A zoo in northern Denmark has urged residents to donate their small pets to serve as food for captive predators.
Aalborg Zoo, located in the city of Aalborg, made the appeal in a Facebook post, explaining that the move is aimed at replicating the natural food chain for the sake of animal welfare and professional integrity.
According to the zoo, healthy animals such as guinea pigs, rabbits, and chickens are welcome. It assured potential donors that the pets would be “gently euthanised” by trained staff before being fed to predators.
“That way, nothing goes to waste — and we ensure natural behaviour, nutrition and well-being of our predators,” the statement read.
The zoo also indicated interest in receiving horses, although it did not list other pets or species as potential donations.
An image of a wildcat with its mouth wide open accompanied the online call, along with a link to the zoo’s website where more information is provided.
The facility has yet to respond to further inquiries on how many donations it has received so far or the exact species of predators that will be fed with the donated animals.
