EXCLUSIVE: 'I let a zoo feed my pet rabbit to the tigers, it was a super-nice experience'
Aalborg Zoo in North Jutland posted a plea on social media for live rabbits, chickens, and guinea pigs to be donated, which its trained staff would "gently euthanise".
The zoo explained that these animals are "an important part of the diet of our predators - especially the European lynx, which needs whole prey that resembles what it would naturally hunt in the wild."
Aalborg Zoo, which is home to 1,500 animals belonging to 126 species, also sought donations of live horses under 147cm tall with a pet passport. Furthermore, it mentioned that if pet owners need to rehome animals "for various reasons", they could bring up to four small species at a time. It comes as a millionaire hunter was gored to death by 'Black Death' buffalo he was trying to kill.
The zoo's statement read: "In zoos, we have a responsibility to imitate the animals' natural food chain - for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity," adding, "Nothing goes to waste - and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators."
Pet owner Kristina Meincke recounted her experience of surrendering her rabbit, which was then humanely put down and served as food for the carnivores. She commended the zoo for the "super nice" process.
Her feedback was positive, writing on social media: "This is such a fine arrangement. I have delivered a rabbit to you, and it was a super nice and professional experience."
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Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
'I gave my daughter's pony to a zoo to be eaten by lions - I have no regrets'
Pernille Sohl, from Denmark, decided to send her daughter's pony to Aalborg Zoo after it launched a 'food drive' to mimic the natural diets of its resident predators A mum who sent her daughter's pony to become lion food has said she doesn't regret the move - but acknowledges it may appear to have been "dramatic and bizarre". Most mothers would choose to take their children's sick pets to the vet, but Pernille Sohl decided that when her daughter's pony fell ill that it should be donated to a local zoo. Ms Sohl, 44, from Denmark, took the animal to the Aalborg Zoo in the country's north. Staff at Aalborg, a hugely popular tourist attraction that cares for more than 1,500 animals across 126 species, had launched a "food drive" in a bid to mimic its resident predators' natural food chain. Ms Sohl chose to make the horse "whole prey" for the Aalborg lions, and has been shocked by backlash she has received following the decision. It comes after an octopus 'climbed out of aquarium tank' and 'tried to eat a boy' in front of his mum. READ MORE: Police shame British drugs mules by making them pose for photos with suitcases Speaking to The Times, the mum said she understood how the decision may sound "very dramatic and bizarre", but added the animals being sent to the zoo were "going to be put down anyway". She said: "It might sound very dramatic and bizarre that you would feed your pet to animals in the zoo. "But they are going to be put down anyway and it is not like they are alive when they are given to the predators." Ms Sohl isn't the only mum who has decided to send her child's beloved pet to become food for predators, with dozens of people having followed suit, according to the zoo. Staff say the appeal has yielded donations of 22 horses, 18 guinea pigs, 53 chickens and 137 rabbits. All donors receive a DKK100 (£11.60) tax reduction for each small animal, and DKK5 (58p) per kilogram for larger horses. In a post on Instagram, the zoo said all animals are "gently euthanised by trained staff" before they are fed to the animals. Using donated whole animals instead of slabs of pre-prepared meat ensures "nothing goes to waste" the zoo states, and that "natural behaviour, nutrition and [the] well-being of predators" is ensured. Aalborg isn't the only zoo using donations to feed its predators, with Helen Hjortholm Andersen, from Jutland, having donated her Shetland pony to Jyllands Park Zoo after she was told to leave it to die in a field. She said it "made sense" to send the 20-year-old pony, named Paprika, to the zoo, as the costs of collecting a dead animal were "grotesquely high". She said: "The idea that she could be of benefit made sense. We would do it again. We like the idea of the cycle of life, and that a pony can help to create life for other animals."
The Guardian
15 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘Bizarre and wrong': Danish zoo sparks debate with plea for pets to use as food
After a Danish zoo posted a reminder of its long-running programme allowing people to donate their healthy, small pets to be 'gently euthanised' and fed to predators, reaction poured in from across the globe. But beyond the battleground playing out on social media – where some protested against the idea of using pets as prey and others praised the zoo's efforts to drum up a practical food supply – some were swift to point out that the zoo was simply laying bare the reality of keeping carnivores in captivity. 'If you accept the fact that you have carnivores in human care, either as a pet or as a zoo, you will agree to the fact that you feed them animal matter. Basically there is no other choice,' said Marcus Clauss, the co-director of the Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife at the University of Zurich, pointing to vegan dog food as one of the few exceptions to this. 'And then the logical next step is the question, where do you source that animal product from?' As the zoo's plea made headlines around the world, Aalborg zoo closed comments on its post, citing 'hateful and malicious rhetoric'. The zoo said it was simply aiming to mimic the natural food chain by urging those with chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs that need to be put down to instead hand them over to the zoo. 'That way, nothing goes to waste – and we ensure the natural behaviour, nutrition and wellbeing of our predators.' Few would question the alternative, even though it came with the risk that zoo animals could end up being fed meat from animals raised in relatively poor conditions, said Clauss. 'As long as it's beef from the slaughterhouse, nobody sees it and nobody needs to think about it,' he said. 'As soon as it's an animal that is being killed at the zoo, it's in everybody's face.' Some of the backlash was likely down to the wording of the appeal, said Dan Ashe of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which counts more than 200 accredited facilities spanning from the US to the UAE. 'I think the thing that people maybe see as potentially shocking is the use of the word pet,' he said. He chalked it up to cultural differences. 'Professionally, I would not expect anything like that to happen at one of our accredited zoos, certainly not here in the US. But our accreditation policies wouldn't necessarily prohibit it.' The plea, however, spoke to a common understanding among zoos around the world: the importance, both nutritionally and behaviourally, of mimicking nature by feeding carnivores the entire carcass of animals. 'Carcass-feeding is a regular feature of what our members do when they are available, some of our members accept donations of road-killed deer or animals,' said Ashe. Some zoos had actively sought to spotlight this, he said, citing a recent event at Denver zoo where the public was invited – and warned appropriately beforehand – to watch as lions were fed pig carcasses. 'The lions seemed to benefit, and certainly the guests who chose to watch it – it was packed,' he said. Others, however, found little redeeming in the Danish appeal. 'To me this was so far beyond the pale,' said Clifford Warwick, a UK-based consultant biologist and medical scientist. 'The entire thing is bizarre and wrong.' As the zoo did not specify how the donated pets would be euthanised, Warwick worried it would be impossible to do so in a way that was both humane and ensured that the animals remained safe to be eaten by predators such as the European lynx. 'And there's no validity to their claim of needing to give animals a natural diet this way,' he said. 'Lynx don't eat guinea pigs. Where do they get guinea pigs from? Lynx would eat almost any small mammal, sure, but they can't turn around and say that's a natural behaviour.' Aalborg zoo did not reply to a request for an interview. At a time when animal shelters around the world are grappling with overcrowding, Warwick also bristled at what he saw as the wider implications of the zoo's message. 'It further devalues the lives of pets … It's a horrendous devaluation of animal life,' he said. 'Are you really happy saying: 'OK, well Rex or Bruno, the time has come, there's a hungry lion at the local zoo. Bye, off you go.'' The wide range of reactions hints at the many factors that play into the broader question of how to keep carnivores fed at zoos, said Alessandro Di Marzio, the science lead at Riga zoo. 'Zoos are spread across a wide range of areas, so you'll find places where certain techniques are considered acceptable and more or less normal for society, while in other areas they're not,' he said, with local laws, economic resources and culture also helping to shape these tactics. 'It depends on all these circumstances.' The resulting clash of cultures has at times been glaring; earlier this year, Germany's Nuremberg zoo sparked protests after it confirmed it had killed six of its 12 Guinea baboons due to overcrowding and had fed the primates to lions, tigers, maned wolves and marbled polecats. In Denmark, Copenhagen zoo was the focus of global protests in 2014 after it put down an 18-month-old giraffe, citing the risk of inbreeding, and fed some of the meat to the zoo's lions. For Clauss, the heated debate unleashed this week recalled one of the emails sent to Copenhagen zoo after the euthanasia of the giraffe. 'It said: 'Why do you have to kill animals to feed your carnivores? Can't you just buy meat?'' While he did not think the view was representative in any way, he marvelled at how the Danish appeal had served to kickstart a global conversation. 'The amazing thing is that we learn about these things because of zoos,' he said. 'And not because of what we do at the supermarket.'
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
‘Bizarre and wrong': Danish zoo sparks debate with plea for pets to use as food
After a Danish zoo posted a reminder of its long-running programme allowing people to donate their healthy, small pets to be 'gently euthanised' and fed to predators, reaction poured in from across the globe. But beyond the battleground playing out on social media – where some protested against the idea of using pets as prey and others praised the zoo's efforts to drum up a practical food supply – some were swift to point out that the zoo was simply laying bare the reality of keeping carnivores in captivity. 'If you accept the fact that you have carnivores in human care, either as a pet or as a zoo, you will agree to the fact that you feed them animal matter. Basically there is no other choice,' said Marcus Clauss, the co-director of the Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife at the University of Zurich, pointing to vegan dog food as one of the few exceptions to this. 'And then the logical next step is the question, where do you source that animal product from?' As the zoo's plea made headlines around the world, Aalborg zoo closed comments on its post, citing 'hateful and malicious rhetoric'. The zoo said it was simply aiming to mimic the natural food chain by urging those with chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs that need to be put down to instead hand them over to the zoo. 'That way, nothing goes to waste – and we ensure the natural behaviour, nutrition and wellbeing of our predators.' Few would question the alternative, even though it came with the risk that zoo animals could end up being fed meat from animals raised in relatively poor conditions, said Clauss. 'As long as it's beef from the slaughterhouse, nobody sees it and nobody needs to think about it,' he said. 'As soon as it's an animal that is being killed at the zoo, it's in everybody's face.' Some of the backlash was likely down to the wording of the appeal, said Dan Ashe of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which counts more than 200 accredited facilities spanning from the US to the UAE. 'I think the thing that people maybe see as potentially shocking is the use of the word pet,' he said. He chalked it up to cultural differences. 'Professionally, I would not expect anything like that to happen at one of our accredited zoos, certainly not here in the US. But our accreditation policies wouldn't necessarily prohibit it.' The plea, however, spoke to a common understanding among zoos around the world: the importance, both nutritionally and behaviourally, of mimicking nature by feeding carnivores the entire carcass of animals. 'Carcass-feeding is a regular feature of what our members do when they are available, some of our members accept donations of road-killed deer or animals,' said Ashe. Some zoos had actively sought to spotlight this, he said, citing a recent event at Denver zoo where the public was invited – and warned appropriately beforehand – to watch as lions were fed pig carcasses. 'The lions seemed to benefit, and certainly the guests who chose to watch it – it was packed,' he said. Others, however, found little redeeming in the Danish appeal. 'To me this was so far beyond the pale,' said Clifford Warwick, a UK-based consultant biologist and medical scientist. 'The entire thing is bizarre and wrong.' As the zoo did not specify how the donated pets would be euthanised, Warwick worried it would be impossible to do so in a way that was both humane and ensured that the animals remained safe to be eaten by predators such as the European lynx. 'And there's no validity to their claim of needing to give animals a natural diet this way,' he said. 'Lynx don't eat guinea pigs. Where do they get guinea pigs from? Lynx would eat almost any small mammal, sure, but they can't turn around and say that's a natural behaviour.' Aalborg zoo did not reply to a request for an interview. At a time when animal shelters around the world are grappling with overcrowding, Warwick also bristled at what he saw as the wider implications of the zoo's message. 'It further devalues the lives of pets … It's a horrendous devaluation of animal life,' he said. 'Are you really happy saying: 'OK, well Rex or Bruno, the time has come, there's a hungry lion at the local zoo. Bye, off you go.'' The wide range of reactions hints at the many factors that play into the broader question of how to keep carnivores fed at zoos, said Alessandro Di Marzio, the science lead at Riga zoo. 'Zoos are spread across a wide range of areas, so you'll find places where certain techniques are considered acceptable and more or less normal for society, while in other areas they're not,' he said, with local laws, economic resources and culture also helping to shape these tactics. 'It depends on all these circumstances.' The resulting clash of cultures has at times been glaring; earlier this year, Germany's Nuremberg zoo sparked protests after it confirmed it had killed six of its 12 Guinea baboons due to overcrowding and had fed the primates to lions, tigers, maned wolves and marbled polecats. In Denmark, Copenhagen zoo was the focus of global protests in 2014 after it put down an 18-month-old giraffe, citing the risk of inbreeding, and fed some of the meat to the zoo's lions. For Clauss, the heated debate unleashed this week recalled one of the emails sent to Copenhagen zoo after the euthanasia of the giraffe. 'It said: 'Why do you have to kill animals to feed your carnivores? Can't you just buy meat?'' While he did not think the view was representative in any way, he marvelled at how the Danish appeal had served to kickstart a global conversation. 'The amazing thing is that we learn about these things because of zoos,' he said. 'And not because of what we do at the supermarket.'
