The zoo had been granted permission to kill the monkeys, as it was an emergency situation.
The Swedish prosecutor’s office says it will close the preliminary investigation into the shootings of the chimpanzees that escaped from the Furuviksparken zoo in December 2022. Sweden tells about it public broadcasting company SVT.
According to the prosecutor, bringing criminal charges would have required that the monkeys had been harmed intentionally or due to negligence.
– It is not possible to prove that the shot that wounded one of the monkeys is a punishable act, chief prosecutor Michael Dahlberg says
The chimpanzees Santino, Linda, Torsten and Manda, who escaped from their enclosure, were killed by the shots of the zoo staff. The monkey named Selma survived, but received a gunshot wound in one eye.
The investigation launched into possible animal cruelty concerned the suffering caused to an animal that survived the shooting.
The zoo had been granted permission to kill potentially dangerous monkeys, as it was considered an emergency situation.
The prosecutor also closes other preliminary investigations started in connection with the case.