Latest news with #AnetteSofieWarnckeNutzhorn
The South African
6 days ago
- General
- The South African
Have animals you're not using? This zoo needs to feed its predators
Any chickens or rabbits to spare? Denmark's Aalborg Zoo is seeking animals to feed to its predators — after they have been euthanised – a plea that has sparked a public backlash. 'We are looking for small livestock, not pets,' Anette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn, one of the zoo's managers, told AFP on Tuesday. 'It can be for instance a chicken that doesn't lay eggs anymore.' 'Predators usually catch prey of this size, so it's like the natural course,' she added. The zoo has found itself in hot water since sending out the appeal in social media. 'If you have an animal that, for various reasons, has to go, you are welcome to donate it to us,' it wrote last week. The Denmark zoo specified that it was looking in particular for chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and horses. 'The animals are carefully put down by qualified staff and then used as food,' it said. Only healthy animals are accepted by the zoo, which has been accepting donated animals for several years. 'It is a very common practice, we were just sending a friendly reminder,' Warncke Nutzhorn said. The zoo later turned off the comments section on the social media post in response to what it called 'hateful' postings. Practices at Denmark zoos, particularly the euthanasia of healthy animals to limit the risk of inbreeding, have in the past triggered fierce international criticism. In 2014, a giraffe calf named Marius was put down at the Copenhagen Zoo and staff later performed an autopsy on the carcass in front of visitors, before feeding it to the lions. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. © Agence France-Presse
Daily Tribune
7 days ago
- General
- Daily Tribune
Danish zoo in hot water over public call for animals as food
Any chickens or rabbits to spare? Denmark's Aalborg Zoo is seeking animals to feed to its predators -- after they have been euthanised -- a plea that has sparked a public backlash. 'We are looking for small livestock, not pets,' Anette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn, one of the zoo's managers, told AFP on Tuesday. 'It can be for instance a chicken that doesn't lay eggs anymore.' 'Predators usually catch prey of this size, so it's like the natural course,' she added. The zoo has found itself in hot water since sending out the appeal in social media. 'If you have an animal that, for various reasons, has to go, you are welcome to donate it to us,' it wrote last week. The zoo specified that it was looking in particular for chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and horses. 'The animals are carefully put down by qualified staff and then used as food,' it said. Only healthy animals are accepted by the zoo, which has been accepting donated animals for several years. 'It is a very common practice, we were just sending a friendly reminder,' Warncke Nutzhorn said. The zoo later turned off the comments section on the social media post in response to what it called 'hateful' postings. Practices at Danish zoos, particularly the euthanasia of healthy animals to limit the risk of inbreeding, have in the past triggered fierce international criticism. In 2014, a giraffe calf named Marius was put down at the Copenhagen Zoo and staff later performed an autopsy on the carcass in front of visitors, before feeding it to t h e lions.
Observer
05-08-2025
- General
- Observer
Danish zoo in hot water over public call for animals as food
Copenhagen: Any chickens or rabbits to spare? Denmark's Aalborg Zoo is seeking animals to feed to its predators — after they have been euthanised — a plea that has sparked a public backlash. 'We are looking for small livestock, not pets,' Anette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn, one of the zoo's managers, said on Tuesday. 'It can be for instance a chicken that doesn't lay eggs anymore.' 'Predators usually catch prey of this size, so it's like the natural course,' she added. The zoo has found itself in hot water since sending out the appeal in social media. 'If you have an animal that, for various reasons, has to go, you are welcome to donate it to us,' it wrote last week. The zoo specified that it was looking in particular for chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and horses. 'The animals are carefully put down by qualified staff and then used as food,' it said. Only healthy animals are accepted by the zoo, which has been accepting donated animals for several years. 'It is a very common practice, we were just sending a friendly reminder,' Warncke Nutzhorn said. The zoo later turned off the comments section on the social media post in response to what it called 'hateful' postings. Practices at Danish zoos, particularly the euthanasia of healthy animals to limit the risk of inbreeding, have in the past triggered fierce international criticism. In 2014, a giraffe calf named Marius was put down at the Copenhagen Zoo and staff later performed an autopsy on the carcass in front of visitors, before feeding it to the lions. — AFP
ABC News
05-08-2025
- General
- ABC News
Zoo in Denmark faces backlash asking for animals to be fed to predators
Any chickens or rabbits to spare? Denmark's Aalborg Zoo is seeking animals to feed to its predators — after they have been euthanised — a plea that has sparked a public backlash. "We are looking for small livestock, not pets," Anette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn, one of the zoo's managers, told AFP on Tuesday. "It can be for instance a chicken that doesn't lay eggs anymore." "Predators usually catch prey of this size, so it's like the natural course," she added. The zoo has found itself in hot water since sending out the appeal on social media, last week. The zoo specified that it was looking in particular for chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and horses. "The animals are carefully put down by qualified staff and then used as food," it said. Only healthy animals are accepted by the zoo, which has been accepting donated animals for several years. "It is a very common practice, we were just sending a friendly reminder," Ms Warncke Nutzhorn said. The zoo later turned off the comments section on the social media post in response to what it called "hateful" postings. Practices at Danish zoos, particularly the euthanasia of healthy animals to limit the risk of inbreeding, have in the past triggered fierce international criticism. In 2014, a giraffe calf named Marius was put down at the Copenhagen Zoo and staff later performed an autopsy on the carcass in front of visitors, before feeding it to the lions. AFP
Euronews
05-08-2025
- General
- Euronews
Danish zoo asks people to donate small animals to feed its predators
A zoo in Denmark has divided public opinion after issuing an unusual appeal on Facebook for people to donate unwanted animals to be used as food for its predators. The zoo said online that those who own "a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons (should) feel free to donate it to us." People were advised to bring a maximum of four small animals at a time. The post on social media said the zoo was looking for guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and potentially horses as possible donations. After being "gently euthanised" by trained staff, the animals will be fed to the zoo's carnivores. The zoo explained that such 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." 'That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators,' the zoo said. To discover more, pet owners were told to click on a link accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open. The zoo remained open to receiving horses, it said, but "needs vary throughout the year and there may be a waiting list." Horses donated to the scheme should have a passport, and the donation comes with the opportunity for a tax deduction based on the animal's value — which is calculated by its weight. Zoologist Thea Loumand Faddersbøll said the horses 'come from private individuals, and then when they are either injured, old or just in excess, and they cannot get rid of them — they come to us.' The appeal sparked backlash in comments online, with people protesting the idea that healthy pets would be used as prey. Others defended the zoo for trying to preserve feeding behaviours found in the wild. The facility's chief zoologist, Anette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn, said there was "nothing new" to the practice. "We've always done it, and we see it as very natural to do it this way," she said, adding that people rarely donate dogs and cats. "I'd rather donate them to something like this than put them in the ground where the meat goes to waste." It's not the first time Denmark's zoos have come under scrutiny. In 2014, a zoo in Copenhagen caused an outcry after it killed a healthy two-year-old giraffe named Marius to avoid inbreeding despite an online petition against it. Its carcass was partly used for research and partly fed to a crowd of tigers, lions and leopards on the zoo's grounds. Last week, a zoo in the German city of Nürnberg sparked uproar after it killed 12 baboons despite protests against it by numerous animal rights groups.
