A zoo in Denmark is asking people to donate their small pets as food : NPR
A zoo in Denmark makes waves by allowing people to give their pets and their aging livestock as food for the animals of the zoo.
Steve Inskeep, host:
If you have a spare chicken or a horse, the Aalborg zoo will take it. In an article on Facebook last week, the Danish zoo asked if the inhabitants had small pets or unwanted cattle to make a donation as food for the predators of the zoo. Needless to say, this brief report is not for everyone. From the Danish capital of Copenhagen, Adrienne Murray has more.
Adrienne Murray, Byline: The call of the zoo to serve these animals as a fodder was encountered both with the outcry and the perplexity of the foreigner, and he received a torrent of angry messages. Chef Zoologist Annette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn told the local TV 2 broadcaster that the media storm had been a big surprise.
(Soundbit of archived registration)
Anette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn: (through the interpreter) There is nothing new in it. We have always done it and we see it as very natural to do it in this way. And we don’t take dogs and cats.
Murray: Among the carnivores are Asian lions, tigers, polar bears and lynx. In Denmark, it is a common practice, said the zoo, intended to imitate the prey of the predator. The animals are first. Nothing is wasted. And it’s better for their nutrition and well-being, added the zoo.
(Soundbit of archived registration)
Thea Loumand Faddersboll: (by the interpreter) It is therefore our refrigeration room, where we have a suspended horse for defrosting.
Murray: Opening of a heavy refrigerator door, the zoologist Thea Loumand Faddersboll showed local journalists where the meat is preserved.
(Soundbit of archived registration)
Faddersboll: (through) this year, we were lucky to get a small lynx, and therefore the mother needs a little more food to make sure that she can support this little one. Therefore, we would like to feed them with these small animals.
Murray: This is not the first time that a Danish zoo has aroused controversy. In 2014, Copenhagen park caused an uproar when it euthanized and then dissected a giraffe calf. While Alborg has upset some animal lovers abroad, many Danes do not understand stories. Trine Lauridsen was a visitor to the zoo.
(Soundbit of archived registration)
Trine Lauridsen: (by the interpreter) It is a good idea. Other animals – they also need food. And I think it’s a good thing, when you say goodbye to your animals, that it serves a good goal.
Murray: For NPR, I am Adrienne Murray in Copenhagen.
(Soundbit of Song, “Instinct animal”)
Cranberries: (song) is the animal.
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