Here’s a story that recently got a lot of people’s attention and irritation. Aalborg Zoo in Denmark said in a Facebook post that it was looking for people to donate “a healthy animal that needs to be given away for various reasons” including guinea pigs, rabbits and chickens.” See, the zoo houses three carnivorous and dangerous species: Asiatic lions, polar bears and the Sumatran tiger…..oh my. Zookeepers have said they’re hoping to mimic the natural food chain of predators by feeding them smaller donated pets. Well, when you put it that way…The animals will be “gently euthanized” before being used as a meal according to the Fbook post. Stop buttering me up, you had me at “mimic the natural food chain.” I probably shouldn’t have said “buttering me up” knowing how these zoo people think. This Aalborg Zoo post is just loaded with great encouragement to drop off your arthritic guinea pig or diabetic horse. Yes, they accept horses which will be “euthanized and slaughtered by the zoo, with owners eligible for a tax deduction.” The zoo goes on to say “nothing goes to waste and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators.” Hey get this, a Danish mother donated her daughter’s riding pony after it was euthanized due to pain from a long term health struggle. The daughter went along with it because it made the most sense she said to benefit other animals. The mother tried to bring another horse to the zoo that had died but this time she was turned down because the horse was taller than the maximum height required for his body to fit in the zoo’s refrigerator so instead it was repurposed as dog food. BTW cats and dogs are not accepted. Funny how Mr. Ed is go and Lassie is bad optics. Oh and that tax deduction is so worth it. Here’s their commercial jingle: “1-800-carcasses from kids, 1-800 carcasses from kids, donate your rabbit today.” And then zoos wonder why they’ve gotten an image problem over the years. Harambe we will never forget you.
Gunga, galunga
Garry