THREE ANIMALS DIE IN FIRE AT TELFORD ZOO OFFICE

Three animals died following a fire at Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World near Telford on Monday, 3 August. The blaze broke out in the zoo office at approximately 7am and was discovered between 30 and 45 minutes later by the owners and a staff member. Will Dorrell, the zoo's owner, confirmed the deaths on social media in a video update posted on Monday evening. The animals that died were stick insects, a hedgehog and a snake, all of which were personal pets of the owners rather than part of the zoo collection. Mr Dorrell said: "Fortunately, at that time the fire was contained to within the building, but sadly, three animals did lose their lives. We are absolutely devastated about it."

Two of the zoo's owners—Mr Dorrell's wife and father—were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure after experiencing smoke inhalation but were subsequently discharged. Mr Dorrell said both had been checked over and were "absolutely fine". The cause of the fire has not yet been established. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service contained the blaze to the office building, preventing it from spreading to neighbouring structures, many of which are constructed from wood. The zoo office was "completely gutted" according to Mr Dorrell, while the first aviary sustained only minor damage described as "hopefully rectifiable".

The zoo was expected to reopen to visitors on Tuesday, with Mr Dorrell thanking Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service for their response. He stated that without their intervention, the outcome would have been significantly worse. Mr Dorrell asked visitors to "bear with us" as repairs continued across the site.