&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Giraffes_-_Copenhagen_Zoo_-_DSC09012.JPG) Giraffes at Copenhagen Zoo | |
| Species | Giraffa camelopardalis reticulata |
|---|---|
| Sex | Male |
| Born | 6 February 2012 Copenhagen |
| Died | 9 February 2014 (aged 2) Copenhagen |
| Nation from | Denmark |
| Known for | Controversial culling at young age |
| Owner | Governed by Copenhagen Zoo |
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.[1][2] His body was then dissected and necropsied in a public educational class and then fed to the zoo's lions. The event received worldwide media coverage and generated responses from several organisations and individuals, including death threats to staff at the zoo.[3]
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".[4] Since 2012, two other young giraffe bulls in the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) were also culled in zoos.[failed verification][needs update][5] The captive population in Europe stood at 798 giraffes in 2014.[4]
- ^ Naik, Bharati; Gumuchian, Marie-Louise. "Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe, feeds body to lions". CNN.
- ^ McLaughlin, Eliott C. and Wilkinson, Peter, Zoo official on Marius the giraffe: Conservation isn't always clean. CNN, 11 February 2014
- ^ "Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe, feeds body to lions". CNN. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Milmowas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Why did Copenhagen zoo decide to kill Marius the giraffe?". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 June 2016.