This means that there is no longer any risk of them being able to get out of the chimpanzee enclosure, and work is now underway together with veterinarians to assess the condition of the chimpanzees.

READ ALSO: Four chimpanzees shot after escape from Swedish wildlife park

“They are mobile, eat and drink, behave as they usually do and they would like to have contact with animal keepers,” Wilke added.

Following the escape on Wednesday, three chimpanzees were shot dead: Linda and Torsten outside the enclosure, and Santino inside. A fourth, Manda, has now also been confirmed dead.

Santino – artist and royal favourite

One of the chimps killed, Santino, was known to be not only a talented artist but a favourite among Swedish royalty.

“It is with great sadness that we can now also confirm that the chimpanzee that has been confirmed deceased in the chimpanzee house, but which we had not been able to identify, is Santino,”  Furuviksparken said in a press release.

Killed on Saturday morning, Santino has attracted attention for his paintings and is a favourite of Crown Princess Victoria and Princess Madeleine. When the Crown Princess turned 25, she donated SEK 100,000 to a chimpanzee charity project and received a painting of Santino as a thank you.

In 2012, SVT Vetenskap reported that Santino’s paintings and prints had raised around half a million kronor. 

Santino’s talent was first discovered when he arrived at the Furuviksparken from Munich Zoo and was provided with paint during his quarantine. Over time the chimp became so skilled that he was eventually able to sell some of his paintings for SEK 10,000 each.

Santino also interested researchers with his planning skills after collecting stones to throw at visitors at a later date.

Survivors

One of the surviving chimps, Selma, is also seriously injured.

“Regarding Selma’s injuries, we do not have a veterinary assessment. If Selma is suffering, we may have to euthanise her,” Wilke said. “I understand that there are many people who are sad, angry and disappointed. We have failed in this situation.”

“I cannot answer as to what we should do with the [surviving] monkeys. I cannot answer how we assess the situation going forward. In that assessment, their well-being is taken into account.”

The chimpanzees Maria-Magdalena and Tjobbe are physically unharmed.

Escape

It is unclear how the monkeys got out, but tracks in the snow show, according to Wilke, that one or more chimpanzees first got out of the enclosure and then further into the park through a door to the monkey enclosure. 

“There are more animals living outside the chimpanzee house, for example cotton-headed tamarins and reptiles. We have now managed to secure their area so that our employees can get in and take care of them and we are now awaiting a status report from the veterinarians regarding the well-being of these animals,” the zoo said in a statement early on Saturday.

The incident will be investigated by the Furuviksparken to understand what happened and whether they could have acted differently. Furuvik has also reported the escape to the Work Environment Authority.

“The questions about the future must come when we have got to the bottom of an investigation into what has happened,” Wilke said.

It is also unclear whether the chimpanzee house will be open as usual this summer.

“We have planned to be closed now and we will not be open until the summer of 2023. We have collaborations with schools and we are investigating what to do with interns going forward. At the moment, I cannot say whether we will be open this summer,” Wilke added.