Baby giraffe killed at Copenahagen Zoo

[ReallyTired]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2555079/Danish-zoo-kills-young-giraffe-deemed-surplus-feeds-lions.html

It seems odd that the zoo made the decision to kill Marius when other zoos were prepared to take him. I realise that 200kg of meat is valuable and that killing a cow is no less cruel than killing a giraffe. Lions and tigers have eat meat. Surely beef is cheaper than giraffe meat.

What I find crazy is that the zoo probably could have sold him for more than the cost of 200kg of meat.

[WidowWadman]

And why exactly do you think cows deserve more to be eaten than a giraffe?

[AppleYumYum]

I read about this on the bbc news app, first the Danish zoo were saying no new home had been found so no other choice, then the story updated later to say two zoos had said they would take him. Then today they kill the poor thing anyway and say the two zoos should use their space for a more important giraffe? I don't understand breeding etc, but surely a zoo in another country away from the bloodlines is fine?

[duchesse]

Marius was killed as I understand it because zoos and rare species breeding programmes have to be very mindful of inbreeding in order to keep captive populations healthy and fit for conservation purposes should they be needed. Poor little Marius had to go, but he was given a quick death and feeding him to the tigers seems like quite an efficient thing to do.

[CosyTeaBags]

I think if selling him or moving him made commercial sense, they would have done so.

They did make a point that they regularly cull 100s of deer at the zoo to maintain the population, and no one cares about that. It's just because it's such an iconic species.

I agree it's sad. Zoos have a place in educating people and some conservation benefits, but people have to face the realities of how zoos operate.

[Floralnomad]

Its disgraceful , all week they've been saying that no other zoos would take him . That said I also read today about Longleat putting 6 lions to sleep in the past month ( a mum ,dad and 4 cubs) . If these places can't sort out their breeding programmes to avoid this kind of thing they shouldn't be breeding animals at all .

[sebsmummy1]

I don't understand why they are butchering the body I front of a crowd? The whole thing seems quite sick.

[duchesse]

Deer are regularly culled in large numbers even outside zoos.

As for sheep, cattle and pigs, well we all know how they mostly end.

[CosyTeaBags]

surely a zoo in another country away from the bloodlines is fine?

I once had a very interesting conversation with a zookeeper about how they manage bloodlines. Apparently, all zoo animals in Europe are on a database of their bloodlines which is carefully managed. That is how they monitor breeding, and can request an animal from another zoo if they need to mix up their gene pool.

Apparently, no zoo 'owns' any animal, they're technically just loaned among the zoos according to who needs which bloodline etc. Although someone must own them ultimately, so maybe I misunderstood that bit.

So, if this young giraffe was of any value to any other zoo, they would have known about it. Chances are, it was rather inbred and wouldn't be worth trying to breed from. That's my impression anyway.

[ReallyTired]

"And why exactly do you think cows deserve more to be eaten than a giraffe?"

There is more meat on a cow than a 200kg baby giraffe.

I wonder if the Zoo had put Marius up for auction what price they would had got for him. I am sure that a young giraffe has more financial value than a cow.

I think is up to the other Zoos what animals they choose to house.

[CosyTeaBags]

Yes I read about the Lions - that was more surprising, since they are becoming endangered in the wild. Seems very wasteful.

I think there are some great zoos which serve a good purpose in educating people, and there are some crap zoos which should be closed down.

[Floralnomad]

Ok ,so if he was surplus to requirements surely they knew that from soon after his birth ,after all they knew who his parents were, so why didn't they just bump him off humanely as a tiny baby ? probably because the zoo has profited from extra visitors coming to see the baby giraffe and now he is no longer an attraction he is also bigger hence more meat for the lions / tigers .

[MomentForLife]

Poor Marius. Really don't like the public autopsy thing.

[LoveSewingBee]

I think that zoo director is out of control and arrogant.

The DNA reason is nonsense if a Swedish or UK zoo had taken the animal. It is up to them how they breed.

To butcher it publicly seems sadistic and I find it all very odd.

I will never ever visit that Zoo.

[CosyTeaBags]

Good point Flora they could have terminated the pregnancy as soon as they found out.

Does seem weird, and poorly managed.

Did they really dissect him in public???

[HauntedNoddyCar]

Duchesse - a British zoo or wildlife park had offered to take him yesterday. They've previously taken another giraffe from the same Danish zoo into their small group of male giraffes.

No inbreeding risk there.

[ReallyTired]

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/copenhagen-zoo-kills-surplus-young-giraffe-marius-despite-online-petition-9117317.html

The zoo was offered £415000 for him and two zoos were prepared to offer him a home. That money could have paid to feed the lions and tigers for a very long time.

[LaurieFairyCake]

I really disagree with them killing him.

They should have prevented the pregnancy if they wanted to secure blood lines.

More importantly there's not enough giraffes in the world, 2 species already endangered and likely to die out. And endangered means really there's no way back. It's not like we're swimming in giraffes

And as for killing lion cubs, that's disgraceful - there can't possibly be any justification for it.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Also if I could just be slightly less rational a second. I think they're more pets than livestock. They've got keepers, people pay money to visit them.

So if a shelter tries not to put a healthy cat or dog down what possible reason could they have for killing a cutie like Marius.

[Misspixietrix]

Re the bloodlines thing and if they are kept on a database then surely the zoos that offered to take him might have known his bloodline before offering? It's late and hope that makes sense .

[ReallyTired]

I see nothing wrong with seeing zoo animals as livestock. People pay to see the animals and a zoo is a social enterprise. There is not an emotional attachement to livestock like there is to pets.

Surely it would make sense to give all male giraffes in a zoo a vascemotomy and have a few bull giraffes. The female giraffes could be artifically inseminated with desirable sperm. The male giraffes could enjoy natural behaviour (ie. sex) without getting the female giraffes pregnant. The sperm could even be microsorted if they wanted female giraffes just like is done with cattle.

[TheDoctrineOfSnatch]

Cosy, not sure if a giraffe pregnancy can be safely terminated.

[HappyGoLuckyGirl]

We live in a horrible fucking world.

How is it okay for any infant (of any species) to be killed because it came from undesirable parents! Can you imagine if every human baby born as a result of inbreeding was killed to keep the gene pool pure? After it got to 2 or 3 years old and it had served it's purpose of being a cute baby that is! That poor giraffe.

As for killing 6 lions, including 4 cubs? Fucking disgusting!

I'm so

What is wrong with us? We're a horrible species.

[NadiaWadia]

What terrible publicity for the zoo. The zoo director is a moron.

[pumpkinsweetie]

such a waste of a beautiful animal's life when another zoo was willing to take him, and for money too

I find the scenes shown on tv this morning totally disturbing, the way he was dissected in public infront of children too and then openly fed to other animals

Sounds as though the zoo needs to be shut down as it is pretty poorly managed to let an animal live 18 months and even be born in the first place only to put him down now!