Fire at Scottish zoo killed reptiles, meerkats, ants

A weekend fire at a privately owned Scottish zoo killed most of its reptiles and meerkats and a colony of leafcutter ants, the owners said Monday. In an announcement on its website, the Five Sisters Zoo said two dwarf crocodiles housed next to the reptile house survived the blaze. The zoo headlined its announcement "Our Worst Nightmare." "One of our beloved otters has died, but the female is being cared for by the vet and we are hopeful she will survive," the zoo said. The fire was reported just before 4 a.m. Sunday, and firefighters said the reptile house was in flames by the time they reached the zoo about 15 miles southwest of Edinburgh in West Lothian. Managers at the zoo reported receiving more than $20,000 in donations by Monday afternoon, The Herald Scotland reported. Lesley Coupar, the marketing manager, said four of the 13 meerkats at the zoo survived the fire but two were so badly injured they had to be put down, The Scotsman reported. The reptiles lost included snakes, tortoises and lizards. "To look at the reptile house and everything gone from there, it's just the worst tragedy ever -- a nightmare," she said. The leafcutter ant colony contained about half a million insects. The zoo, a non-profit, is owned by Brian and Shirley Curran, who set it up in 2005. Before the fire, it was best-known for providing a home for three bears from a Belgian zoo last year.