Zoo sparks controversy after asking people to donate their pets to feed big cats
A Danish zoo has gone viral after posting on Facebook asking the public to donate unwanted animals to be used as food for captive predators.
Thepost, originally published on July 31, explained that animals like “chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs” form a natural part of the diet for species like the European lynx. “If you have an animal that needs to be removed for various reasons, you are welcome to donate it to us,” the post continued.
Aalborg Zoo said that any animals donated would first be euthanized by staff before being used as food.
“In zoos, we have a responsibility to imitate the animals’ natural food chain – for the sake of both animal welfare and professional integrity,” the zoo said, adding, “If you have an animal that needs to be removed for various reasons, you are welcome to donate it to us.”
Zoo responds to backlash
Following intense criticism, Aalborg Zoo updated its original post to say it had closed the comments due to “hateful rhetoric.”
Staff emphasized that feeding whole prey was standard in accredited zoos amid substantial backlash.
One user criticized the zoo’s request as “deeply perverse,” adding, “To think of giving one’s pet away as feed, it hardly gets more disrespectful or dehumanizing than that.”
Others drew a similar line, stating, “Feeding pets to other animals is absolutely unacceptable.”
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