Zoo asks people to donate unwanted pets to feed predators and imitate ‘natural food chain’

By Kathleen Magramo, CNN

A zoo in northern Denmark is asking pet owners to donate their unwanted guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and even small horses – not to put them on display but to feed them to the zoo’s predators.

The Aalborg Zoo wrote in a Facebook post that it is trying to “imitate the natural food chain of the animals”.

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“Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of the diet of our predators,” it wrote in the post alongside an image of openmouthed, sharp-toothed lynx.

“That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the zoo added.

On its website, the zoo said the donated animals will be “gently euthanized” by trained staff before being served up as food. The zoo is home to carnivorous predators such as the Asiatic lion, European lynx and Sumatran tiger.

The zoo’s public request has drawn lively debate online with some protesting the idea of turning pets into prey, and others praising the zoo’s efforts to maintain natural feeding behaviors.

Deputy director of Aalborg Zoo, Pia Nielsen, said in an emailed statement the initiative has been in place for years and is common practice in Denmark.

“For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock. 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,” Nielsen said.

“Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanized for various reasons to be of use in this way.”

“In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute. The livestock we receive as donations are chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses.”

Carnivores fill a central niche in ecosystems, Nielsen added, saying they play a crucial role in the balance of nature.

It’s not the first time that Denmark’s zoos have come under scrutiny for the way they feed their animals and control populations.

In 2014, the Copenhagen Zoo in the Danish capital euthanized a healthy young giraffe named Marius to avoid inbreeding, despite a petition trying to stop the move. Its carcass was used partly for research and partly to feed carnivores at the zoo – lions, tigers, and leopards.

Weeks later, public criticism flared again when the zoo euthanized four of those lions, to make way for a new male in hopes to breed a new generation of cubs.