COPENHAGEN-Zookeepers in Denmark have killed a perfectly healthy young giraffe after deeming him ‘surplus’ to requirements, it was revealed today. Marius, Copenhagen Zoo’s 18-month-old giraffe, was shot with a bolt gun and will be chopped up for the other animals’ dinner.
Thousands of people had signed petitions appealing for a change of heart over Marius, but the campaign failed. Bengt Holst, the zoo’s scientific director, told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that Marius needed to be killed to prevent inbreeding and keep the giraffe population down. ‘You have to accept that there is a surplus of animals that cannot be included in the genetic chain without causing inbreeding problems,’ he said.
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