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. While zoos argue it maintains genetic diversity, critics counter that it contradicts the core mission of conservation, revealing a fundamental ethical conflict.