Marius (6 February 2012 – 9 February 2014) was a male giraffe living at Copenhagen Zoo. Though healthy, he was genetically unsuitable for future captive breeding, as his genes were over-represented in the captive population, so the zoo authorities decided to euthanize him. Despite several offers to adopt Marius and an online petition to save him, he was killed on 9 February 2014. His body was then dissected and necropsied in a public educational class and then fed to the zoo's lions, tigers, and polar bears. The event received worldwide media coverage and generated responses from several organisations and individuals, including death threats to staff at the zoo. Between when records began in the early 1900s and when the animal was killed in February 2014, five giraffes had been killed for similar "conservation management reasons". Since 2012, two other young giraffe bulls in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) were also culled in zoos. The captive population in Europe stood at 798 giraffes in 2014.
Life Marius was born on 6 February 2012 at Copenhagen Zoo where he lived all his life. The zoo has a policy of only giving an official name to a few selected animals such as elephants with the prospect of living up to 50 years or more but the keepers informally named the giraffe "Marius". Shortly after his birth, Copenhagen Zoo informed the coordinator of the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for giraffes who, according to the Danish Zoo Federation, along with his committee tried to find a suitable location for Marius but failed. Following the recommendations of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) the zoo decided to put down Marius. In a statement, Copenhagen Zoo explained that:
As this giraffe's genes are well represented in the breeding programme and as there is no place for the giraffe in the zoo's giraffe herd the European Breeding Programme for Giraffes has agreed that Copenhagen Zoo euthanizes the giraffe. In an interview with the BBC, a spokesman for the EAZA said that Marius had siblings with similar genes who were already in the organisation's breeding programme,(~) which meant that he could not add anything to the programme. He specified that Marius could not be considered inbred, refuting earlier reports.
Offers of placement Offers to relocate Marius were received by Copenhagen Zoo, but none were taken up. Commenting on several offers the zoo stated that the offers did not match with the requirements of the EAZA. As an EAZA member, the Copenhagen zoo does not own its animals, but manages them. The zoo is also not allowed to sell animals and the placement of animals outside of the EEP is limited to those that follow the same set of rules as EAZA. The following offers were declined. EAZA member Krakow Zoo said it offered to adopt Marius but received an unexplained refusal from the EAZA. A last-minute offer by EAZA member Yorkshire Wildlife Park to adopt Marius into a bachelor herd in its giraffe house was declined, according to Bengt Holst because the wildlife park's space would be better used by a "genetically more valuable giraffe" than Marius, whose brother already lived there. Also declined were offers from two non-EAZA members, the Dutch Landgoed Hoenderdaell wildlife park and the Swedish Frösö Zoo, as well as an offer by a private individual. As the zoo was unable to find a suitable place for Marius, considered sterilization damaging to his quality of life and did not want to send him to another EEP zoo where he would take up a "space for more genetically valuable giraffes", he was killed on 9 February 2014.
Killing The zoo had announced that he would be anaesthetized before being put down with a bolt gun, as lethal injection would make it unsafe for the carnivores at the zoo to eat. However, the euthanizing vet said that he used a rifle, reportedly a Winchester. Most media wrote that Marius was 18 months old. Bengt Holst, the zoo's Scientific Director, corrected this, saying Marius was two years old. He added that alternative solutions were considered, but not found viable.
Public dissection After being euthanized, Marius was publicly dissected. This was done in a separate area of the zoo, but accessible for those interested, including parents with children. Associated Press distributed a photo of the public dissection worldwide, heightening the attention to the case. Parts of his body were fed to the zoo's lions. Other parts were sent to seven research projects. The zoo's spokesman said, "I'm actually proud because I think we have given children a huge understanding of the anatomy of a giraffe that they wouldn't have had from watching a giraffe in a photo." According to Bengt Holst, public dissection of deceased animals fits with the zoo's policy to educate people on nature and wildlife, and is a normal practice in Denmark. The main animal rights group in Denmark, Dyrenes Beskyttelse, supported the zoo's actions. Others have criticized the public dissection, questioning its educational value.
Responses
Zoological organizations Bengt Holst, scientific director at the Danish zoo, said that the amount of international interest had come as a surprise to the zoo, but also stressed the importance of a policy of openness. He defended the killing of the young bull based on culling for artificial selection. He said that giraffes in zoos bred very well and where this was the case, giraffes had to be selected to ensure the best genes were passed down to ensure the animals' long-term survival. He confirmed the zoo typically culls 20 to 30 animals every year, mostly antelopes, llamas and goats. EAZA issued a press release "fully supporting" the decisions and policy of the Copenhagen Zoo. Its executive director, Lesley Dickie, supported the killing and public dissection, and said that EAZA's position receives support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature. An EAZA spokesperson estimated that on average each of its members annually euthanizes about five large mammals. The executive director of the North American Association of Zoos and Aquariums stated in response to public concerns that programs and procedures of EAZA vary from theirs.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
