Zoo feeds baboons to lions and tigers
The Nuremberg Zoo has killed 12 baboons due to chronic overcrowding, a decision that has triggered widespread public upset and legal complaints.
Six of these baboons were dismembered and fed to carnivores, which has been met with criticism from animal groups.
The baboons’ heads, hands, and feet were removed before being fed to lions, tigers, maned wolves, and marbled polecats.
Zoo officials have defended their actions. Deputy zoo director Jörg Beckmann said that the skulls and brains of some of the animals were set aside for scientific purposes.
He explained that the hands and feet were removed “out of respect for visitors” who would see the carnivores feeding.
Beckmann maintained that the zoo had communicated in advance that the baboons would be used as food and that the zoo “continues to be transparent and stand by that decision.”
Why the baboons became predator food
According to the zoo, using the baboons as food for other animals was a deliberate decision.
Beckmann highlighted the dental health benefits of whole-animal feeding for carnivores. He said that bones and fur help prevent tartar buildup, which saves the animals from having to undergo anaesthesia for dental cleanings. “Unlike many pets, our animals don’t need tartar removal under general anesthesia,” he said.
Feeding whole carcasses, he argues, mimics the natural hunting conditions that these predators are evolved for. “Evolution equipped them with claws and teeth for this. There’s no nature documentary about big predators where they don’t spectacularly hunt or feed on a carcass,” Beckmann stated.
Why was the culling necessary?
The Nuremberg Zoo said that the culling was a last resort. The baboon enclosure had grown to more than 40 animals, exceeding its intended capacity of 25 adult baboons.
The zoo had attempted to control the population through non-lethal means for years, but contraceptive measures for the females had a limited effect and disrupted the group’s natural dynamics.
Despite reaching out to many institutions, the zoo could not find a suitable home for the surplus animals.
The zoo also explained that it could not simply stop breeding, as this would undermine its long-term conservation role.
Expanding the existing facility was not a viable option due to space and funding constraints.
The public outcry has prompted a legal investigation. The Nuremberg-Fürth public prosecutor’s office has received hundreds of complaints and is now reviewing the case.
In response, the activist group Animal Rebellion set up a protest camp near the zoo, demanding an immediate halt to further killings and an end to breeding programs.
The incident has brought the complex ethical choices faced by zoos into public focus.
IOL News