Why zoos sometimes kill animals? | DW Documentary

The culling of zoo animals is an issue that most German zoos are reluctant to comment on. In this documentary we hear from zoo operators about how these dilemmas are dealt with. Even endangered species are sometimes culled.

The birth of primates, big cats and elephants in captivity used to make headlines. But now improved conditions and greater knowledge about how to care for animals in captivity mean that a growing number of zoos are running out of space. In Germany, zoo animals are being castrated, separated or placed on contraceptives to limit population growth. Is this the best solution for the animals' conservation? Or simply the solution that’s least upsetting to zoo visitors?

In 2014 the Copenhagen Zoo decided that male giraffe Marius was unsuitable for its breeding program. The zoo culled the animal and fed it to the lions, which sparked public outrage. In 2021 around 50 zoo animals were culled in Nuremberg. They included not just the usual sheep and goats for big cats to feast on, but also endangered species of antelope and wild donkey. Wuppertal Zoo has in the past fed a penguin, a kangaroo and a yak to other animals. Due to fears of a backlash from both the public and the media, only a minority of zoos in Germany are willing to talk openly about the practice. And a number of them are now calling for population management programs with the option of killing animals not needed for breeding. The zoos say it’s the only way to continue keeping certain species that would otherwise face extinction in the wild.

Is it right to kill individual animals in the interests of preserving a species? Can it be morally wrong but at the same time necessary? And do the answers to this dilemma depend on whether the animal is a goat, a giraffe or a gorilla? In this documentary, zoo operators speak with unusual candor about which animals they select to be killed.

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