The zoo suddenly closed.

18:24, Mon, Aug 3, 2026 Updated: 18:29, Mon, Aug 3, 2026

The fire at the zoo

The fire at the zoo (Image: fb)

The Hoo Zoo and Dinosaur World has issued an update after a huge fire forced the attraction to close on Monday. The family-run attraction near Telford, Shropshire, confirmed three animals died in the blaze, although they were personal pets belonging to the owners and not part of the zoo collection.

In a video update shared on Monday evening, owner Will Dorrell said: "Sometime around 7 AM this morning, a fire broke out in the building just behind us. That is the zoo office." He said the blaze was discovered around 30 to 45 minutes later by the owners and a member of staff. Mr Dorrell said: "Fortunately, at that time the fire was contained to within the building, but sadly, three animals did lose their lives. We lost some stick insects, a hedgehog, and a snake, all of which were personal pets ourselves and not part of the zoo. We are absolutely devastated about it." He praised Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service for preventing the fire from spreading to neighbouring buildings, many of which are wooden.

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Mr Dorrell said: "We really wanted to extend our heartfelt thanks to Shropshire Fire and Rescue, who did an absolutely amazing job in getting here as quickly as they possibly could, particularly the team from Wellington Station.

"They got here as quick as they possibly could and stopped the fire from spreading to any other buildings."

Explaining the extent of the damage, he said the zoo office had been "completely gutted", while a small amount of damage had also been caused to the first aviary, which he said was "hopefully rectifiable".

He added: "Without Shropshire Fire and Rescue, that wouldn't have been possible, and we probably would have lost significantly more, a lot more animals."

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