Marius is No More

Marius, a two year old male giraffe in Copenhagen Zoo in Europe, was euthanized on February 9. This was to prevent inbreeding. And they had to do it in front of a large public crowd that included children, too! "Euthanasia of animals is necessary to maintain the health and welfare of the herd, as overcrowding could lead to injuries, stress, or disease outbreak," says the parent company of the Singapore Zoo. Why they couldn't just trade Marius to another local zoo, I do not understand. While the public (again, including the children) was watching, they dissected the deceased giraffe and fed his carcass to their lion, probably causing much distress. The Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark turned down offers from other zoos and $680,000 from a private individual to save the life of the poor unsuspecting mammal. This sickens me. They couldn't just sell him to a more humane zoo? The problem is, there might not be many. Tests show that approximately 1,735 zoo animals are slaughtered in Europe yearly. Seriously? There needs to be an organization that confiscates the animals before cruel zoos kill them. Doesn't there?