Zoo director Dominic Jermey said the staff was "absolutely devastated" by the aardvark's death. "We had our vet team on site immediately but sadly there was nothing that they could do for Misha," he said.
Workers searched in vain for the four missing meerkats throughout the day, but said Saturday evening they were presumed to have died in the blaze, which produced intense flames at first and left a smoky pall over much of the grounds.
Vets were called in to monitor the surviving animals and zookeepers were encouraged that there were no other signs of injury. The zoo remained closed to the public on what had been expected to be a busy day at the popular facility in Regent's Park. It is set to reopen Sunday. Sky more