Background
On February 9th, 2014, a one and a half year-old giraffe named Marius was euthanized, cut into pieces, and fed to a lion in front of a crowd of onlookers at the Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark.[1] The fact that this process was conducted as a spectacle to a crowd that included children, as well as questions over whether the death of the giraffe was necessary in the first place, caused widespread controversy.
Scientists at the zoo explained the giraffe was being euthanized because it did not have the high quality genes that would make him ideal for breeding. Though other zoos offered to house the giraffe those at the Copenhagen Zoo said a transfer wouldn’t be an option because it would lead to inbreeding.
Notable Developments
The Petition Site
On February 8th, 2014, Maria Evans started a petition titled “Save Marius the giraffe from the bolt gun NOW” on The Petition Site.[2] She set a goal of 28,000 signatures and gained just over 27,000. After Marius death she added a statement saying:
“Thank you to everyone who signed the petition to save Marius the giraffe. Sadly, the Copenhagen Zoo went ahead with its plans and, on Sunday, February 9, Marius was killed. He was publicly dissected in front of visitors to the zoo and then his remains fed to the lions.
You can still take action by signing this petition calling for the Copenhagen Zoo to remove Bengt Holst from his position as scientific director."
Notable Developments
