Aalborg Zoo in northern Denmark has launched a controversial appeal, asking pet owners to donate healthy chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses to be euthanized and fed to its predators, such as the European lynx, to mimic their natural diet.
“In zoos, we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals — in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity,” the zoo stated in a social media post. “Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of the diet of our predators,” particularly the lynx, which requires “whole prey” resembling what it would hunt in the wild.
The zoo emphasized that donated animals are “gently euthanised by trained staff and are afterwards used as fodder” to ensure “nothing goes to waste.” It accepts small animals on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., with a limit of four at a time, and horses, which must have a horse passport, be free of recent illness, and be safe to transport.
Donors may receive a tax deduction based on the horse’s weight, though the zoo noted, “Our needs vary throughout the year, and there may be a waiting list.”
Pia Nielsen, deputy director of Aalborg Zoo, defended the practice: “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. Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanised for various reasons to be of use in this way.”
The appeal has sparked mixed reactions.
Some support the initiative, with one commenter noting, “I took a horse to the zoo a few years ago. It was the most peaceful and calm way it happened.”
Others expressed outrage, with Facebook user Horge Jorgensen calling it a “deeply perverse and degrading mindset” and a “sick invention.”
Another commenter, Mireille Kuiters, posted in jest, “Can I also donate my healthy but annoying neighbourhood children? Is there an age limit?”
The controversy follows a recent outcry at a Nuremberg, Germany, zoo, where 12 healthy Guinea baboons were culled due to overcrowding and reportedly fed to lions in public view.
Aalborg Zoo encourages pet owners to visit its website for details on the donation process.