The director of a Wildlife Park on the South Coast said there was no other choice but to stay and protect the animals as the New Years Eve fires raged around them.

Staff successfully defended Mogo Wildlife Park and no animals, including lions, tigers and gorillas, were lost.

Director of Mogo Wildlife Park Chad Staples tells Ben Fordham they have about 200 animals at the zoo.

“We have animals that we couldn’t just pack up and move away.

“As everyone else was getting a notification to flee Mogo [my staff] came to work to help fight the fires.

“We had to stay and defend the site because the animals mean more to us than anything.”

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Image: Chad Staples