Overview

• Tiergarten Nürnberg cited unsuccessful relocation offers and failed contraception after its Guinea baboon troop grew to 43, far beyond an enclosure built for 25.
• On July 29 the zoo shut its gates unexpectedly before euthanizing 12 healthy, nonpregnant baboons chosen to limit impacts on research and breeding programs.
• Deputy director Jörg Beckmann said samples were collected for study and that the carcasses were fed to the zoo’s predators as part of standard population control.
• Police detained several activists who scaled fences and glued themselves to the ground in attempts to halt the cull.
• Pro Wildlife and Deutsche Tierschutzbund have lodged lawsuits arguing the decision violated animal protection laws and are calling for tougher regulation of zoo breeding policies.