Chimpanzees were euthanized after escaping from the zoo in Sweden
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Four chimpanzees escaped from their enclosure in a Swedish zoo and roamed freely before being captured and euthanized on Wednesday, according to Swedish media.
Annika Troselius, spokesperson for the group that operates Furuvik Zootold Expressen that the animals had to be euthanized because there was not enough tranquilizers for all of them.
She said the chimpanzees are strong and dangerous animals and the zoo’s main focus “is that no human gets hurt.”
Troselius told Sweden’s radio that a fifth chimpanzee is believed to have left its enclosure, although there were no other immediate details.
It was unclear how the mammals were able to escape from their enclosure.
Furuvik Zoo is located near Gävle, 165 kilometers (100 miles) north of Stockholm, and had seven chimpanzees. It is part of a theme park. According to the park’s website, it is also the only primate research station in the Nordics.