Best Zoo in Best was forced to close to the public on Boxing Day. The zoo grounds were largely flooded due to heavy rainfall.
There is 10 to 15 centimetres of water, making the area impassable. Many animal enclosures are also flooded, and the zoo has its hands full getting the animals onto dry land.
Owner Jos Nooren recently saw how the water rose higher and higher in his zoo. Video footage posted on Facebook shows that the park has been severely flooded. Most animals are now warm and dry again, Nooren says. “One serval is a bit numb; we had to keep it warm near the stove. In that enclosure, the water was 15 centimetres high, so they kept walking through the water. This affected them considerably”.
Wombats and alpacas
Best Zoo employees have increased the height of enclosures for the wombats, servals, alpacas and Girgentana goats. “We have locked them in there so that they stay dry. Thus they are able to maintain their temperature”, Nooren says.
Slowly but surely, the water level is dropping, and the Fire Brigade is still busy pumping out the water. Rainwater flows from the surrounding ditches onto the site, and all it takes is another heavy rain shower, and the situation remains dire.
Hoping for some sun
Nooren is not worried: “It is not in my nature to get stuck in problems. We look at how we can solve things moment by moment. But of course, I hope for some sun in the near future”.
In the thirteen years he has been the owner, Nooren has never had to close the zoo’s doors due to extreme weather conditions. He expects to reopen on Wednesday. “That is if it doesn’t rain too much tonight”. Normally, Best Zoo attracts a few thousand visitors during the Christmas holidays.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
