Looters have stolen dozens of rare animals from one of the best-loved zoos in the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma destroyed cages and enclosures at the park on St Maarten.
Staff are fighting to rehouse and protect rare breeds at the site that was home to more than 300 animals before they escaped in the terrifying chaos of last week’s 225mph winds.
One rare lizard, a salamander called Big Lizard, one of the zoo’s star attractions, died of fright as the worst storm ever to hit the Atlantic lashed his enclosure last week.
A well-loved toucan was also killed when it escaped its broken cage and was eaten by a caiman — a ferocious type of crocodile — which was lying submerged in a pond in its enclosure. The caiman also ate one of the rare rabbits.
Looters have stolen dozens of rare animals from one of the best-loved animal parks in the Caribbean – St Maarten Zoo
Staff are fighting to rehouse and protect rare breeds at the site that was home to more than 300 animals before they escaped
One rare lizard died of fright as the worst storm ever to hit the Atlantic lashed his enclosure last week
Local people on St Maarten are now rushing to protect the exotic animals at the region’s largest zoo as dozens of rare breeds have been looted from the wreckage
The elaborate zoological park opened in 1991 and was home to more than 300 animals
The zoo was greatly valued by locals who saw it as the pride of their island and was particularly popular with families but it has now been completely destroyed
Marlon Kwidema, 45, said: ‘It was the only place you could take your children, apart from the beach. It had the largest playground on St Maarten’
Some monkeys escaped forcing a local to catch them -leaving one rescuer bitten on the hand
A number of cages hung open with their animals either escaped or stolen following the hurricane
Local people on St Maarten, the Caribbean island devastated by Hurricane Irma, are now rushing to protect the exotic animals at the region’s largest zoo as dozens of rare breeds have been looted from the wreckage.
About 100 animals have been taken into foster care by volunteers with experience looking after pets. At least six animals have been confirmed stolen and staff at St Maarten Zoo are investigating the whereabouts of scores more.
The elaborate zoological park, which opened in 1991, was home to more than 300 animals. It was greatly valued by locals who saw it as the pride of their island and was particularly popular with families. Now it has been completely destroyed.
‘It was the only place you could take your children, apart from the beach. It had the largest playground on St Maarten,’ said Marlon Kwidema, 45. ‘We used to visit it regularly. It didn’t have any lions or tigers but it had lots of interesting animals that the children loved.’
The zoo was devastated by the hurricane, with at least three of the animals killed. Such is the scale of the damage that restoring it is impossible, said Melanie Choisy, 27, the secretary of the zoo board.
The zoo was devastated by the hurricane, with at least three of the animals killed
Such is the scale of the damage that restoring it is impossible, said Melanie Choisy, the secretary of the zoo board
Staff are conducting an inventory to establish how many animals are missing, but they say dozens are thought to have been looted
Concerned local ‘foster carers’ have taken animals into their homes and one man is patrolling the destroyed zoo twice a day with his bull terrier looking for looters
The shop and café had been ransacked by looters and the zoo car had been stolen
Five boa constrictors and a rare blue macaw, the longest breed of parrot on earth, have been stolen by criminals hoping to sell them for profit
‘We will not open again,’ she said. ‘The damage is too bad and we could not afford insurance. What we are trying to do now is keep the animals fed and evacuate them to nearby islands. We are running short of supplies.’
She added: ‘It makes me very sad but we receive no government subsidies. We were on thin strings even before the hurricane.’
When MailOnline visited the zoo, flamingos and peacocks could be seen roaming free among the wreckage of their former homes. A warthog called Miss Piggy was lumbering about her shattered enclosure. A capuchin monkey, who had escaped from his broken cage, was darting about amid the fallen trees. The noxious smell of rotting food, uncleaned cages and fetid water filled the air.
The shop and café had been ransacked by looters and the zoo car had been stolen. A number of cages hung open with their animals either escaped or stolen.
Assistant zookeeper Eduard Lusnor, 45, told MailOnline that five boa constrictors and a rare blue macaw, the longest breed of parrot on earth, have been stolen by criminals hoping to sell them for profit. This included Bloody, a snake so named because of his violent nature.
Staff are conducting an inventory to establish how many animals are missing, but they say dozens are thought to have been looted.
A giant salamander called Big Lizard, one of the zoo’s star attractions, died of fright as the 225mph winds lashed his enclosure last week.
A well-loved toucan was also killed during the storm when it escaped its broken cage and was eaten by a caiman — a ferocious type of crocodile — which was lying submerged in a pond in its enclosure. The caiman also ate one of the rare rabbits.
Tax inspector Marlon Kwidema, 45, has fostered seven cotton-top tamarin monkeys and two parrots in his front garden
A giant salamander called Big Lizard, one of the zoo’s star attractions, died of fright as the 225mph winds lashed his enclosure last week. Luckily this reptile made it out alive
A well-loved toucan was killed when it escaped its broken cage and was eaten by a caiman
Edouard lusnor, 45, assistant zoo keeper, saved a monkey. He gave some animals to friends of the zoo to look after and putting others in indoor pens
Two pigs were left trapped in their damaged pen at St Maarten Zoo after it was destroyed by Hurricane Irma
When MailOnline visited the zoo, the noxious smell of rotting food, uncleaned cages and fetid water filled the air
St Maarten in the Caribbean was one of the islands to be worst affected by Hurricane Irma
A well-loved toucan was also killed when it escaped its broken cage and was eaten by a caiman – a ferocious type of crocodile – which was lying submerged in a pond in its enclosure
Concerned local ‘foster carers’ have taken animals into their homes and one man is patrolling the destroyed zoo twice a day with his bull terrier looking for looters.
‘I got here this morning and saw a man making off with a blue macaw,’ the man, who did not want to be named, told MailOnline. ‘I was too late to catch him but I got a picture of his car.
‘I will report it to the police but they are too busy to deal with this sort of crime. The looters know it.’
Tax inspector Marlon Kwidema, 45, has fostered seven cotton-top tamarin monkeys and two parrots in his front garden.
‘I used to keep monkeys 20 years ago,’ he told MailOnline. ‘So when I heard that the zoo was destroyed, I went straight down there to offer my services.’
Despite the damage throughout the island, he was worried that the valuable animals would be stolen or looked after badly, he said.
‘I had fond memories of taking my daughter to the zoo when she was little, and I wanted to help however I can,’ he said. ‘Everyone had their houses destroyed, so nobody was thinking about the animals. They needed help.
‘Food is hard to come by, but once I explained the situation, two local supermarkets donated some of their old fruit and vegetables.’
He has agreed to foster the animals for as long as it takes until it is possible to transport them to be cared for on onto another island.
Staff are fighting to rehouse and protect rare breeds at the site that was home to more than 300 animals before they escaped in the terrifying chaos of last week’s 225mph winds
Tax inspector Marlon Kwidema, 45, has fostered seven cotton-top tamarin monkeys and two parrots in his front garden
Mr Kwidema said: ‘I used to keep monkeys 20 years ago. So when I heard that the zoo was destroyed, I went straight down there to offer my services’
Staff had spent the days before the hurricane locking up the most valuable and vulnerable animals in a temporary enclosure in a breezeblock building prior to the storm, saving their lives
When the monkeys escaped he had to catch them, and was bitten on the hand in the process. ‘I believe that if human beings can’t love animals, they can’t truly love each other,’ he said.
Staff had spent the days before the hurricane locking up the most valuable and vulnerable animals in a temporary enclosure in a breezeblock building prior to the storm, saving their lives.
‘I love them,’ said Lusnor. ‘I lost the roof of my house in the hurricane, but I left it to look after the animals and give them food. They are my babies.’
St Maarten Zoo (pictured) was destroyed by Hurricane Irma
Looters have stolen dozens of rare animals from one of the best-loved zoos in the Caribbean after Hurricane Irma destroyed cages and enclosures at the park on St Maarten
Staff now face a battle to rehouse and protect the rare breeds that called the zoo home
The terrifying winds wrought havoc on the island and destroyed the zoo. One of the zoo’s star attractions, a salamander called Big Lizard, died of fright in the storm
Another rare breed – a toucan – survived the storm but died after it escaped its broken cage and was eaten by a crocodile
The Mail Online are the first Journalists to arrive on the Island of St Martinis Caribbean, one of the islands to be worst effected by Hurricane Irma
About 100 animals have been taken into foster care by volunteers with experience looking after pets
At least six animals have been confirmed stolen and staff at St Maarten Zoo are investigating the whereabouts of scores more
The elaborate zoological park, which opened in 1991, was home to more than 300 animals
The zoo was greatly valued by locals who saw it as the pride of their island and was particularly popular with families. Now it has been completely destroyed
The zoo was devastated by the hurricane, with at least three of the animals killed
Such is the scale of the damage that restoring it is impossible, the secretary of the zoo board said
Marlon Kwidama (pictured), 45, a tax inspector and voluntary tax inspector, saved monkeys and a parrot from St Maarten Zoo after it was destroyed by Hurricane Irma
Mr Kwidama said: ‘Food is hard to come by, but once I explained the situation, two local supermarkets donated some of their old fruit and vegetables’
Looters have struck at St Maarten Zoo after it was destroyed in Hurricane Irma. Bosses fear dozens of rare breeds have been stolen
Devastation: Staff are fighting to rehouse and protect rare breeds after Irma’s 225mph winds destroyed the zoo
Edouard lusnor, 45, and the assistant zoo keeper, saved the animals, giving some to friends of the zoo to look after and putting others in indoor pens
Mr Lusnor said: ‘I lost the roof of my house in the hurricane, but I left it to look after the animals and give them food. They are my babies’
Mr Lusnor said that five boa constrictors and a rare blue macaw, the longest breed of parrot on earth, have been stolen by criminals hoping to sell them for profit
Of the stolen animals, one included Bloody, a snake so named because of his violent nature
The zoo was utterly destroyed in the 225mph winds of Hurricane Irma leaving 300 animals running loose