A zoo has requested that members of the public donate their unwanted domestic animals to serve as meals for its carnivorous residents.
The Danish facility in Aalborg, located in the northern region of Jutland, specified that small, healthy creatures would help ensure "nothing goes to waste".
The institution particularly highlighted its European lynx population as the animals to receive the donations.
Zoo officials explained that "chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs form an important part of the diet of our predators".
They noted that the lynx "needs whole prey that resembles what it would naturally hunt in the wild".
The European facility has set a limit of four animals per donor.
Staff members would humanely end the creatures' lives before providing them as sustenance.
Additionally, the zoo welcomes equine donations, though proper documentation must accompany such offerings.
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|The institution particularly highlighted its European lynx population as beneficiaries of such donations
Danish regulations already permit tax benefits for horse owners who contribute their animals to zoological institutions under certain conditions.
The zoo's social media announcement triggered fierce criticism from online commentators.
In response to the appeal, one Instagram user wrote: "Shame on you."
Another added: "Asking people to send healthy animals that they don't want any more to you, so they can be slaughtered and fed to the zoo animals is one of the weirdest things I ever read."
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|The Danish facility in Aalborg is located in the northern region of Jutland
A third said: "Go vegan and stop supporting zoos," accompanying their message with a green vomit emoji.
The controversy follows recent events at a German zoo that sparked similar outrage.
Nuremberg Zoo euthanised a dozen healthy baboons due to enclosure overcrowding, subsequently feeding them to big cats and wolves.
German media revealed that the primates had their outermost parts of the body removed before being given to the carnivores, with zoo visitors able to witness the feeding.
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|Copenhagen Zoo euthanised a young male giraffe named Marius in 2014
Danish zoological institutions have previously faced international condemnation for their handling of animal welfare issues.
The most prominent incident occurred in 2014 when Copenhagen Zoo euthanised a young male giraffe named Marius.
Zoo authorities justified the killing by explaining that the animal's genetic profile was too closely matched to other giraffes within their breeding scheme.
Following the euthanasia, zoo staff conducted a public autopsy of the giraffe, which they defended as an educational opportunity "to help educate people about wildlife".