The Copenhagen Zoo Just Killed 4 Lions

action alert!

The Copenhagen Zoo was already notorious for killing a healthy young giraffe, Marius, in February. Now it has killed four lions, two adults and their two cubs.

Tell the Copenhagen Zoo: Stop Killing Healthy Animals

Dear Friends, 

Thousands of people around the world were outraged when the Copenhagen Zoo killed 18-month-old Marius with a bolt gun in February and, after holding a public dissection, fed him to the lions. The zoo has now euthanized a family of four healthy lions to make way for a new young male. 

The Copenhagen Zoo says the new male will breed with two of its female lions. It claims that putting down the two older lions was the "professionally correct" thing to do because of the "natural structure and behavior" of a pride of lions. The cubs had to be killed because, with their parents gone, the Zoo says they would have been killed by the new male lion "as soon as he got the chance." 

I was shocked when the Copenhagen Zoo killed Marius. I'm even more outraged that, despite all the criticism it received after putting down Marius, the zoo has killed more healthy animals including two baby lions. Clearly the Zoo does not think it needs to change its breeding policies. That's why I started a Care2 petition to ask it and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) to change their breeding policies and procedures. 

In the U.S., zoos use contraception to prevent inbreeding and overpopulation among their animals. European zoos say they prefer to let animals reproduce naturally, as they would in the wild. But living in a zoo is the furthest thing from being in a natural environment. Zoos need to adopt humane polices that recognize this. 

Tell the Copenhagen Zoo and the EAZA to review and change their breeding policies. There's just no reason to kill healthy animals.

Thank you for taking action,  Julie McCallum Care2 Member