A young zebra has died after apparently being spooked by fireworks displays ahead of Bonfire Night, staff at Noah's Ark Zoo Farm near Bristol have said.
The eight-month-old foal, named Hope, bolted and collided with the boundary of her enclosure. A post-mortem revealed the sudden impact caused her immediate death.
Larry Bush, the zoo's managing director, described the incident as a 'tragedy' and said staff were 'devastated'. He added: 'It is such a tragedy that she has lost her life, seemingly as a result of fireworks being set off at nearby events which were intended as a celebration.'
Keeper Jayne Gibbins said: 'Her birth was a real high point for us in amongst the challenges of having to close the zoo for three months in support of the national lockdown and we are all feeling her loss greatly.' Hope was born at the start of the first lockdown in March and was named 'to symbolise a ray of light at a time which felt so bleak'.
A zoo spokesperson said they hoped the story would make people 'more aware of the effect fireworks can have on animals' and urged the public to consider 'silent fireworks or more animal-friendly options'.
