‘CARCASS FEEDING’: The sadistic new ‘attraction’ in zoos, with the help of wildlife hunters and agriculture industries
The 'carcass feeding' movement under way is inspired partly by the pile-up of the corpses of the huge numbers of wild animals hunted to prevent crop destruction.
KYODO NEWS: At a zoo northeast of Tokyo, two female Hokkaido brown bears were in an unusually lively mood earlier this year thanks to a change in diet — they were being fed the carcass of a wild boar… Feeding them a carcass, fur still attached, was meant to stimulate those hunting instincts… The initiative is part of a “carcass feeding” movement under way across Japan, inspired partly by the pile-up of the corpses of the huge numbers of wild animals hunted to prevent crop destruction.
The zoo prepares materials explaining to visitors that the project is not meant to show “cruel conduct but is an effort to think about how to benefit animals.” Observers on the day watched intently as the two bears ate… In a survey done after the demonstration, there were comments such as “The explanation was done in a polite manner, so even children weren’t afraid and could understand it”…
Support groups and wild game businesses are jumping on the bandwagon… According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, agricultural damage caused by wild boar and deer in fiscal 2018 totaled 10.1 billion yen ($95.70 million) nationwide. A total of 1.16 million boar and deer were culled across Japan in the same period… To prevent infectious diseases, the internal organs and heads are removed, pasteurized and frozen before transportation…
According to “Wild meat Zoo,” an organization established in 2017 that advocates for the improvement of animal welfare and is promoting understanding of carcass feeding in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, the practice of using culled wild animals as food at zoos is not unusual in Europe and the United States. SOURCE…
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