Giraffe Killed By Zoo And Publicly Fed To Lions

[Jazzy]

A healthy giraffe has been put down and publicly fed to lions despite an online campaign to save him.

Marius was shot dead with a bolt gun at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark on Sunday to prevent inbreeding.

Visitors, including children, were invited to watch the giraffe being skinned and fed to the animals.

Spokesman Stenbaek Bro said it allowed parents to decide whether their children should watch an important display of scientific knowledge about animals.

"I'm actually proud because I think we have given children a huge understanding of the anatomy of a giraffe that they wouldn't have had from watching a giraffe in a photo."

The zoo said it had no choice but to kill the animal, who is thought to be aged around two. Under European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (Eaza) rules, inbreeding of giraffes should be avoided.

Although Marius was healthy, his genes are already well represented at the zoo. None of the 300 other Eaza-affiliated zoos could have taken him.

Castration was considered cruel with "undesirable effects" and releasing him into the wild was thought unlikely to be successful.

More than 5,000 people signed a "Save Marius" Facebook petition, while two website petitions gained more than 25,000 backers.

The zoo, which now has seven giraffes left, received offers from other zoos to take Marius, but did not specify how many.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park in Doncaster contacted Copenhagen Zoo, but did not hear back from them.

The Expressen daily reported that a Swedish zoo, which is not Eaza-affiliated, tried to get Marius transferred there.

Source

This so infuriates me. They felt castration was considered cruel but not shooting him dead. These damn animals belong in the wild NOT in zoos locked up for human entertainment.

What are your thoughts about what this zoo did?

 

[gaze-universe]

If there were other zoo's willing to take him, there was no reason to kill him and make a show of his death. I think what they did was really cruel and wrong.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Couldn't they have just donated the giraffe to another zoo? I am sure another zoo in the world would have been happy to take him and pay for the travel/transportation expenses.

 

[Jazzy]

Couldn't they have just donated the giraffe to another zoo? I am sure another zoo in the world would have been happy to take him and pay for the travel/transportation expenses.

Yes, they could have since other zoos were willing to take him.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Although Marius was healthy, his genes are already well represented at the zoo. None of the 300 other Eaza-affiliated zoos could have taken him.

As if they had no other options, they could have donated the giraffe to a zoo outside the Eaza (European Association of Zoos).

 

[Flurry]

Its a huge pile of bullshit is what it is.

 

[Raven]

Everyone seems to be hung up on the poor thing being shot........BUT........................ it was fed to the lions...........PUBLICLY!!!!!!!!!!!


I've posted this on my facebook, its been going round facebook all afternoon.


Just aweful, Made me cry reading it and seeing the pictures.

 

[Raven]

Although Marius was healthy, his genes are already well represented at the zoo. None of the 300 other Eaza-affiliated zoos could have taken him.

As if they had no other options, they could have donated the giraffe to a zoo outside the Eaza (European Association of Zoos).

There was a place in the UK willing to take him.

 

[Nebulous's iconNebulous]

Although Marius was healthy, his genes are already well represented at the zoo. None of the 300 other Eaza-affiliated zoos could have taken him.

As if they had no other options, they could have donated the giraffe to a zoo outside the Eaza (European Association of Zoos).

There was a place in the UK willing to take him.

I see that now. I guess I missed that part.

I wonder why they wouldn't give up the giraffe?