"The animals that were outside kept very calm," one of the park's veterinarians, Christian Cabrera, 36, told AFP. "We had to keep the animals safe one way or another -- that was our top priority. Advertisement AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementAround the park, the vegetation on the hills still bore the scorch marks of the fire. As it was, she enjoyed driving through the park and seeing the animals come up close. Thanks to the firebreaks dug by firefighters to stop the blaze reaching the zoo, her plot too escaped the flames, said the 39-year-old homemaker.