Overview

• Since launching its appeal on August 4, Aalborg Zoo has processed dozens of rabbits, chickens, guinea pigs and horses for its carnivore feeding program.
• Donated animals undergo strict size and health vetting before trained staff perform humane euthanasia and prepare whole-prey portions.
• Horse donations must carry a passport, measure under 147 cm at the withers and be illness-free for 30 days, with a possible waiting list and weight-based tax deductions for donors.
• The initiative builds on established Danish zoo protocols of feeding culled or deceased livestock to predators, recalling Copenhagen Zoo’s 2014 giraffe euthanasia and Leipzig Zoo’s 2023 zebra case.
• Public reaction has been mixed, with supporters praising its waste-reduction and diet-fidelity goals and critics condemning the ethics of using companion animals as feed.