Fair Or Fucked Up? - Denmark Zoo Is Asking For Unwanted Pets To Be Donated To Feed Their Captive Predators
CBS News – A zoo in Denmark is asking the public for donations of unwanted small pets or horses to feed its captive predators.
"In zoos, we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals — in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity," Aalborg Zoo said in a post on social media.
The zoo in northern Denmark said that chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs were an important part of the diet of its predators, which need "whole prey," reminiscent of what they would hunt in the wild.
When I first read this headline, I wanted to title my blog something along the lines of "Denmark Zoo Finds Innovative New Way to Attract Country's Foremost Psychopaths to Their Gates So They Can Mow Them Down With Machine Guns."
Because of course that's what the Aalborg Zoo was actually doing here. If Mikkel shows up with a 6-year old Schnauzer who pooped on his floor one too many times… If Mikkel is trying to feed his family dog to a tiger, then the world would be a better place without Mikkel living in it. Surely, the Aalborg Zoo made this disturbing announcement in an attempt to lure society's most despicable pet owners to their front door, so at bare minimum they could hit them with a good public shaming.
But realistically, I don't think the Aalborg Zoo is looking to throw perfectly healthy dogs into their lion pit. They don't mention dogs (or cats) once in their request for "animal fodder". They don't expressly say they wouldn't accept them, but I have enough faith in Denmark to believe that's not the type of pet donation they're asking for (or would even accept).
I do, however, have some questions about what this quote implies…
"If you have a healthy 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 for our predators," Aalborg Zoo said.
The zoo said it accepts donated rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., but no more than four at a time.
What constitutes "healthy"? My main question is, are animals at the very ends of their lives deemed "healthy" enough for captive predator consumption? Because when I think about myself at the end of my life, I would rather my body be used to feed a hungry animal than be buried underground. Why not? If "science" won't have my body, and there's a way it could go to good use, that sounds way better than rotting in the ground.
When it comes to pets, people putting their family pets down at the end of their lives is a pretty regular thing. Those who do so aren't considered monsters. So in that instance, if after their pet it euthanized, it can be fed to a hungry zoo animal, I don't really see what the difference is.
I don't know what this Danish zoo constitutes as healthy. I know that in the wild, if animals are hungry enough, they'll turn into scavengers and eat whatever. But what the Aalborg Zoo deems "healthy" enough for their prisoners… that isn't specified in their request for live prey.
But let's remove dogs and cats from the equation entirely. Let's focus on the Aalborg Zoo specifically requesting rabbits, guinea pigs, and chickens (weekdays between 10am and 1pm). I don't bat an eye at sacrificing chickens. Chickens are bred to be eaten. That concept was instilled in me since before I was old enough to comprehend that I was eating a live animal. Even rabbits. I've never personally eaten rabbit, but I know others do. Elmer Fudd hunting rabbit was the premise of the most popular children's show in the world for decades on end. But when it comes to guinea pigs… guinea pigs are harder to swallow. For me. Figuratively. I'd imagine they'd be pretty easy to swallow for the lions and tigers. But humans only buy guinea pigs with the intention of them being a pet. If you've ever bought a guinea pig, you've probably had a kid tell that guinea pig they loved them. If you buy an animal as a pet.. and that pet is not on the verge of death… unless it's a legitimate danger to society, there's no way you can justify hand delivering it to a hungry predator.
And in general… you shouldn't own and operate a zoo if you don't have the means to feed your animals through socially acceptable channels. We've all come to terms with the existence of slaughterhouses. Any zoo can buy cows and pigs from a slaughterhouse. But if the financial health of your zoo is relying on pet donations… you probably shouldn't be running a zoo in the first place.
If the Aalborg Zoo wants to go the pet donation route when it comes to feeding their animals, they could at least do us the courtesy of doing it behind our backs. Get your pets through the human society. It's fucked up to accept pets directly from pet owners. Plus, if humane society donations start coming with the disclaimer, "If your pet is not adopted within 14 days, it will be fed to a lion", then maybe people will think twice about abandoning their pets.
The Humane Society's general threat of, "At a certain point, if the pet is not adopted, we'll be forced to put it down", doesn't hit hard enough. Anybody will convince themselves that someone will probably adopt their pet eventually. But if after 14 days, the person who abandoned their pet receives a video of it being eaten by a large cat… maybe Denmark would start to see some more accountability from their pet owners. Just a thought.
Don't donate your pet to a zoo as food.