Latest news with #CopenhagenZoo
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Zoo bombarded with death threats after feeding 12 healthy baboons to the lions
The director of Tiergarten Nuremberg in Germany, Dr Dag Encke, said that zoo staff have been compared to Josef Mengele, the monstrous Nazi physician who experimented on prisoners in Auschwitz Staff at a German zoo have received death threats after feeding baboon carcasses to lions. The healthy Guinea baboons were culled at the end of July after their enclosure at Tiergarten Nuremberg became overcrowded - with some of their remains being used for research, with the rest thrown to the carnivores. Last year, the zoo announced its plans after the population rose to 40. The zoo was closed last Tuesday for the cull to take place, but activists who'd gathered outside were arrested as they tried to climb the fence. It comes after reports a comatose woman woke before organ harvesting surgery but 'docs operated anyway'. Police shame British drugs mules by making them pose for photos with suitcases The zoo's director Dr Dag Encke has now come out to explain the facility's motive, saying they had tried to sterilise and rehome some of the baboons to no avail. "We love these animals. We want to save a species. But for the sake of the species, we have to kill individuals otherwise we are not able to keep up a population in a restricted area," Dr Dag Encke told Sky News. He revealed that an investigation has been launched after staff received death threats. "The staff are really suffering, sorting out all these bad words, insults and threats," Dr Encke said. "The normal threat is 'we will kill you, and we'll feed you to the lions'. "But what is really disgusting is when they say that's worse than Dr Mengele from the National Socialists, who was one of the most cruel people in human history. That is really insulting all the victims of the Second World War and the Nazi regime." Josef Mengele - known as the "Angel of Death" - was a doctor and SS officer who performed grotesque and usually fatal experiments on Auschwitz captives. The act of killing zoo creatures to feed to predators has been a practice sometimes used in zoos for years. Similar outrage came in 2014 when Copenhagen Zoo euthanised a young giraffe and fed the carcass to lions to avoid inbreeding in the giraffe enclosure, which it said was its duty. Head of policy at Born Free Foundation, Dr Mark Jones, said thousands of healthy animals are being killed each year in similar circumstances. "It reflects the fact animals in zoos are often treated as commodities that are disposable or replaceable," he said. It comes after a zoo in Denmark asked for owners of small, healthy pets to donate their furry friends as food for its predators - and some people came out 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.
Malaysia Sun
6 days ago
- General
- Malaysia Sun
Danish zoo wants to feed unwanted pets to predators
The Aalborg Zoo has sparked backlash after inviting owners to donate their healthy animals for feed A zoo in northern Denmark has sparked public outrage by encouraging people to donate their unwanted pets, including guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens, and even small horses, to be fed to its carnivorous animals. Aalborg Zoo made the appeal in a Facebook post last week, claiming it aimed to "imitate the natural food chain" and provide proper nutrition for its predators. "Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of the diet of our predators," the post read. "That way, nothing goes to waste - and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators." The zoo's website also provides detailed guidelines for horse donations, requiring animals to be under 147 cm tall, in good health, and accompanied by proper documentation. Donated horses are euthanized and slaughtered by zoo staff, with owners eligible for a small tax deduction based on the animal's weight. The announcement has ignited fierce debate online. While some commenters supported the idea as practical and humane, others condemned the zoo for promoting a "terrible trend of indifference" toward animals. One user called the initiative "a deeply perverse and degrading mindset." Another sarcastically asked if they could donate "healthy but annoying neighbourhood children." This is not the first time Aalborg Zoo has faced backlash. In 2024, the zoo euthanized its last two African elephants, one due to age and the other due to the lack of suitable companions. This brought an end to elephant keeping at the facility. A year earlier, another elephant was also put down under similar circumstances. Denmark's zoos have drawn international criticism in the past for controversial culling practices. In 2014, Copenhagen Zoo killed a healthy giraffe named Marius because his genes were deemed too common for breeding purposes. The zoo publicly dissected the carcass and fed it to lions, triggering global condemnation. In neighboring Sweden, Furuvik Zoo faced scrutiny in December 2022 after staff shot and killed three chimpanzees that had escaped their enclosure. The zoo claimed the decision was necessary due to the risk posed by the animals, despite the park being closed to visitors at the time. (
STV News
7 days ago
- General
- STV News
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
Times of Oman
7 days ago
- General
- Times of Oman
Denmark zoo asks people to donate pets to feed predators
Aalborg: A zoo in the northern Danish city of Aalborg is accepting donations in the form of pets to feed its predators. The zoo issued an online call for people who "have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons." The zoo said it was trying to mimic the natural food chain of animals it housed. It listed guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and horses as possible donations, noting that owners of donated horses can receive a tax deduction. In a social media post, the zoo said that with such donations, "nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators." Donated animals will be "gently euthanised" by trained staff, the zoo added. The call for donations attracted international media attention. But Pia Nielsen, deputy director of Aalborg Zoo, said the initiative was common practice in Denmark. "For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock," she said in a statement quoted by The Guardian. "In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute." In 2014, Copenhagen Zoo came under international scrutiny for euthanizing a healthy giraffe to avoid inbreeding. Aalborg Zoo opened in 1935. It houses predators including the European lynx, Asiatic lion, Sumatran tiger and African wild dog, according to its website.
Metro
7 days ago
- General
- 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
