Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Ashifa Kassam

‘Bizarre and wrong’: Danish zoo sparks debate with plea for pets to use as food

A Florida Panther at a wildlife park lying down with head up and looking at the camera
Carcass-feeding is a regular feature at zoos for predators such as the Florida panther, a subspecies of puma. Photograph: calv 6304/Alamy

After a Danish zoo posted a reminder of its long-running programme allowing people to donate their healthy, small pets to be “gently euthanised” and fed to predators, reaction poured in from across the globe.

But beyond the battleground playing out on social media – where some protested against the idea of using pets as prey and others praised the zoo’s efforts to drum up a practical food supply – some were swift to point out that the zoo was simply laying bare the reality of keeping carnivores in captivity.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.