Ape Attack At Canary Islands Zoo: Chimpanzees Escape Enclosure And Injure Three People

Chaos broke out at a Canary Island zoo when three chimpanzees escaped their enclosure and attacked three staff members as tourists looked on in horror. Two of the chimpanzees were shot dead by police with the third living through the ordeal. The Oasis Park in Fueteventura says that the incident was the “saddest day in its history.”

The Daily Mail reports that three chimpanzees escaped their enclosure at the Oasis Park zoo in Fueteventura, which is located in the Canary Islands. The zoo says that the three chimps named King, Cheeta, and Felipa went on a rampage through the zoo after they were able to exit their designated enclosure area.

It was reported that the chimpanzees were able to escape their enclosure due to “human error” and that they injured three people including one zoo staff member and two owners. Witnesses say that the park owners “fearlessly” tried to usher the chimpanzees away from park-goers before being attacked.

Sadly, in addition to the three human injuries, two of the chimpanzees were shot dead and the third is alive, but injured. Police and witnesses say that tranquilizer darts and non-lethal force was attempted but the animals did not respond. When it became clear that the animals were not going to be tranquilized, police resorted to lethal force and both King and Felipa were killed.

The chimpanzees had been rescued by the zoo in 1988 from animal traffickers and had been at the park for over 20 years. Just prior to the incident, it was noted that Cheeta was “eating by herself and even seeking contact and closeness with her caregivers.” However, that did not stop the tragic events from unfolding.

The Oasis Park says that it was the “saddest day in its history” and that they still need some time to process what happened.

“We’ve not had a second to stop and internalize what happened. So we ask you a little bit of empathy because we can assure you that this is very difficult for us.”

The incident happened after the Oasis Park received an award of excellence from TripAdvisor and numerous positive reviews from travelers.

This isn’t the first time an animal has escaped a zoo and caused problems. This tiger escaped and killed a man.

How do you think the police should have handled the chimpanzee escape? Did they have any other options to subdue the animals after the tranquilizer darts failed to work?

[Image Credit: Oasis Park]