Swedish zoo executes chimpanzees

Staff at Furuvik Zoo in southern Sweden shot and killed three chimpanzees after all seven of the facility’s primates mysteriously escaped from their enclosure on Wednesday, operator Parks and Resorts revealed on Thursday. A fourth chimp was also shot but survived.

Spokeswoman Annika Troselius defended the decision to shoot the creatures dead following harsh criticism on Facebook, telling AFP that chimpanzees are “considered a high-risk animal” and “can pose a threat to people’s lives” should they escape.

“Chimpanzees can be thought to be peaceful but they are extremely dangerous,” staff wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday, warning “they are fast, very strong and generally fearless” and claiming that an encounter “can quickly escalate to a life-threatening situation.”