Fireworks believed to have caused tragic zebra death

It is with great sadness that Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm announces the passing, on Wednesday 4th November, of Hope, our young zebra.

Hope was born at the start of the first lockdown in March 2020 and became a much-loved addition to our collection. She was named Hope by our keepers to symbolise a ray of light and hope at a time which felt so bleak. She became a symbol of positivity to our keepers and many of our visitors alike and she will be very much missed.

It is believed that Hope became spooked by the loud bangs of fireworks from several fireworks displays held locally on the evening of Wednesday 4th November. It appears that the fright caused the animal to bolt and she collided with the boundary of the enclosure. The post-mortem has revealed that this sudden impact caused her immediate death.

Managing Director of the zoo, Larry Bush commented “We’re feeling devastated by the loss of our young zebra Hope. She was so full of energy and life and she was a very healthy young zebra. It is such a tragedy that she has lost her life, seemingly as a result of fireworks being set off at nearby events which were intended as a celebration. We know this was not the intention of local organisers and people letting off fireworks but it does demonstrate in a tragic way the impact that fireworks can have on animals – whether this be zebras, horses, native wildlife or pets in our homes.”

Jayne Gibbins, a senior keeper at the zoo added “Her birth was a real high point for us in amongst the challenges of having to close the zoo for three months in support of the national lockdown and we are all feeling her loss greatly.”

As a zoo, we are determined that something good comes out of this and so we feel it is so important that people are aware of what has happened - we hope people will change their views about fireworks and become much more aware of the impact they can have on animals.

We would like to use this tragic event as an impetus for change and we really hope that people will now think hard and adopt alternative arrangements like silent fireworks or other more animal-friendly options for their bonfire night celebrations.