A zoo in Denmark has made an unusual request: if you feel like it, send us your pets so we can keep our lovely predator population well-fed. As you might expect, there has been a bit of public outcry over the
“Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of our predators’ diet,” the zoo said in a Facebook post, noting that such animals “resemble what” predators “would naturally hunt in the wild.” It added, “At zoos, we have a responsibility to emulate an animal’s natural food chain – both for animal welfare and professional integrity.”
“If you have a healthy animal that needs to be left here for various reasons, don’t hesitate to donate it to us,” it added. “We ensure the natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators.”
If potential donors are concerned about their loved ones meeting a violent end, the zoo has some gentle words of reassurance: “The animals are gently killed by trained staff and then used as food. This way, nothing is wasted—and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition, and the well-being of our predators.” Oh well.
The zoo had previously made a similar appeal to the public, asking for horses (another particularly beloved category of animals) to be donated to the zoo so they could be euthanized and fed to the facility’s predator population.
The online outrage was, of course, swift and brutal. The FB Post’s comments section is alive with outraged web users. “A deeply perverse and degrading mindset,” said one user (translated from Danish). “How sick do you think you are to something like this,” asked another. “This is a joke, no one, no one would take their healthy pet to a zoo so they could kill it and feed it to the animals,” dared another.
The zoo was predictably forced to address the outrage. “Following widespread international interest, we have chosen to close the comment section for this search,” the facility cheerfully told the post’s editor. “We understand that the appeal arouses emotion and interest, but hateful and malicious rhetoric is not necessary – and we urge you to maintain a good tone. We are working on it and will respond to questions in your inbox or by mail.”
Gizmodo reached out to Aalborg Zoo for more information about this unusual policy and will update our story if they respond.
It may be that people who have been working in a certain industry for a while forget what the “norms” are from the outside. If you get used to seeing a cute, fluffy bunny being torn apart by a giant mouth every day, it can be tempting to assume that everyone is used to this sight. At least Aalborg’s FB post makes it clear that the zoo people aren’t always pet owners. If they were, they would have realized that there was little in this world they could have said that would have been more disturbing to the intended audience. They may also have encouraged visitors to donate their children as tiger bait.
