Zoo Asks Visitors to Donate Small Pets as Food for Predators
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A zoo in Denmark is asking people to donate small pets so that they can be used as food for its captive predators.
In a Facebook post, Aalborg Zoo said guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens form an important part of the diet of its predators, including the European lynx, which it said need whole prey, reminiscent of what they would naturally hunt in the wild.
The zoo did not specify which animals the donated pets might be fed to but, according to its website, the predators it cares for include Asiatic lions, polar bears and Sumatran tigers.
A spokesperson for the zoo told Newsweek via email that it has fed its carnivores with smaller livestock for "many years" and "many guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute."
Why It Matters
The zoo's social media plea explained that if readers "have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us."
It also added that it is trying to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there "for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity." It offered assurances that the pets will be "gently euthanized" by trained staff.
What To Know
Aalborg Zoo opened in 1935 and has around 500,000 visitors annually, according to its Facebook page. It says that its overall purpose is nature conservation.
A page on the zoo's website provides more details on how animals can be donated. Underneath a picture of a tiger gnawing at a piece of meat, it explains how horses can also be given to the zoo.
It says horses being donated for meat will be delivered alive where they will be euthanized by a zookeeper and veterinarian and then slaughtered.
When it comes to donating chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, no more than four at a time are allowed.
Danish broadcaster TV2 Nord, said so far this year, the zoo had received 137 rabbits, 53 chickens, 18 guinea pigs, 12 cod and 22 horses.
A 5-year-old male Sumatran tiger is seen in Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 13, 2017.
A 5-year-old male Sumatran tiger is seen in Taronga Zoo in Sydney on September 13, 2017.
PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images/PETER PARKS/AFP via Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Aalborg Zoo wrote in its Facebook post: "If you have an animal that for various reasons needs to leave here, you are welcome to donate it to us. The animals are gently killed by trained staff and then used as feed. In this way, nothing is wasted – and we ensure the natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators."
In a statement via email to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the zoo said: "We have both large and small carnivores in Aalborg. We place great emphasis on the animals' health. We monitor them daily, have daily veterinary checks, and assess their welfare based on these daily observations. For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock."
They added: "When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur, bones, etc., to give them as natural a diet as possible. Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanized for various reasons to be of use in this way. In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute. The livestock we receive as donations are chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses."
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Zoo's request for donations of pets to be fed to predatory animals draws PETA blowback
A zoo in Europe is inviting the public to turn unwanted pets into prey, calling for donations of fluffy rabbits and family guinea pigs to be euthanized and fed to its predator residents. The Aalborg Zoo in Denmark announced the program in a Facebook post, sparking public uproar, including the ire of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). "If you have an animal that, for various reasons, needs to be rehomed, you are welcome to donate it to us. The animals are humanely euthanized by trained staff and then used as feed," the zoo wrote in the social media post. "In this way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, proper nutrition, and well-being for our predators." The zoo said private individuals and businesses can donate chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, which organizers said make up an important part of predators' diets. Specifically, the zoo said the Eurasian lynx requires "whole" prey animals that resemble what it would naturally hunt in the wild. "In zoos, we have a responsibility to replicate the animals' natural food chain — for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity," employees wrote in the post. The zoo is also accepting horses, noting owners "can join us all the way if you wish." PETA weighed in on the controversial initiative, saying there is nothing "natural" about the donation request. "It's not 'natural behaviour' for predators from Asia, who roam and hunt for their meals, to be fed companion animals who originated in South America," PETA wrote in an online news release. "Companion animals are never needed to 'imitate the natural food chain of the [zoo's] animals' (as an Aalborg Zoo spokesperson described the program)." PETA added if the Aalborg Zoo "truly cares about animals," it should focus on protecting species in their natural habitats. The zoo later turned off the comments on its Facebook post detailing the program, citing "significant international interest." "We understand that the post evokes emotions and interest, but hateful and malicious rhetoric is unnecessary — and we encourage keeping a respectful tone," leadership wrote. "We're happy to elaborate and answer questions via private messages or email." The Aalborg Zoo and PETA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
San Francisco Chronicle
7 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
The world's black rhino numbers have increased but there's bad news for others
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — The number of critically endangered black rhinos has increased slightly, but there is bad news for other rhino species, according to a global count released Thursday by the International Rhino Foundation. It said that black rhino numbers went up from 6,195 to 6,788 in the latest estimates. White rhinos had declined, however, from 15,942 to 15,752 since the last count in 2021. Black and white rhinos are only found in the wild in Africa. The number of greater one-horned rhinos, found in northern India and Nepal, rose slightly from 4,014 to 4,075. But Javan rhinos have declined from an estimated 76 to just 50, the foundation said, and that was entirely due to poaching. There is only one known population of Javan rhinos left — at a national park on the Indonesian island of Java. The Sumatran rhino population stands at just 34-47 animals, around the same as previous estimates. The global population for all rhinos is approximately 26,700. The International Rhino Foundation says it gets its figures from counts by specialist rhino groups at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the global authority on endangered species. It does not count rhinos in zoos, only those in the wild or in national parks. The rhino foundation said there were worrying new trends from South Africa, which has more rhinos than anywhere else. There, the average number of rhinos in individual populations was below what conservationists recommend to maintain a viable population. It also said a new rhino horn trafficking route was emerging between South Africa and Mongolia, and Qatar was becoming a growing hub for horn trafficking. Rhino poaching is still a major problem in South Africa and elsewhere to feed the illegal market for rhino horn products in parts of Asia. South Africa loses between 400 and 500 rhinos a year to poaching. It is often looking for new ways to deter poachers and one group of scientists launched a project last week to inject radioactive material into the horns of rhinos. The scientists say it's harmless for the animals but allows horns to be detected by border authorities when they are being smuggled.
Los Angeles Times
7 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
The world's black rhino numbers have increased, but there's bad news for others
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The number of critically endangered black rhinos has increased slightly, but there is bad news for other rhino species, according to a global count released Thursday by the International Rhino Foundation. It said that black rhino numbers went up from 6,195 to 6,788 in the latest estimates. White rhinos had declined, however, from 15,942 to 15,752 since the last count in 2021. Black and white rhinos are only found in the wild in Africa. The number of greater one-horned rhinos, found in northern India and Nepal, rose slightly from 4,014 to 4,075. But Javan rhinos have declined from an estimated 76 to just 50, the foundation said, and that was entirely due to poaching. There is only one known population of Javan rhinos left — at a national park on the Indonesian island of Java. The Sumatran rhino population stands at just 34 to 47 animals, around the same as previous estimates. The global population for all rhinos is approximately 26,700. The International Rhino Foundation says it gets its figures from counts by specialist rhino groups at the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the global authority on endangered species. It does not count rhinos in zoos, only those in the wild or in national parks. The rhino foundation said there were worrying new trends from South Africa, which has more rhinos than anywhere else. There, the average number of rhinos in individual populations was below what conservationists recommend to maintain a viable population. It also said a new rhino horn trafficking route was emerging between South Africa and Mongolia, and Qatar was becoming a growing hub for horn trafficking. Rhino poaching is still a major problem in South Africa and elsewhere to feed the illegal market for rhino horn products in parts of Asia. South Africa loses between 400 and 500 rhinos a year to poaching. It is often looking for new ways to deter poachers and one group of scientists launched a project last week to inject radioactive material into the horns of rhinos. The scientists say it's harmless for the animals but allows horns to be detected by border authorities when they are being smuggled.
