Spanish zoo hit with criminal complaint

An animal rights group filed a criminal complaint Thursday against a Spanish zoo after two chimpanzees named Adam and Eve that escaped from the facility died, one shot by police.

The chimpanzees, who weighed each about 70 kilogrammes (154 pounds) escaped from the Safari Zoo in Sa Coma on the holiday island of Mallorca on Monday afternoon after they managed to break a metal bar of their cage, the zoo's assistant director, Miquel Brunet, told AFP.

Police located the female chimpanzee, Eve, a few hours later and shot the animal dead, saying she was "very agitated" and could have attack a member of the search team. They said they could not use tranquiliser darts because they would take too long to work on such a big animal.

Police found the body of the male chimpanzee, Adam, on Thursday "floating in a pool of dirty water" at a sewage treatment plant.

"Everything indicates that the death was due to drowning but we are waiting for a veterinarian to examine the body," police said in a statement.

The two chimpanzees, both born in 1985, had shared the same enclosure at the zoo for the past 13 years. Chimpanzees can live around 60 years in captivity.

"We have filed a complaint against the administrators of the zoo for the death of Adam and Eve," Pedro Pozas, the head of Projet Grand Singe, a Spanish group that works to protect apes, told AFP.

"All security protocols which could have prevented the escape and death of the two animals were not followed," he added.

The complaint, which was filed at a court in the town of Manacor in Mallorca, accuses the zoo of mistreating animals -- a crime punishable by up to a year in prison.

Spanish animal protection party PACMA called for the zoo to be closed.

Brunet said the facility had passed all necessary inspections.

Adam and Eve were born in captivity at another zoo before living for several years at a private home where "they were not well treated", he added.

Local authorities then ordered the animals to be transferred to the zoo.
Source: AFP