SICK PSYCOPATHS: A Danish zoo is seeking ‘unwanted pets’ to feed to its predators
Aalborg Zoo wrote on social media that unwanted healthy pets and animals it receives will be 'gently euthanized' by trained staff and then used as food for the predators, adding that this would help the zoo replicate its animals’ natural food chain. Online, critics balked at the idea of pets being fed to zoo animals, calling it a cheap publicity stunt, disrespectful, and sick, and a policy they say could encourage pet neglect. PETA stated that if Aalborg Zoo truly cares about animal welfare, it should focus on protecting these species in their natural habitats, instead of keeping them in captivity.
ANNABELLE TIMSIT: A zoo in Denmark has put out a call for people to donate unwanted pets and animals — including chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs — so they can be turned into feed for its predators.
Aalborg Zoo wrote on social media last week that healthy animals it receives will be “gently euthanized” by trained staff and then used as food for the predators, adding that this would help the zoo replicate its animals’ natural food chain. “That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo said, adding that some of its animals needed to eat “whole” prey.
The zoo also accepts donations of certain horses, which are also euthanized and then used as food… In a statement, spokeswoman Pia Nielsen said the practice of feeding carnivorous animals with smaller livestock has been used at Aalborg Zoo for many years and is common in Denmark.
“When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur, bones, etc., to give them as natural a diet as possible. Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanized for various reasons to be of use in this way,” Nielsen said. “In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute”…
It was not immediately clear how the donated animals would be euthanized. On Facebook, the zoo said it did not administer lethal injections because the liquid could accumulate in the body and should not be given to the animals. It said trained professionals worked to make the deaths as quick and painless as possible…
Online, critics balked at the idea of pets being fed to zoo animals, calling it a “cheap publicity stunt,” “disrespectful” and “sick,” and a policy they say could encourage pet neglect… Mimi Bekhechi, vice president for the U.K. and Europe at the animal rights group PETA, said the predators should not be in captivity in the first place.
“It’s not ‘natural behaviour’ for predators from Asia, who roam and hunt for their meals, to be captive in Denmark, and fed companion animals who originated in South America. If Aalborg Zoo truly cares about animal welfare, it should focus on protecting these species in their natural habitats, instead of keeping them in captivity, thousands of miles from where they belong,” Bekhechi said in an emailed statement. SOURCE…
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