‘Sick rampage’ at Tasmanian zoo

AUSTRALIA: Nine birds have been slaughtered and dozens of animals are missing after a break-in at an Australian zoo.

ABC television reported that intruders cut the locks on enclosures containing several bird, wallabies and monkeys during a rampage at a zoo in the southern island state of Tasmania, sometime on Friday. The news station said about 60 birds and animals were missing, including two rare swift parrots.

Workers at the private Tasmania Zoo found nine birds with their heads crushed or torn off.

Zoo owner Dick Warren said: “They just caught them and banged their heads and pulled their heads off, and it was pretty sickly to see.”