A zoo in Denmark asked patrons to donate their pets. Not as attractions, but for food

Alana Wise

August 06, 2025 / 1:16 pm

A European zoo stirred up intrigue and controversy after a social media post asking for surplus pets to be donated to feed captive animals went viral.

In a post on Facebook, the Aalborg Zoo in Denmark asked people to donate unwanted pets that would be "gently euthanized" and fed to predators in captivity.

"Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of the diet of our predators – especially the European lynx, which needs whole prey that resembles what it would naturally hunt in the wild," the zoo wrote .

"In zoos we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals - in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity,

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