The man had set fire to three places near the animal shelters. As a result, eight impalas and two kudus perished in the flames. Other animals’ enclosures were destroyed and a penguin’s nest was disrupted to such an extent that the chick did not survive. The court: “It had a major impact on the staff, that they found animals they had cared for for years in appalling conditions after the fire.”
‘Dissatisfied’
The man committed his act during a manic episode. He himself said about this: “I was dissatisfied with all the people there. I wanted to become one with the animals, one with nature. I came face to face with the cheetahs. I felt then that I had to do something, because they were caught.” When the animals were unable to flee because of the fire, but were in danger, he came to his senses. He then smashed a window at the zoo’s restaurant, hoping the fire brigade would come. Because he had regained his senses at that time, he was still given a sentence for the destruction: six weeks in prison.
The man has already been treated at the GGZ and is on compulsory medication. Due to the measure imposed by the court, that treatment will continue as usual.