
Swedish media recently gave an update on the five chimpanzees thatescaped their enclosure at Furuviksparken zoo.Three chimpanzees were shot dead, the fourth one is injured and the fifth one returned to the zoo on its own.Speaking to SVT, a police spokesman on Wednesday said, "They are very strong animals and absolutely not domestciated." He added that it had been the zoo's decision to shoot the four chimpanzees due to danger to the public, the Guardian reported.
To defend the zoo's decision, Annike Troselius, a spokesperson, said that the animals had to be put down because there was not enough tranquiliserto subdue all of them.
She said that the zoo workers are not allowed to work in close with the chimpanzees.
Visitors and journalists present at the site were urged to get back to their cars, close their windows and go back home.
The zoo further urged residents to stay indoors, lock their doors and windows and avoid going out.
Troselius added, "We have to be sure the last chimpanzees are actually in the enclosure, and this must be done with great care." She said that this is an ongoing event.
The Swedish zoo is currently closed and investigating how the animals were able to escape. It is the only primate research centre in the region.
Troselius said, "We are taking this very seriously indeed. Safety is very important to us and our first focus is to make sure no one gets hurt. Then of course we will investigate this so that it can never happen again."
(With inputs from agencies)
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