Thirteen monkeys have been killed in a fire at Woburn Safari Park.
The blaze broke out in the early hours of Tuesday in the Patas monkey house within the African Forest drive-through enclosure of the park in Bedfordshire.
It is the latest fire to strike an animal centre, after one that struck at London Zoo before Christmas killed an aardvark and four meerkats.
A Woburn spokesman said: “Staff and fire crews attended the scene; however, devastatingly for everyone at the park, none of the 13 animals could be saved.”
Patas monkeys (Daniel Davies/Woburn Safari Park/PA)
Firefighters arrived on the scene at 2.37am after the blaze was spotted by security guards on a routine patrol.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “They found the outbuilding housing Patas monkeys was well alight and its roof had fallen in.
“They fought the fire using fire hoses while wearing breathing apparatus to protect themselves from the smoke and fumes. The building was 90% damaged by the fire.”
The fire service said the incident was over by 4.46am.
In the wild, ground-dwelling Patas monkeys are found in the grassland, open savannah and dry woodland of central Africa.
They can grow up to 34in (85cm) in length, with a 30in (75cm) tail, and can live for around 20 years.
The park’s website states that its troop of Patas monkeys shares a 16-acre enclosure with other species, but is housed at night during the winter months.
All other animals within the jungle drive-through enclosure are being monitored by park staff, but early signs suggest they have not been affected.
(John Stillwell/PA)
The park will remain open, although the jungle enclosure is closed while an investigation is under way into the cause of the fire.
The fire at London Zoo on December 23 – the cause of which is also not yet known – saw Misha, a nine-year-old aardvark, die from smoke inhalation.
Four meerkats were also thought to have perished after the fire broke out in the animal adventure section, destroying the cafe, shop and around half of the adjacent petting zoo.
Fire station commander Paul Goddard said he believed all the monkeys had died before crews arrived at the scene.
He added: “Unfortunately, due to the circumstances and intensity of the fire, there were some monkey fatalities.
“Our first instinct would be to rescue the animals if we could, but to do that we need to get the fire under control.
“But the location of the incident and where it was made that difficult to assess.”
Mr Goddard said: “From the staff’s point of view, they are devastated with the loss of the monkeys, and obviously the building and the effect that it has on their staff within the park.”
The blaze wiped out all of the park’s Patas monkey troop, and, according to website UK Zoos, the only other place in the UK that houses them is Colchester Zoo in Essex.
Woburn spokesman Drew Mullin told Sky News the fire may have been caused by a faulty generator.
He said: “When the fire crew arrived, unfortunately they found it was at the jungle and it’s the Patas house.
“On arrival, the roof had already collapsed, and nothing could be done to save the 13 Patas that were inside.
“Everybody here – staff, animal keepers – are all devastated.”
He added: “They’ve inspected it – the house – and … said, from what they can see, there may well be a generator fault. But we will have to do the investigations to find out.”