Massive hailstones kill two animals at US zoo

Five people taken to hospital after being injured by freak weather

Two animals have been killed and several people injured after a giant hail storm hit a zoo in the US state of Colorado.

A duck and a vulture died as “softball-sized” hailstones pelted Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, causing severe damage to buildings, smashing car windows and denting bodywork.

Videos show animals and visitors to the zoo taking cover where they could. When the storm began more than 3,000 people were on the premises.

Fourteen people were injured, with nine treated at the zoo and five taken to hospital with injuries from the hailstones. Some staff were also injured in the hail while caring for the animals.

During the storm people were temporarily evacuated to a nearby secondary school.

Over 400 cars at the zoo car park were “significantly” damaged. Hailstones shattered most windscreens, and dented bodywork leaving the vehicles pockmarked and surrounded by broken glass.

“It was a hailstorm I've never seen before,” Jenny Koch, the marketing director for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo said to KRDO News.

Ms Koch also said the number of damaged cars is likely to grow. “It's hard to tell how many at this point,” she said.

Meanwhile, police will be patrolling the large car park to prevent any theft.

The news organisation also spoke to Robin Lane, a visitor whose car was smashed by the hail, leaving him stranded.

He said: “I don't know where I'm going, what I'm doing, or how I'm going to get there.”

Video taken from the indoor viewing gallery of a grizzly bear enclosure shows the animals trying to move out of the line of fire as hailstones splash down into the bears’ glass-walled water tank.

Video posted to Instagram by an account named ScottandVanessa shows the hailstones violently bringing down leaves from trees.

“You can sense the tension in everyone,” they wrote. “We made it to the pizza restaurant at the zoo just before the hail came. Food has stopped for safety reasons and everyone is just quiet and staring or videoing this storm. And what are people talking about???? ‘My car will be destroyed!’ ‘So many cars are going to be wrecked!’ Just so glad everyone is safe inside. I feel like we are on a movie set.”

A softball is a large baseball about the size of a grapefruit.