Fire Displaces Owner And Baby Animals At Caney Safari Park; Community Rallies To Help

The Safari Zoological Park in Caney, Kansas, is struggling after a fire burned a home and cabin on the property.

The more than 100 exotic animals on the property are all okay, but there is fear that there won’t be enough money to rebuild everything and take care of the animals.

The fire ripped through a cabin and part of the house behind the safari park. The animals are okay, but the hard work is just beginning.

“There's white tigers, a grizzly, we got kangaroos, wallabies, warthogs," said Tom Harvey.

All the babies living here, including Manny the sloth, a baby fox, and the baby baboons, have had a traumatizing few days.

"We don't have babies in the nursery in our house because of the smoke," he said.

This pile of rubble used to be a cabin, where visitors could stay and enjoy the park.

Owner Tom Harvey lives at this home, and so did the baby animals before the fire sparked Wednesday night.

“I heard a pop, an explosion basically," he said "I turned around and looked and saw this bright orange glow.”

Tom thinks the fire started from a chewed electrical wire in the cabin, and propane and winds made it spread quickly to the home.

“The fire engulfed everything," he said. "The heat was so intense.”

Fans of the zoo have been coming in droves, to show their support and to help.

“I really can't even explain how much it means to us," Harvey said.

Tom said there is a long road ahead. Animal food costs have doubled and keeping the park open was hard enough before this.

With winter approaching and no electricity, he worries about heating the animals.

But he has to stay optimistic.

"I don't even want to think about, do we have to make a decision of do we have a home to live in or, we have to get rid of the animals? Because there won't be enough for both, unless something happens," he said. "And I believe something's going to happen."

Friends and volunteers are helping rebuild since Tom didn't have insurance.

The park is open on Saturday and any help goes a long way. They have two GoFundMes here and here.