Aalborg Zoo Pushes to have Guests Donate Pets to Feed Predators in Order to “Mimic a Natural Food Chain.”
On Thursday, July 31st, 2025, the Aalborg Zoo, a zoo located in Denmark, made a post stating how they would be accepting any household pets such as guinea pigs, chickens, rabbits, small horses, and more, coming close to the end of their lives to be used as food for the zoos predators. They mentioned how by doing this, they would be able to more effectively “mimic the natural food chain.”
In the Facebook post the Aalborg Zoo posted about this situation, they said as persuasion to this topic of feeding pets to predators, “This way, nothing goes to waste, and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition, and well-being for our predators.” Also, the zoo also describes how the animals would be “gently euthanized” before being fed to the predators. The Aalborg Zoo’s official website states, “The horse will be delivered alive to Aalborg Zoo, where the horse will be euthanized by a zookeeper and a veterinarian and then slaughtered.”
The post later received heavy criticism with comments on the post including , “feeding pets is absolutely unacceptable” and, “a terrible trend of indifference with animals in Denmark.” In retort, the zoo states how they have been feeding their animals livestock for many years. Pia Nielsen, a spokeswoman for the Aalborg zoo adds, “Many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute.” Along with this, a spokeswoman from the European Association of Zoos, Sandrine Camus states, “using them (the pets that would potentially be donated for feedings) for feeding avoids unnecessary waste and supports a more naturalistic feeding regimen for predators.”
The Aalborg Zoo is still currently receiving heavy amounts of backlash through social media, and other forms of online communication, including loosing guests and followers. While many workers from the zoo are still pushing to have this method accepted, viewers of posts and news articles seem to have their minds made up about this situation.
