The predators of a zoo in Denmark could soon be celebrating with new donations from the public: their pets.
The Aalborg Zoo, which is located on the outskirts of the city of the same name in the northwest of the Scandinavian country, makes a call on Thursday for unwanted animals in its social media channels.
Donated pets will be “gently sacrificed” by trained personnel and will then be used as “fodder” to take care of the welfare of predators, according to a photo that shows a lynx that discovers the teeth.
Chicken, rabbits and guinea pigs would be welcome as food for their meat dining rooms, according to the post.
The publication echoed a similar appeal that appeared on the zoo website earlier this year, which also required that the horses were donated whenever they were not higher of 4 feet and 10 inches, healthy and not treated by diseases in the last 30 days.
Horse owners can obtain a tax deduction for the animal’s value, he said.
Zoos have the “responsibility of imitating the natural food chain” for carnivores who need entire prey for a hunting experience similar to that of nature, the post said.
“If you have a healthy animal that has to leave here for several reasons, do not hesitate to donate it,” he added. “We ensure the natural behavior, nutrition and well -being of our predators.”
The publication quickly caused an online debate that caused criticism of some sectors.
“The idea that a zoo, from all places, encourages people to leave their animals to kill and feed lions and tigers is, for me, incredibly disturbing,” a user wrote on Facebook.
Multiple phone calls to the NBC News zoo were left unanswered, but in an update of its original publication on Tuesday, the zoo said it had closed the comments section.
“We understand that the publication arouses emotions and interest, but the hateful and malicious rhetoric is not necessary, and we encourage everyone to maintain a respectful tone,” wrote the zoo.
It is not unheard of that the animals feed the predators after having died in a zoo or taken from populations of healthy animals.
In 2014, the Copenhagen Zoo in the capital of Denmark courted the controversy when he killed an 18 -month -old giraffe called Marius with a bolt gun and fed him with the lions, saying that the animal was “unwanted.”
An online petition with thousands of signatures could not save him and the zoo said at that time that Marius had been sacrificed to avoid inbreeding.
