Marius the Giraffe Didn't Have to Die

Care2 subscriber since Jul 5, 2011

Unsubscribe | Share on Facebook | Take Action

action alert!

This past Sunday, the Copenhagen Zoo killed an 18-month-old giraffe, Marius, with a shot to the head. This was a completely irresponsible decision on the part of zoo officials, and we must make sure it never happens again.

Fire Bengt Holst For Having Marius the Giraffe Killed

please share

it helps!

Dear Indra,

Marius was born at the Copenhagen Zoo and was in perfect health. But because his genes were deemed too common, he was considered useless for the zoo's breeding program. Several zoos offered Marius a new home and almost 30,000 people signed a Care2 petition to save Marius' life but Holst did not respond.

Zoo breeding programs play a valuable role in helping many species, including endangered animals, to survive. But the Copenhagen Zoo acted irresponsibly and unethically by executing Marius in cold blood. Right after Marius was dead, the zoo staged a public dissection of his body -- children were among those witnessing this -- and fed his remains to the lions.

Holst has undermined the claims of the Copenhagen Zoo to be an ethical institution which cares for the welfare of animals. As Stine Jensen of Denmark's Organization against the Suffering of Animals said, the zoo treated Marius as a "waste product."

That's no message for a zoo to make. Tell the Copenhagen Zoo to fire Bernt Holst from his position as scientific director for killing Marius, a young giraffe who had his whole life ahead of him.