A Danish mother has spoken out in defense of her decision to donate her teenage daughter’s beloved pony to a zoo after the animal was euthanized. The controversial move has sparked widespread debate following Aalborg Zoo’s viral social media post asking people to donate unwanted pets to feed their big cats and other predators.
Pernille Sohl says she gave her 13-year-old daughter Angelina several options for what to do with Chicago 57, their 22-year-old pony, after the animal was put down in 2020 due to health problems. The pony had been suffering from painful open wounds caused by eczema from mosquito bites. When the difficult decision was made to euthanize Chicago 57, Sohl presented her daughter with different choices for handling the animal’s remains.
