The zoo veterinarians performed a public autopsy on Sunday and parts of the giraffe were fed to the lions in front of guests. Of course, animal rights groups were up in arms, and an online petition received 20,000 signatures asking the zoo to reconsider beforehand. Sadly, they went through with it.
Since then, the zoo has received a host of harsh criticism. In an interview with All Things Considered's Robert Siegel, Bengt Holst, the zoo's scientific director, said the zoo made the right call. It decided to euthanize the giraffe to prevent inbreeding, and ensure the genetic health of the overall population of giraffes at European zoos.
They claimed that they were unable to transfer the giraffe to another zoo with lower breeding standards. He also justified performing an public autopsy by deeming it an educational event.
I feel as though this is an outrageous and sad situation. While it is very important to maintain genetic diversity within captive populations, there were numerous zoological institutions that offered to take Marius - including the widely known U.S. Columbus Zoo. Additionally, the killing and subsequent autopsy of the animal was not shielded from the public in any way. As much as it might be a learning experience for some, there are other guests who anthropomorphise animals like giraffes, and visit zoos to see living creatures that they are unable to see otherwise. Moreover, there are many children who most likely saw the public autopsy, and are unable to truly process what occurred - which could have lasting impacts later in life.
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