Aalborg Zoo in Denmark is facing serious backlash this week after putting out a public request for "unwanted animals" that they can euthanize and then feed to their predatory animals, primarily their wild cat population.
A spokesperson posted the request on the Aalborg Zoo Facebook page, featuring an image of a Lynx exhibiting a wide-mouthed yawn and prominent teeth.
The request included donations of livestock from farms, as well as small pets like rabbits and guinea pigs.
Though they specified that this was for the purpose of properly accommodating their resident animals' diets by simulating the act of catching prey in the wild, as opposed to only receiving scraps from handlers, the post did not go over how the spokesperson expected.
The English translation of the post reads:
"Did you know that you can donate smaller pets to Aalborg Zoo?"
"Chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs make up an important part of the diet of our predators, especially in the European locust, which needs whole prey, which is reminiscent of what it would naturally hunt in the wild."
"In zoos, we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals, in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity."
"If you have an animal that has to leave here for various reasons, feel free to donate it to us. The animals are gently euthanized by trained staff and are afterwards used as fodder. That way, nothing goes to waste, and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition, and well-being of our predators."
You can see the post here:
Though the post was intended for Denmark locals to see and to act on by bringing in "donations," it quickly gained international attention.
Though it is true that predatory animals require a certain diet, and it's important for their natural behaviors to be facilitated while in captivity, viewers were disgusted that this was the solution the Aalborg staff came up with.
@ABC World News Tonight with David Muir/Facebook
@ABC World News Tonight with David Muir/Facebook
@ABC World News Tonight with David Muir/Facebook
@ABC World News Tonight with David Muir/Facebook
@ABC World News Tonight with David Muir/Facebook
The news also spread from Facebook to Twitter (X) where people were not shy about voicing their outrage.
@theapril29th/Twitter (X)
After facing backlash, the spokesperson for the Aalborg Zoo updated the post, saying that they would turn off the comments and were not interested in further "hateful and malicious rhetoric."
The English translation of the update reads:
"UPDATE: Due to much international interest, we have chosen to close the comments section on this post."
"We understand that the post awakens feelings and interest, but hateful and malicious rhetoric is not necessary, and we urge you to preserve the good tone."
"We elaborate and are happy to answer questions in the inbox or by email."
In addition to the concept of donating pets to be used as prey, the main issues for the public seemed to be in the wording of the post—namely the words "unwanted" and "fodder."
The former is dismissive of the animals' lives. The latter appears to have been an incorrect translation of the Danish word "foder," which means literally "food for animals," as pointed out in community notes.
It's understandable that zoo animals have dietary needs and behaviors that must be accommodated in the zoo environment to help them be the healthiest and happiest they can be. But putting out a public request for pets was pretty insensitive.
