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Updated at 5.10pm
A FLOOD-HIT German town was locked down for several hours today over fears that five dangerous big cats had escaped from a local zoo before they were found hiding in their soggy enclosures.
A drone deployed to find the missing animals – two lions, two tigers and a jaguar – finally located them within their caged areas, said regional authorities.
During the frenzied search for the predators, involving police and the fire brigade, authorities had cautioned residents to stay indoors and keep doors and windows shut.
As it turned out, the cats had never left the sprawling 30-hectare Eifel Zoo in Luenebach, much of which was under water after huge thunderstorms overnight.
A bear which had broken free from its enclosure was however shot dead, a spokesman for local authorities said.
The big cats were only found after the water began receding, said mayor Andreas Kruppert from the town located close to the Luxembourg border.
Heavy rainstorms overnight had sparked flash floods. At the zoo, which is located on a riverbank, the water was knee-high.
Officials are now examining whether the animals should be moved to another zoo while clean-up operations continue.
The storm had caused widespread devastation in the region, where many residents were today clearing muddy water from their cellars and removing downed trees.
Part of a local motorway had been blocked off due to high waters, and a train was derailed although no injuries were reported.
The Eifel Zoo, owned by the Wallpott family, is home to around 400 animals, also including a Siberian tiger.
In an earlier zoo incident two years ago, two lions broke out of their cages at the Leipzig zoo. One was captured, the other shot dead.
In 2015, an orang-utan was shot dead while on the run from the Duisburg zoo, and a bear escapee from Osnabrueck suffered the same fate in 2017.
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How about money for flood defences here first or our homeless
In before the “look to our own” posts!
If European countries actually stopped donating aid money(especially already bankrupt Ireland) to Middle Eastern countries,it might actually put the onus on Middle Eastern countries to sort out their Middle Eastern problems instead of expecting outsiders to do it for them.
Ireland is now top of the fur coat and no knickers league. Like a drunk in a pub buying rounds for all while his wife and kids sit in the cold and dark at home.
Bankrupting Europe,America ,is their aim.Then they have free rein,and power.
Real meeting of the minds going on here in this thread
Charity starts at home.
There’s a difference between charity and crisis relief / foreign development aid. If we want to live in a developed and progressive world then those with the ability and resources have an obligation to help poorer nations become developed.
I know that not many will agree with or want to hear that, but ask yourselves this. If the money spent of development and relief was cancelled, do you seriously believe it would be spent on helping people here? Not a chance.. it’d be earmarked for paying back national debts instead. I’d sooner see my tax money going towards helping folk abroad, than on lining the pockets of foreign and already wealthy investors.
I am sick of this government sending cash to other country’s ,this money is better spent in this country …we have umpteen people suffering here, has any other country come to our aid in the last few weeks…..none. Keep this cash in this country and fcuk all other third country’s all they do is buy arms for there needs & yes they spend billions on bullets & bombs .
Here here!!!
Quatar, Saudi Arabia and the US are funding this war. Let them fund the humanitarian fall out… Totally 100%.
Where’s Quatar?
Sean, the US has provided $1.7 billion so far!
http://www.usaid.gov/crisis/syria
Absolute disgrace handing out millions. This goverment does not represent the majority.
People need to protest. Fat cats giving our money away while we suffer with austerity handed out by them
What a waste of government finds. The worst part of all is that it will end up in The pockets of some dictator and the people at large lack the education to realise that the West isn’t their enemy despite all of our charity.
Haha, you actually think anyone else in the world knows we exist? Not the mention see us as part of the big bad western empire trying to take over the world?…. Back down the pub with you.
I live and work in Dubai and let me tell you something sunshine, the Irish presence here is formidable. One of the most influential in fact. We’re well known and respected across the region for our business acumen and achievement.
I pity you for feeling so inferior…Now, back down the pub with YOU.
Stay where you are Frog Macd. Dubai will obviously collapse without your presence.
Dubai has already collapsed once and been bailed out but you’re right, without expats, this place would still be an empty desert with no future.
No without Dubai’s enormous oil reserve it would be dust and sand.
Nothing to do with the expats, who can’t even hold hands with there partner because they aren’t married..
Oil and religious laws is what has Dubai the way it is.
The money comes from the oil but the expertise to build the amazing skyline came by employing foreign, mainly western, engineers and architects. The locals often make a point of saying this themselves.
We can hold hands,kiss and hug in public here in Dubai. Over 80% expats here and no sharia police. Where are you getting your information from may I ask?
Horrid place,,, built by slaves, full of brassers. An unsustainable, half built monstrosity of a town that will cease to exist in 20 years…
See ya in the village Friday buddy!
True, true…Everyone sees it except the locals and the poor Bangladeshi labourers working in the mid day sun for 5$ a day ;-)
They jerk the strings; the puppets jump!
Its an absolute disgrace that you would begrudge these people the aid that they need. They’ve been driven from their homes by war. If you have a place to live and food to eat you are 1000 times better off than these people. Its not a matter of it “not being Ireland’s problem” its a matter of it being humanity’s problem, if the roles were reversed you’d be grateful of the aid. Its hard to believe that most people would want us to turn our back on fellow human beings in their hour of need.
This is the problem with our country people like u the do gooders we have our own stuff to deal with you obviously
Haven’t fallen on hard times I hope u never experience it, you might have a different opinion then
Not our problem in the end of the day we have enough problems here to be looking after like yes flood defences looking after the homeless pensioners if the shoe was on the other foot Id like to see if they would help us not a chance
What do you want.. a shipment of commas?
shocking to see what people have to say about this. We are a million times better off than these people even if we don’t have much and the fact that some would begrudge money being sent to help women, children and men that didn’t choose to end up like this is sick.
I’m sorry did I miss something here!!!!
Are there not irish people still homeless in Ireland after the banks took there homes and the government are giving charity abroad???
Are we thick in the head letting this happen..
Charity starts at home. .. give to the irish
Leave it to the Gulf and Middle East…plenty of rich nations eg Qatar UAE that could donate! stop depending on the broken EU !
have your say