Raging wildfires have spelled major trouble for wildlife in France. On Tuesday, 363 animals from Arachon Zoo were evacuated. The zoo is located in western France. The animals have already suffered and some of them have been weakened due to the heat. They were shifted to a zoo in central France.
Monkeys were evacuated first as burning trees affected their natural habitat. As per media reports, the evacuation was tricky as special arrangements had to be made to safely transport the animals.
Wildfires raging in France have also destroyed campsites in the wooded area as well.
Mostly debris, walls and a swimming pool were left of the campsite La Foret du Pilat, a stone’s throw away from the Dune du Pilat, Europe’s tallest sand dune.
Firefighters on Wednesday checked the campsite to locate and mark any gas containers left behind by campers.
“The purpose is to secure them so that the companies that come for clean-up can do so safely,” firefighter captain Gilles Elschger said.
Firefighters in the southwest Gironde department have been battling since July 12 to tame the flames, which have so far ravaged nearly 50,904 acres (20,600 hectares) of land, the local prefecture said on Wednesday (July 20).
(With inputs from agencies)
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