By Amber Cox
SPRINGFIELD — The Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office received a body from Monday morning’s fire at the Animal Kingdom Zoo and has been tentatively identified it as the owner.
George Joo, supervising manager to the medical examiner, said positive identification has still not been made.
Owner Bridget Sipp, who has been missing since the fire, is believed to have perished in the fire.
The fire in her log cabin home on the zoo property called for a fleet of firefighters to put out the blaze.
Springfield Mayor Denis McDaniel said it was a devastating fire and confirmed that Ms. Sipp is missing but that no positive identification has been made, as of Tuesday afternoon.
The Animal Kingdom Zoo, located on Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, is a well-known local family spot for those with young children. The zoo has a number of wild animals including giraffes, anteaters, Arctic foxes, a number of different breeds of monkeys, camels, coyotes and porcupines.
The zoo is also home to a pet store that specializes in the sale of puppies.
Neither the zoo nor the store was damaged.
Mayor McDaniel said sympathy from the community of Springfield goes out to the Sipp family.

