Fire kills six monkeys at ZooParc Overloon
A fire at ZooParc Overloon killed six squirrel monkeys Monday night after flames broke out in their enclosure, zoo officials said.
The fire started around 9 p.m. in the primate habitat at the Brabant zoo. Fire crews arrived quickly and brought multiple fire trucks to the scene, according to a spokesperson for Veiligheidsregio Brabant-Noord. The fire was extinguished within an hour.
"The monkeys could not be saved," a zoo spokesperson said. Caretakers were “shaken and saddened” by the loss, according to Omroep Brabant.
Residents living near the zoo first spotted the fire and immediately called emergency services. They also alerted the zoo, allowing both firefighters and park staff to respond quickly.
The affected enclosure was in a secluded area of the zoo, limiting the fire’s impact to the squirrel monkeys. No other animals were harmed.
ZooParc Overloon is owned by Libéma, a Dutch leisure company that operates multiple zoos and amusement parks. A company spokesperson confirmed that the cause of the fire remains unknown.
Squirrel monkeys, native to South America, are part of the capuchin monkey family. They are named for their skull-like facial markings and use their long, yellow tails for balance. The species typically lives in groups of 20 to 100 and can reach up to 30 years of age in the wild.
