Gara, a Siberian tiger, cares for her new child cubs on the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark in 2008.
Henning Bagger/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
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Henning Bagger/AFP by way of Getty Photographs
A European zoo stirred up intrigue and controversy after a social media submit asking for surplus pets to be donated to feed captive animals went viral.
In a submit on Fb, the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark requested folks to donate undesirable pets that may be “gently euthanized” and fed to predators in captivity.
“Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs kind an necessary a part of the weight loss program of our predators – particularly the European lynx, which wants complete prey that resembles what it could naturally hunt within the wild,” the zoo wrote.
“In zoos we’ve a duty to mimic the pure meals chain of the animals – by way of each animal welfare {and professional} integrity,” the submit continued. “That method, nothing goes to waste – and we guarantee pure habits, diet and well-being of our predators.”
The zoo additionally accepts horses as a part of its fodder program.
The Fb submit shortly grew to become a battleground between commenters who have been appalled on the idea of euthanizing wholesome pets for animal feed, and people who applauded the zoo for its technique of sustaining a sensible meals provide for its animals.
A lot of the umbrage directed towards the zoo appeared to stem from the usage of the phrase “pets” to consult with the animals, which known as to thoughts the picture of well-loved lapdogs being despatched alive right into a literal lions’ den.
“This can be a joke proper,” one enraged commenter wrote. “Nobody would carry his wholesome pet to a zoo to allow them to kill it and feed it to their animals.”
“In Denmark, this follow is widespread”
The Aalborg Zoo says canines and cats are excluded from this system. Donatable animals are restricted to chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses, it says, including that this can be a follow it has maintained with patrons for years.
“When holding carnivores, it’s essential to supply them with meat, ideally with fur, bones, and so on., to offer them as pure a weight loss program as doable,” zoo Deputy Director Pia Nielsen stated in a press release to NPR.
“Due to this fact, it is smart to permit animals that have to be euthanized for varied causes to be of use on this method. In Denmark, this follow is widespread, and lots of of our visitors and companions admire the chance to contribute,” Nielsen added.
What consultants say
Specialists say that it can be crucial for captive animals to be fed complete animal components, together with fur, bones and organs, to take care of the form of consuming habits they’d exhibit within the wild.
Captive carnivores in america typically have their diets supplemented with commercially obtainable meat merchandise, like chunk or mincemeat.
“The issue with simply feeding lions meat is that the offal (liver, coronary heart, and so on.) is way richer in varied vitamins than muscle meat – wild lions solely begin consuming the muscle tissue after they’ve completed the offal,” Craig Packer, founder and director of the Lion Heart on the College of Minnesota, instructed NPR in an e-mail. “So feeding lions something apart from horse and cow meat would in all probability be a welcome change.”
The Affiliation of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is an accreditation physique for conservation applications in america. It stated that its member zoos don’t make use of or endorse the solicitation of pets for meals.
However the Dietary Advisory Group to the AZA highlights the significance of predatory animals nonetheless gaining access to massive and complete animal stays as a part of a balanced weight loss program.
“Feeding vertebrate animal carcasses to captive carnivores has been a administration instrument utilized by zoos in america for a few years,” the advisory group stated in a press release.
“It encompasses all kinds of prey sorts/type of presentation, from complete physique to portion managed, and has the helpful results of stimulating exercise and bettering regular feeding habits,” it stated.
The distinction in American and European zoo practices has been highlighted earlier than, significantly within the case of Denmark.
In 2015, the nation’s Odense Zoo made worldwide headlines for its determination to kill and publicly dissect a 9-month-old feminine lion in entrance of college kids, as a method to regulate the ability’s lion inhabitants – a follow the zoo had been carrying on for many years.
A yr earlier than within the capital metropolis of Copenhagen, animal rights activists have been horrified to be taught {that a} wholesome two-year-old giraffe often known as Marius had been euthanized and his stays fed to the zoo’s lions. The Copenhagen Zoo stated placing Marius down had been essential to keep away from inbreeding amongst its giraffe inhabitants.
