed till mid-January “due to urgent work”.
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