‘No regrets': Mum gives daughter's pony to zoo for lion food
Pernille Sohl and her then 13-year-old daughter, Angelina Rasmussen, faced a tough time in 2020 when their pony's health took a turn for the worst.
Chicago 57 was the family's sports pony and had participated in competitions all over their home country, Denmark.
But it came time for Chicago 'to leave', and that is when Ms Sohl spoke with Angelina about the options they could take.
'[Angelina] had previously watched one of my horses being taken to be euthanized, and it was a bad experience for her. She said that this time she wanted to follow the food chain. She wanted Chicago 57 to benefit other animals,' Ms Sohl told Avisen Danmark.
Chicago 57 was not suffering a life threatening condition, but was old and in pain because of summer eczema which left him very itchy and covered in sores.
He was also no longer able to compete.
The family contacted Aalborg Zoo, and eventually took Chicago 57 onsite where he was euthanized.
'There was a zookeeper standing there cuddling and kissing him – as if it was me standing with him. I got to say a final goodbye, and he was put to death quietly,' Ms Sohl said.
Years passed by, but Ms Sohl's story was brought into public debate after she left a comment on a Facebook post.
Aalborg Zoo made a post calling for donations of small livestock and horses as a food source for the animals.
'If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us,' the post said.
'The animals are gently euthanized by trained staff and are afterwards used as fodder. That way, nothing goes to waste - and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators.' Pernille Sohl donated her daughter's pony, Chicago 57, to Aalborg Zoo as food for predators. Credit: Pernille Sohl
The practice is not new, the zoo has done it for as long as it has been in operation.
Ms Sohl commented on the post about Chicago 57's story, but the comment has since been removed.
In a post on her personal Facebook, she said 'sometimes your vacation is interrupted by interviews just because you comment on a post'.
Social media users were outraged over Aalborg Zoo's call-out, with many labelling the policy 'unacceptable'.
'A deeply perverse and degrading mindset that is behind this sick invention, which has spread a terrible trend of indifference with animals in Denmark and this only supports this sad underdevelopment,' one user commented.
'A country is only as progressive as the way it treats its animals. - Mahatma Gandhi. Feeding pets is absolutely unacceptable,' another user wrote.
But some were quick to defend the zoo, and said the debate was being blown out of proportion.
'Crazy that donating a horse or animal to humane euthanasia can create a wild debate,' one user wrote.
'It is much better for an unwanted pet to come to you and be humanely euthanized than for it to be thrown out of a car in a forest,' another commented.
Despite the outrage and backlash, Ms Sohl said she has no regrets about the decision to donate Chicago 57.
'It's a good opportunity, and I've recommended it plenty of times. In horse groups on Facebook, people often ask what to do with their old horse, and I almost always get involved and tell [them] about our experience with Aalborg Zoo,' she said.
She said if she had to make the same choice again, she would, but said the decision only makes sense if the horse is able to tolerate the trip to the zoo.
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When a mother decided to send her daughter's pony to a nearby zoo to be fed on by predators, she did not anticipate global backlash. Pernille Sohl and her then 13-year-old daughter, Angelina Rasmussen, faced a tough time in 2020 when their pony's health took a turn for the worst. Chicago 57 was the family's sports pony and had participated in competitions all over their home country, Denmark. But it came time for Chicago 'to leave', and that is when Ms Sohl spoke with Angelina about the options they could take. '[Angelina] had previously watched one of my horses being taken to be euthanized, and it was a bad experience for her. She said that this time she wanted to follow the food chain. She wanted Chicago 57 to benefit other animals,' Ms Sohl told Avisen Danmark. Chicago 57 was not suffering a life threatening condition, but was old and in pain because of summer eczema which left him very itchy and covered in sores. He was also no longer able to compete. The family contacted Aalborg Zoo, and eventually took Chicago 57 onsite where he was euthanized. 'There was a zookeeper standing there cuddling and kissing him – as if it was me standing with him. I got to say a final goodbye, and he was put to death quietly,' Ms Sohl said. Years passed by, but Ms Sohl's story was brought into public debate after she left a comment on a Facebook post. Aalborg Zoo made a post calling for donations of small livestock and horses as a food source for the animals. 'If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us,' the post said. 'The animals are gently euthanized by trained staff and are afterwards used as fodder. That way, nothing goes to waste - and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators.' Pernille Sohl donated her daughter's pony, Chicago 57, to Aalborg Zoo as food for predators. Credit: Pernille Sohl The practice is not new, the zoo has done it for as long as it has been in operation. Ms Sohl commented on the post about Chicago 57's story, but the comment has since been removed. In a post on her personal Facebook, she said 'sometimes your vacation is interrupted by interviews just because you comment on a post'. Social media users were outraged over Aalborg Zoo's call-out, with many labelling the policy 'unacceptable'. 'A deeply perverse and degrading mindset that is behind this sick invention, which has spread a terrible trend of indifference with animals in Denmark and this only supports this sad underdevelopment,' one user commented. 'A country is only as progressive as the way it treats its animals. - Mahatma Gandhi. Feeding pets is absolutely unacceptable,' another user wrote. But some were quick to defend the zoo, and said the debate was being blown out of proportion. 'Crazy that donating a horse or animal to humane euthanasia can create a wild debate,' one user wrote. 'It is much better for an unwanted pet to come to you and be humanely euthanized than for it to be thrown out of a car in a forest,' another commented. Despite the outrage and backlash, Ms Sohl said she has no regrets about the decision to donate Chicago 57. 'It's a good opportunity, and I've recommended it plenty of times. In horse groups on Facebook, people often ask what to do with their old horse, and I almost always get involved and tell [them] about our experience with Aalborg Zoo,' she said. She said if she had to make the same choice again, she would, but said the decision only makes sense if the horse is able to tolerate the trip to the zoo.
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