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​Animals Thought To Have Escaped From German Zoo Had Just Been Mislaid

​Animals Thought To Have Escaped From German Zoo Had Just Been Mislaid

Andreas Kuppert, the mayor of Arzfeld, told the media that the lions, tigers and jaguar didn't ever leave their enclosures at any point

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Remember all that chaos a few days back when loads of animals were thought to have escaped from a zoo in Germany?


Yeah, turns out it wasn't quite the case... which is more than just a little bit awkward.

Apparently several of the animals reported to have escaped from the private zoo in West Germany were actually still chilling in their enclosures, but zoo officials just 'lost track' of them with all the heavy flooding.

DW News reports that Andreas Kuppert, the mayor of Arzfeld, told the media that the lions, tigers and jaguar didn't ever leave their enclosures at any point, despite the initial concerns.

However, one bear did actually manage to escape from its cage, and it was soon shot dead.

PA

I mean, that in itself is still pretty unnerving, even without all the lions, tigers and jaguar - oh my, indeed.

Kruppert added that officials had just lost track of them during the storm, but later found them using aerial drones after the water level had receded.

"We're very happy that the scenario we had initially feared didn't turn out to be the case," Kruppert said.

The privately-owned Eifel zoo in Lünebachis, home to around 400 animals, including Siberian tigers and African lions as well as many more big cats. Owned by the Wallpott family, the zoo also has three permanent employees.

Early reports from the regional broadcaster SWR suggested that lions and pumas had escaped, but officers later confirmed that the big cats were lions, tigers, and a jaguar.

PA

According to the German broadcaster, heavy rain meant the water level increased and almost the 'entire zoo was flooded'.

Local authorities also reportedly advised residents to stay inside their homes and call the police if they see any of the five predators at large. But they'd got it wrong, and the animals were just hiding out at the zoo - no doubt waiting for all the hysteria to die down and maybe some food.

Despite the fact that many animals didn't end up escaping, some wildlife lovers have used the incident as evidence that wild animals should not be kept in cages.

One woman tweeted: "An innocent animal shot because the zoo clearly couldn't keep the animals safely in captivity."

Many others also compared the bear's death to the tragic Harambe, the 17-year-old Western lowland gorilla who was shot dead after a toddler wandered into his enclosure in Cincinnati Zoo.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: World News, News, Interesting, Fail, Germany, Animals