Surplus Animal Management

Copenhagen Zoo's 2014 killing of Marius the giraffe exposed a stark reality: zoos routinely euthanise healthy animals that don't fit breeding plans, a practice many visitors find shocking. In fact, a 2020 survey by Born Free Foundation found that 72% of European zoos have euthanised surplus animals in the last decade, yet 84% of the public remains unaware of this policy. This practice is more systematic than the accidental deaths at #5, Enclosure Size vs Natural Range, which stem from habitat limitations rather than active management. While zoos argue it maintains genetic diversity, critics counter that it contradicts the core mission of conservation, revealing a fundamental ethical conflict.