A safari park has apologised after visiting families watched an escaped monkey being mauled by a pride of lions.
Children were said to have been witnesses after a barbary macaque broke out of its enclosure at Blair Drummond Safari Park, near Stirling, into the lion enclosure. Visitors filmed as the monkey was killed.
At least two families were said to have witnessed the incident.
A spokesman for the safari park said: “Our lion warden was alerted immediately and did all he could to protect the macaque.
“However, despite his best efforts, he was unable to distract the lions who responded as they would in the wild, by chasing and sadly killing the animal.
“We are truly sorry that our visitors witnessed what must have been a really distressing sight.
“This tragic event is being felt deeply by the teams involved who care for our animals around the clock.
"We are taking this extremely seriously; the safety of our visitors and the safety and care of our animals is our highest priority.
“The incident in the lion enclosure has never happened before in the history of Blair Drummond Safari Park and we share the shock and concerns that this took place.”
The park's owners have informed the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Biaza), which can issue sanctions if there is evidence that an establishment is not working to the appropriate standards.
An internal review has also been carried out.
The park spokesman added: “The macaques escaped through the gates to their habitat, which had been opened to allow a visitor car through – the macaque habitat forms part of our drive-thru and the gates are manually operated by a member of staff.
“The staff member involved was not to blame and raised the alarm immediately.
“We have implemented new operating produces and staff training to ensure that this doesn’t happen again, and we have provided support to the staff involved.”
A spokesman for Biaza said: “We are carrying out our investigation, working with Blair Drummond to ensure a thorough internal investigation is carried out to prevent such incidents in future.”
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