A zoo in Denmark is asking for the public’s help in way of donations of unwanted small pets and/or horses in order to feed the zoo’s captive predators.
On the Facebook page for the Aalborg Zoo, the following post has drawn considerable criticism as well as backlash:
In zoos we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals – in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity.
The norther Denmark zoo stated feeding the animals chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs are part of the diets for the predators, and providing the animals with “whole prey” is closely associated with what the animals would be hunting for and eating if they were in the wild.
The zoo’s post continued:
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 for our predators.
The zoo will accept rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens on most weekdays, but the amount is limited to four animals at a time. They claim horses that are donated are euthanized by a zookeeper and a veterinarian. The horses, however can not have been treated for illness for at least a month and must be healthy enough to be transported.
Opinions?
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I would love to donate my ex. I can’t guarantee that he won’t make any of the large carnivores sick though….
Seriously why can’t the zoo have a program to raise these animals that they need for feeding their large carnivores? They could have students help out for credits. It is wrong, imho to take people’s pets as a food source.