Animals killed as Frisian petting zoo barn is destroyed by fire

A crowdfunding has been set up to replace a large barn which was destroyed by fire at a petting zoo in Feanwâlden in Friesland, killing most of the animals inside, local broadcaster Omrop Fryslân reported.

The fire started around 10 am when groups of schoolchildren were visiting Sanjes Zoo. All the children were evacuated successfully.

Firefighters were struggling to find enough water to fight the flames and were helped by local farmers who gave access to open water on their land.

Most of the animals kept in the building perished, including pheasants, pigeons, guinea pigs, and Savannah cats. It is not clear how many animals were killed in the fire.

Animals in outside enclosures, such as wallabies, sheep, meerkats, ponies and goats were not affected.

The building could not be saved, the fire brigade said. A crowdfunding campaign to replace the building has so far collected almost €25,000.