Dozens of animals were killed at a zoo in Germany by a fire. The fire was caused by Chinese lanterns. A 48-year-old silverback gorilla was among the animals that were killed. There were also five orangutans killed. Additionally, severe birds, bats, and apes were killed in the fire. The animals did not have anywhere to go when the fire broke out because they were in an enclosed space.

The Chinese lanterns are put up every year in order to celebrate the new year. All of the lanterns had a message of good luck on them. Gerd Hoppman is the head of the criminal police in the city. He confirmed that the Chinese lanterns were the cause of the fire. The officers have called the fire a negligent criminal one.

Firefighters worked quickly to put out the fire. Unfortunately, they’re only able to save two of the chimpanzees. The chimpanzees suffered severe burns, but they are currently in stable condition. Wolfgang Dressen is the director of the zoo. He is currently mourning the loss of the animals. Many of the animals that were killed in the fire were close to being extinct. Now, those animals are even more likely to go extinct.