Zoo asks people to donate their pets for food for its predators
A zoo in Denmark is asking for owners of small, healthy pets to donate their furry friends as food for its predators - and people are in favour of the idea.
The Aalborg zoo said it is trying to" mimic the natural food chain" of the animals housed there "for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity" and offers assurances the pets will be"gently euthanized" by trained staff.
The visitor attraction in northern Denmark explained in a Facebook post: "If you have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us." It comes after a group of children 'chased a sheep off a cliff' before turning on shocked passers-by.
The zoo points to guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as possible donations. After being euthanized, the animals will be used as fodder, the zoo said. "That way, nothing goes to waste - and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators," the zoo said.
Commenters were appalled by the call out. One man commented: "There is a deeply perverse and degrading mindset behind this sick mindset in, a terrible trend of indifference towards animals has spread in Denmark and this posts supports this backwards ideology. Imagine giving away your pet/animal as fodder, it hardly gets more disrespectful and nasty than that."
However others seemed to agree with the waste-not want-not approach.
One Facebook user said: "Good initiative rather than being thrown in the trash when they are not cute anymore, or the neighbour is tired of your hens suddenly getting roosters that are noisy and illegal within the city limits."
Another added: "Wooow you guys are brave. It probably won't take many minutes for angry comments, but I think it's a good idea. I would love for my animal to come in handy. Unfortunately it hates transportation, so I won't offer it on my last trip. Can you use animals that HAVE been euthanized at a vet?"
The online call for pet donations is accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open and a link to the zoo's website, noting the facility also is interested in receiving horses.
The zoo, which could not immediately be reached for additional details, does not list other pets or animals as possible donations.
The full post read: "Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs make up an important part of the diet of our predators - especially in the European locust, which needs whole prey, which is reminiscent of what it would naturally hunt in the wild.
"In zoos we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals - in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity .
"If you have a healthy animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us. The animals are gently euthanized by trained staff and are afterwards used as fodder. That way, nothing goes to waste - and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators."
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STV News
13 minutes ago
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Denmark zoo asks for unwanted family pets to feed its animals
A zoo in Denmark has come under fire for seeking unwanted family pets to feed its predators. The Aalborg Zoo took to Facebook, asking people to donate animals like chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs in a bid to 'imitate the natural food chain of the animals'. 'That way, nothing goes to waste – and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators,' the post said. On its website, the zoo said the donated animals would be 'gently euthanised' by trained staff before being served up as food. The zoo is home to carnivorous predators, including the Asiatic lion, European lynx and Sumatran tiger. Its public request drew heated debate online, with many against the idea of turning pets into prey, but others praised the zoo's efforts to maintain natural feeding behaviours. The zoo is home to carnivorous predators including the European lynx. / Credit: iStock Deputy director of Aalborg Zoo, Pia Nielsen, said the initiative had been in place for years and was common practice for zoos in Denmark. 'For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock,' she said. 'When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur, bones, to give them as natural a diet as possible. 'Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanised for various reasons to be of use in this way.' Local Trine Lauridsen said she had donated animals to the zoo in the past, including her horses. 'I think it's a good thing when you say goodbye to your animals, that it serves a good purpose,' she said. 'If they come to a slaughterhouse, where it really smells of death. That is something that few horses like. 'It's nicer to go to a zoo; the animals are calm, maybe they get to grass and get an extra treat and then it's just over.' It is not the first time that a zoo in Denmark has come under scrutiny for the way animals are fed. In 2014, the Copenhagen Zoo euthanised a healthy young giraffe named Marius to avoid inbreeding, despite a petition to stop the move. Its carcass was then used for research and to feed carnivores at the same zoo. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
ITV News
3 hours ago
- ITV News
Danish zoo asks for unwanted family pets to feed its animals
A Danish zoo has come under fire for seeking unwanted family pets to feed its predators. The Aalborg Zoo took to Facebook, asking people to donate animals like chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs in a bid to 'imitate the natural food chain of the animals'. 'That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators,' the post said. On its website, the zoo said the donated animals would be 'gently euthanised' by trained staff before being served up as food. The zoo is home to carnivorous predators, including the Asiatic lion, European lynx and Sumatran tiger. Its public request drew heated debate online, with many against the idea of turning pets into prey, but others praised the zoo's efforts to maintain natural feeding behaviours. Deputy director of Aalborg Zoo, Pia Nielsen, said the initiative had been in place for years and was common practice for zoos in Denmark. 'For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock," she said. "When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur, bones, to give them as natural a diet as possible. 'Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanised for various reasons to be of use in this way.' Local Trine Lauridsen said she had donated animals to the zoo in the past, including her horses. 'I think it's a good thing when you say goodbye to your animals, that it serves a good purpose," she said. "If they come to a slaughterhouse, where it really smells of death. That is something that few horses like. "It's nicer to go to a zoo; the animals are calm, maybe they get to grass and get an extra treat and then it's just over." It is not the first time that a zoo in Denmark has come under scrutiny for the way animals are fed. In 2014, the Copenhagen Zoo euthanised a healthy young giraffe named Marius to avoid inbreeding, despite a petition to stop the move. Its carcass was then used for research and to feed carnivores at the same zoo.
Metro
3 hours ago
- Metro
Zoo asks people to donate unwanted animals to feed to predators
A zoo in Denmark is asking for donations of small pets as food for its predators to help their larger predators have a diverse diet. Aalborg Zoo, in northern Denmark, said they're attempting to mimic the natural food chain of the animals housed there 'for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity'. The zoo said pets offered would be 'gently euthanised' by trained staff, and suggested guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as possible donations. Aalborg Zoo's big predators include Sumatran tigers, Asiatic lions, and European lynx. In a Facebook post, they explained: 'Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs make up an important part of the diet of our predators – especially in the European locust, which needs whole prey, which is reminiscent of what it would naturally hunt in the wild. 'In zoos, we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals, in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity. 'If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us. The animals are gently euthanised by trained staff and are afterwards used as fodder. That way, nothing goes to waste.' The post was met with such backlash that the zoo was forced to turn off the comment section – but not before animal lovers flooded it. One wrote: 'Imagine giving away your pet/animal as fodder, it hardly gets more disrespectful and unworthy than that…' Another added: 'I took a horse to the zoo, a few years ago. It was the quietest and most serene way it went down. It was the best experience for both the horse and I. The staff was sweet and took care of it in the finest way, and were grateful for the donation.' In a statement, the zoo later said: 'For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock. 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 euthanised 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.' In 2014, Copenhagen Zoo faced backlash for killing a healthy baby giraffe and feeding it to a lion as part of a diet. More Trending The giraffe, named Marius, was killed in a bid to 'avoid inbreeding'. In a statement then, the zoo said: 'When giraffes breed as well as they do now, then you will inevitably run into so-called surplus problems now and then.' But the killing was controversial, as many zoos offered to take in the giraffe – but Copenhagen Zoo said it would cause inbreeding. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Daredevil scales Copenhagen's tallest hotel before leaping from top MORE: Rhinos now have radioactive horns to fight off poachers MORE: Cat named Leonardo da Pinchy terrorises town by stealing people's underwear
