A zoo in Denmark has shocked its Facebook followers by asking for any donations of small, healthy pets for their apex predators. The zoo says the initiative is to help ‘mimic the natural food chain’
A zoo in Denmark is asking for owners of small, healthy pets to donate their furry friends as food for its predators – and people are 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.
The visitor attraction in northern Denmark explained in a Facebook post: “If you have a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us.” It comes after a group of children ‘chased a sheep off a cliff’ before turning on shocked passers-by.
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The zoo points to guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens as possible donations. After being euthanized, the animals will be used as fodder, the zoo said. “That way, nothing goes to waste – and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo said.
Commenters were appalled by the call out. One man commented: “There is a deeply perverse and degrading mindset behind this sick mindset in, a terrible trend of indifference towards animals has spread in Denmark and this posts supports this backwards ideology. Imagine giving away your pet/animal as fodder, it hardly gets more disrespectful and nasty than that.”
However others seemed to agree with the waste-not want-not approach.
One Facebook user said: “Good initiative rather than being thrown in the trash when they are not cute anymore, or the neighbour is tired of your hens suddenly getting roosters that are noisy and illegal within the city limits.”
Another added: “Wooow you guys are brave. It probably won’t take many minutes for angry comments, but I think it’s a good idea. I would love for my animal to come in handy. Unfortunately it hates transportation, so I won’t offer it on my last trip. Can you use animals that HAVE been euthanised at a vet?”
The online call for pet donations is accompanied by a picture of a wildcat baring its teeth with its mouth wide open and a link to the zoo’s website, noting the facility also is interested in receiving horses.
The zoo, which could not immediately be reached for additional details, does not list other pets or animals as possible donations.
The full post read: “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 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 of our predators.”