Danish zoo sparks outrage by killing healthy giraffe

The Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet reports on the death of Marius the giraffe. Photograph: Ekstra Bladet

A healthy young giraffe has been put down at Copenhagen zoo despite a campaign to save it, according to the BBC.

Thousands of people signed a petition to save the giraffe, called Marius, after the Danish zoo announced it was planning to kill the animal because of European laws on inbreeding.

The 18-month-old creature was due to be killed with a bolt gun and its body dissected and fed to tigers and other animals.

Other zoos, including the Yorkshire wildlife park in Britain, had offered to take in the giraffe.

The zoo defended the decision on its website, saying that to send Marius to another zoo would also risk problems of inbreeding.

On Saturday Bengt Holst, the zoo's scientific director, defended the decision, saying Marius's genes were already well represented among giraffes at the zoo. He told the BBC zoos had a responsibility to control animal numbers to keep their populations healthy, pointing out that 700-800 deer were killed every year at a deer park north of Copenhagen.

Holst said some of the meat from the giraffe would be used for research and the rest for food.

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/09/danish-zoo-outrage-giraffe-marius

How can this have been allowed to happen when other zoos had offered to take the giraffe?  

Difficult one but if the animals genes were indeed well spread in other zoos as well then they would have to balance up the dangers of inbreeding. I know a lot of endangered species have an overall recording organization that keeps full genetic records of all animals in all zoos/safari parks in the world and zoos/safari parks are careful about keeping maximum genetic variety.

Having said that the other zoos and safari parks would have access to this information and if they are offering to take the animal will have considered it carefully. On the other hand they may be offering to take it as a non breeding individual (giraffes can have males who dont develop into full breeding maturity if they are in a herd with a mature bull) and the original zoo may have been unhappy with the animal never being allowed full development.

I would imagine there was some other factors involved in this decision that are not being covered in the media.

That's bullshit! There was no other zoo in the world that either had enough giraffe genetic diversity to accept this one, or could take it as a non-breeding animal?

Ben_Reilly wrote:That's bullshit! There was no other zoo in the world that either had enough giraffe genetic diversity to accept this one, or could take it as a non-breeding animal?

That is not what I said. I said the zoo that had it may have been unwilling to get it go as a non-breeding animal.

I am just trying to see different opinions a habit I sometimes think I should give up - and yes I know you dont deserve that but I have had several days of repeatedly trying to do the right thing and just getting my head bitten off or called stupid.

sphinx wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:That's bullshit! There was no other zoo in the world that either had enough giraffe genetic diversity to accept this one, or could take it as a non-breeding animal?

That is not what I said.  I said the zoo that had it may have been unwilling to get it go as a non-breeding animal.

I am just trying to see different opinions a habit I sometimes think I should give up - and yes I know you dont deserve that but I have had several days of repeatedly trying to do the right thing and just getting my head bitten off or called stupid.

Sorry sphinx -- I meant the zoo's decision was bullshit, not your opinion.

Ben_Reilly wrote:

sphinx wrote:

That is not what I said.  I said the zoo that had it may have been unwilling to get it go as a non-breeding animal.

I am just trying to see different opinions a habit I sometimes think I should give up - and yes I know you dont deserve that but I have had several days of repeatedly trying to do the right thing and just getting my head bitten off or called stupid.

Sorry sphinx -- I meant the zoo's decision was bullshit, not your opinion.

No worries - I was getting snappy -my apologies.

I cant believe that they had no other choice.
Why not sterilise the animal?
  

sphinx wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:

sphinx wrote:

That is not what I said.  I said the zoo that had it may have been unwilling to get it go as a non-breeding animal.

I am just trying to see different opinions a habit I sometimes think I should give up - and yes I know you dont deserve that but I have had several days of repeatedly trying to do the right thing and just getting my head bitten off or called stupid.

Sorry sphinx -- I meant the zoo's decision was bullshit, not your opinion.

No worries - I was getting snappy -my apologies.

Now, I can't see anything about how this forum has been that would make anybody snappy!  ://?roflmao?/: Me included.

Wish everyone could chill out.

NemsAgain wrote:I cant believe that they had no other choice.
Why not sterilise the animal?
  

Probably because it would upset herd dynamics.

sphinx wrote:

NemsAgain wrote:I cant believe that they had no other choice.
Why not sterilise the animal?
  

Probably because it would upset herd dynamics.

Dont you think removing it would too though?

NemsAgain wrote:

sphinx wrote:

Probably because it would upset herd dynamics.

Dont you think removing it would too though?

No I meant the herd would reject it if sterile - and it would be cruel and unnatural to have it living on its own as a single animal.

A healthy giraffe has been put down and publicly fed to lions despite an online campaign to save him.

Marius was shot dead with a bolt gun at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark on Sunday to prevent inbreeding.

Visitors, including children, were invited to watch the giraffe being skinned and fed to the animals.

Spokesman Stenbaek Bro said it allowed parents to decide whether their children should watch an important display of scientific knowledge about animals.

"I'm actually proud because I think we have given children a huge understanding of the anatomy of a giraffe that they wouldn't have had from watching a giraffe in a photo."

http://news.sky.com/story/1208928/giraffe-killed-by-zoo-and-publicly-fed-to-lions

I didn't think I could feel anymore sad about this story but now my heart is broken  

feelthelove wrote:A healthy giraffe has been put down and publicly fed to lions despite an online campaign to save him.

Marius was shot dead with a bolt gun at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark on Sunday to prevent inbreeding.

Visitors, including children, were invited to watch the giraffe being skinned and fed to the animals.

Spokesman Stenbaek Bro said it allowed parents to decide whether their children should watch an important display of scientific knowledge about animals.

"I'm actually proud because I think we have given children a huge understanding of the anatomy of a giraffe that they wouldn't have had from watching a giraffe in a photo."

http://news.sky.com/story/1208928/giraffe-killed-by-zoo-and-publicly-fed-to-lions

I didn't think I could feel anymore sad about this story but now my heart is broken  

OK, it's just starting to sound like they really hated that poor giraffe! (Don't know which smiley would be apropo here).

Ben_Reilly wrote:

feelthelove wrote:A healthy giraffe has been put down and publicly fed to lions despite an online campaign to save him.

Marius was shot dead with a bolt gun at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark on Sunday to prevent inbreeding.

Visitors, including children, were invited to watch the giraffe being skinned and fed to the animals.

Spokesman Stenbaek Bro said it allowed parents to decide whether their children should watch an important display of scientific knowledge about animals.

"I'm actually proud because I think we have given children a huge understanding of the anatomy of a giraffe that they wouldn't have had from watching a giraffe in a photo."

http://news.sky.com/story/1208928/giraffe-killed-by-zoo-and-publicly-fed-to-lions

I didn't think I could feel anymore sad about this story but now my heart is broken  

OK, it's just starting to sound like they really hated that poor giraffe! (Don't know which smiley would be apropo here).

There isn't one Ben, I just don't understand it  

 

I'VE said it before ~ AND I'll say it again, for the record...

Denmark is a supremely fascist country..

Denmark has the highest concentration of neo-Nazi's in Europe, %wise. :::hitler: 
AS with the Swiss and the Swedes ~ the modern-day Danes cannot be trusted.


Denmark was Hitler's #3 support base, after Austria and Germany !
Denmark WAS an "Axis" country ~ how soon so many people forget !

DENMARK'S abhorrent behaviour towards captive animals - and in the face of public opinion -
puts them in the same league as Spain and Japan in the mistreatment of other species..     

sphinx wrote:
Difficult one but if the animals genes were indeed well spread in other zoos as well then they would have to balance up the dangers of inbreeding.  I know a lot of endangered species have an overall recording organization that keeps full genetic records of all animals in all zoos/safari parks in the world and zoos/safari parks are careful about keeping maximum genetic variety.

.........................

  

I KNOW that you know nothing about science in general; and biology, zoology, and animal breeding in particular, Sphinxy...

BUT why do you have to keep on confirming and reinforcing that fact, time after time after..   


YOU only have the word of that zoo's management to back the bullshite you are spewing on here !

Those other zoo's and wildlife parks are in agreement AGAINST the utter rubbish that you pose in the Dane's defence..   

NemsAgain wrote:
I cant believe that they had no other choice.

Why not sterilise the animal?

  

 

NOT necessary in the least, Nems...

THOSE of us who DO know better than the self-educated and bigheaded yobs that support such travesties (like Sphinx's rant above..), and the political knobs and apparatchiks that actually run the Danish zoos, DO have certain other techniques available that can avoid such unnecessary waste..

SUCH methodologies as "out breeding, cross breeding, back-crossing and line-breeding".

Systems that the fascists in charge of that guilty institution weren't interested in ~ but are probably what those OTHER zoos who offered to take him, did have in mind..   

Dude, why so angry?

I love animals and this has just made me so sad I don't know what to say

Maine coon lover wrote:I love animals and this has just made me so sad I don't know what to say

Welcome Maine.  The whole thing really upset me but hearing how he was treated after his death finished me off    Such little respect for such a beautiful animal.

i heard tescos showed an interest........

victorismyhero wrote:i heard tescos showed an interest........

Outrageous and you an animal lover too

feelthelove wrote:

victorismyhero wrote:i heard tescos showed an interest........

Outrageous and you an animal lover too

RIGHT...THATS IT...How very dare you ::rambo:: ::rambo:: ::rambo:: 

I'm going to complain loudly and whingeingly to Ben about this harrasment from the left....

calling me a beastie-ophile indeed

 ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/: ://?roflmao?/:

but ...tis true...i love a bit of animal...it goes so nice with red wine...

victorismyhero wrote:but ...tis true...i love a bit of animal...it goes so nice with red wine...

Now what are we talking about???? I don't mind a little bit of an animal myself   x

I ate his liver with chianti   

feelthelove wrote:

victorismyhero wrote:but ...tis true...i love a bit of animal...it goes so nice with red wine...

Now what are we talking about???? I don't mind a little bit of an animal myself   x

erm...pepperami?? they are "a bit of an animal"...not sure which bit though   

victorismyhero wrote:I ate his liver with chianti   

You're a very bad man, meet me in the naughty corner Red wine is a tool of the devil

ooooh    

victorismyhero wrote:ooooh    

I'll be gentle, promise x

norty FTL

victorismyhero wrote:norty FTL

Oops damn those wings, I need to find a more effective adhesive