Pet alligators that once belonged to King of pop, Michael Jackson, have been “boiled to death” after a suspected arson attack left an animal sanctuary burnt to the ground.
Eight reptiles were killed when the blaze ripped through the Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park in Oklahoma.
The owners believe the fire was started by animal rights activists who have had a long running feud with the business.
So far police, assisted by the FBI, have made no arrests.
Some of the alligators once lived a Jackson’s Neverland Ranch in Santa Barbara County, California, and had to be relocated when the property was sold.
Speaking to The Oklahoman the park’s founder and spokesman, Joe Schreibvogel, described the attack as “personal”.
The fire destroyed a video production studio, computers as well as two reptile enclosures housing the dead alligators and crocodiles.
“They targeted the studio to shut me up,” said Mr Schreibvogel.
“They wanted to get me off the air or else they would have targeted something else.
“Boiled to death they were.”
One female crocodile, aged “between 35 and 40 years old,” managed to survive the fire after escaping her enclosure when its doors blew off in the heat.
Speaking about the reptiles once owned by the late Thriller star Mr Schreibvogel said: “When they closed down Neverland Ranch and auctioned off his property, they asked us to come get all the reptiles and alligators and other stuff,” he said.
“We also helped them relocate and move some giraffes he had on the property.”
Jackson, who died in June 2009, had a collection of wild animals including tigers, snakes, chimps, giraffes and an elephant at his mansion.
However after his 2005 child sex abuse trial and his acquittal he refused to return to Neverland choosing to sell up.
The fate of his pets was left to respected vet Martin Dinnes, who once said: “Michael didn’t care about making money from his animals; he just wanted me to make sure they went to the best possible homes.
“Some were sold and some were given away, but Michael approved of all the places they went.”
But years later, animal rights campaigners PETA have warned it is tough to track most of them down.
