2 chimpanzees who escaped from Colombia zoo killed by police

Two well-liked chimpanzees who escaped from a zoo in Colombia, together with a person who ran absent in excess of 15 many years ago, ended up shot useless on Monday, police explained. Authorities defended capturing 1 of the animals by saying it had to be carried out to secure a zookeeper’s life.

The immensely highly effective primates escaped on Sunday evening from the Ukumari Biopark in the western town of Pereira, prompting a warning to people to remain indoors.

Numerous hrs into the escape, police reported they located the male chimp Pancho about 1.5 miles from the zoo, by itself.

He was shot after he appeared to lunge for a zookeeper among the the rescue crew, law enforcement formal Alexandra Diaz explained to regional outlet Blu Radio.

“There was an imminent will need to act to safeguard the lifestyle of the park formal,” claimed Diaz, who extra that an order had been issued to shoot in circumstance of an attack, rather than using tranquilizer darts.

Chita, a woman who experienced escaped with Pancho, was killed around the park, said Diaz, with out supplying additional details.

Military Lt. Carlos Salas advised Agence France-Presse the animals had been killed “despite the initiatives made by the biopark to use tranquilizer darts to subdue them.”

The park in a assertion lamented the reduction of two animals that “stole the coronary heart of all visitors.”

The chimps escaped thanks to human mistake, zoo supervisor Sandra Correa mentioned at a news meeting.

Pancho experienced previously escaped from captivity in 2007, triggering havoc at the Pereira airport and grounding air targeted traffic for numerous hours.

He had arrived at the zoo that yr soon after becoming donated by a circus, soon after a legislation came into result banning operating with chimps in these contexts.

“He was extremely smart, he knew how to open up locks, doorways,” Raul Gasca, one of the circus homeowners, recalled in an job interview with Blu Radio.

Gasca reported that Pancho was born in a zoo in Cuba and was 22 or 23 a long time previous. Apes of this species commonly live for close to 50 years.

“It is a extremely risky animal simply because when they improve up they are very risky … A male chimpanzee when it bristles and stands tall is pretty impressive,” he told Blu Radio.

Animal legal rights groups have questioned for a criminal investigation into the deaths.