A Danish zoo has appealed to the public to donate their healthy unwanted pets as part of a unique effort to provide natural feed for its predators.
Aalborg Zoo has asked for donations of live chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs, which it says are “gently euthanised” by trained staff.
The Danish zoo predators’ feed programme also accepts live horses, with owners able to benefit from a potential tax break.
Posting on Instagram, the zoo explained it has a “responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals” and that smaller livestock “make up an important part of the diet of our predators.” It added that the food provided in this way is “reminiscent of what predators would naturally hunt in the wild”- especially for the Eurasian lynx (though in the wild, its diet would more likely include rabbits and deer than suburban guinea pigs).
Other predators at the zoo include lions and tigers.
Small animals can be donated on weekdays, with no more than four accepted at a time without an appointment.
On its website, underneath a photo of a tiger devouring meat, Aalborg Zoo outlines the conditions for donating horses. To be eligible, horses must have a valid passport and cannot have been treated for illness within the previous 30 days. Successful donors can then receive a tax deduction.
Deputy director Pia Nielsen said the zoo’s carnivores had been fed smaller livestock “for many years.” She added:
“When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur and bones, to give them as natural a diet as possible. Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanised for various reasons to be of use in this way. In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute.”
Source: BBC
Also read: Kangaroo butchering incident in Deryneia: One arrest
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