Fire damages Johannesburg Zoo restaurant

A fire damaged a restaurant at the Johannesburg Zoo on Friday night, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo (JCPZ) said.

"JCPZ immediately deployed senior management and conservation specialists to ensure that the safety and well-being of all animals and plants housed within the zoo were not compromised," JCPZ managing director Bulumko Nelana said in a statement on Saturday.

Damage caused by the fire was limited to the "And Chips" restaurant. An investigation was underway to identify the cause.

Nelana said the zoo would continue to operate as normal.

"In the interim and as a precautionary measure, the area around the restaurant has been cordoned off."