New Year’s fire at Krefeld Zoo kills many innocent animals

- Germany -

A fire that broke out at Krefeld Zoo, near Dusseldorf, killed the lives of many innocent animals during the first minutes of the New Year 2020.

Police and firefighters received the first emergency calls at 12:38 a.m.

Officials said the fire may have been caused by those damn Chinese sky lanterns launched to celebrate the new year.

The sky lanterns are known as a fire hazard and are banned in Germany!!!

According to Gerd Hoppmann, the city’s head of criminal police, "People reported seeing those sky lanterns flying at low altitude near the zoo and then it started burning."

The zoo said that the entire Ape House burned down and more than 30 animals, including five orangutans, two gorillas, a chimpanzee and several monkeys, as well as fruit bats and birds, were killed.

Zoo director Wolfgang Dressen said two chimpanzees, Bally and Limbo, survived the fire.

They are slightly injured but under veterinary observation.

TIME reports that “The zoo said the Gorilla Garden, which is near its devastated Ape House, didn’t go up in flames and that gorilla Kidogo and six other members of his family are alive.”

An investigation is ongoing.

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Homeless cat found frozen to shipping container outside restaurant

- Dedham, Massachusetts, USA -

On Wednesday, December 18, Jayson Tracy a Dedham Animal Control Officer found a stray cat frozen to a shipping container outside a TGI’s Friday along Providence Highway.

The furbaby now named Schooner, was carefully and safely removed and is recovering at the Animal Rescue League (ARL) of Boston.

Staff said: "Schooner was very thin, dehydrated and showing the typical bumps and bruises of living outdoors, which included a fractured tooth, but amazingly he did not suffer from hypothermia."

It’s unclear for how long Schooner was frozen to the container.

The ARL said in a news release: “It’s likely that Schooner’s fur was wet and with bitter cold and real-feel temperatures well below freezing, once the cat came in contact with the container he was immediately stuck.”

They also said that the sweet furbaby will soon be placed in foster care to gain weight, will have his fractured tooth removed, be neutered and then will be ready to find his furever home.

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Dehydrated koala approaches cyclists and gulped their water

- South Australia, Australia -

The hot summer and wildfires continue to ravage Australia and my heart breaks whenever I think of all those poor animals who do not have access to shade, water, or food.

On Friday, December 27, cyclist Anna Heusler and a group were riding towards Adelaide descending from Norton Summit Road when after a bend she saw a koala sitting in the middle of the road.

They all stopped to help the thirsty koala who was struggling with the warm weather.

Anna gave the koala in need a sip of water from her bottle and in the video filmed by the group, the dehydrated baby can be seen on her bike desperately drinking all the water.

Anna can be heard asking the others if they had some more.

She told 7NEWS.com.au: "We’ve seen literally hundreds of koalas over the years, we have never seen a koala do this.” She also said: "I stopped on my bike and he walked right up to me, quite quickly for a koala, and as I was giving him a drink from all our water bottles, he actually climbed up onto my bike. None of us have ever seen anything like it."

The video also shows that when the koala finished his drink, one of the group took him back to some trees nearby.

The koala was not harmed.

Thank you all for showing compassion instead of riding off.

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