Shocking New Zoo Program Invites You to Donate Pets—And Maybe Your In-Law!
So here’s one for you: a Danish zoo has boldly stepped into the unconventional by asking locals to donate their pets as lunch for their ravenous predators. Yes, you read that right — your neighbor’s guinea pig might just be the next meal for a European lynx! Naturally, this unexpected call to arms (or, uh, wings and paws) sparked a social media frenzy with people cheekily wondering if their “grown tired” in-laws or even the “naughty list” kids could be next in line. It’s a wild concoction of humor and reality, forcing us to question — how far would you go to feed a hungry lion? Dive into this tale of zookeepers imitating the wild food chain while sparking some rather amusing public reactions. LEARN MORE
A Danish zoo is asking local residents to donate their pets so that they can be their hungry predators‘ lunch special.
The request was met with wild responses as social media users began asking if they could donate their in-laws or even the children they had “grown tired” of.
“Are they taking children on the naughty list too? Asking for a parent (or two),” one asked online.
- A Danish zoo asked locals to donate pets to be the main course for their hungry predators.
- “The livestock we receive as donations are chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, and horses,” said Pia Nielsen, deputy director of Aalborg zoo.
- Naysayers called it a “sick invention.”
- Others asked if they could donate their in-laws or the children they had “grown tired” of.
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A Danish zoo asked locals to donate pets to be the main course for their hungry predators
Image credits: Google Maps
The Aalborg Zoo in Aalborg, Denmark, gave a shout-out to people raising small animals and said they could feed their “small pets” to the animals at the zoo.
The initiative was part of the zoo’s effort to feed their ferocious predators with food they would “naturally hunt in the wild.”
Image credits: Aalborg Zoo
“Did you know that you can donate smaller pets to Aalborg Zoo?” read the zoo’s post.
“Chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of the diet of our predators,” they continued. “Especially the European lynx, which needs whole prey that resembles what it would naturally hunt in the wild.”
The Aalborg Zoo in Aalborg, Denmark, said they were accepting animals like chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs and horses
Image credits: Aalborg Zoo
The northern Denmark zoo said they had the responsibility of mimicking the “natural food chain” to keep their carnivores happy. And to do this, the chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs belonging to outsiders could play a role.
“In zoos we have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals – in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity,” the zoo said.
Image credits: Aalborg Zoo
In cases where healthy animals had to be put down for various reasons, people were welcome to donate them.
The donated animals would be gently euthanized by the zoo’s trained staff and then “used as fodder.”
“That way, nothing goes to waste – and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” they added.
Furthermore, the zoo also said it would accept horses, which would also be euthanized and fed to animals. They noted that the horses should have been treated for any kind of illness at least a month before they were donated.
The initiative was to fulfill the zoo’s responsibility of feeding their carnivores with food they would “naturally hunt in the wild”
Image credits: Aalborg Zoo
Horses that are a “maximum of 147 cm at the withers” would be accepted, and they must have horse passports, Aalborg Zoo said.
Regarding other species, they accept small animals like chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time. But “no more than four at a time” would be accepted.
Image credits: Aalborg Zoo
The announcement triggered a riot of responses online, with one netizen saying, “It gives ‘going to the zoo’ a whole new meaning! If you don’t behave you’re ‘going to the zoo!’”
“I’m gonna show this to my cats later when they yell at me,” one joked, while another quipped, “I can provide my neighbors cat..I’m tired of it in my flowers.”
“For all the people who are looking to get rid of there roosters .. consider this instead of dumping them!!” one said.
Another asked, “Can I donate my in-law?”
The donated animals would be gently euthanized by trained staff, the zoo said
Image credits: Zachariah Smith/Unsplash
But naysayers called it a “sick invention.”
“If you can’t afford to feed the animals, then close. Your request for house pets is insane,” one said.
The zoo responded to some parents who humorously offered to donate the children they had “grown tired” of.
“Your children are very welcome at the zoo, but not as food… here we only accept animals with feathers or fur,” the Danish zoo said.
