When it comes to baby animals, oohing and ahhing and squeeeing around them (baby bunny . . . squeee!) is usually the way to go. Whenever possible, it's advised to avoid feeding them to lions.
But yet, that was how Marius' life ended. The two-year-old giraffe at Denmark's Copenhagen Zoo was shot, killed, butchered and fed to lions in front of an audience that included young children. More than 27,000 rightfully indignant animal lovers and activists signed a petition to try and save the giraffe’s life but, alas, the petition failed to divert his dark fate.
Bengt Holst, the director of research and conservation, said that the death of the giraffe was meant to prevent genetic "surplus" and inbreeding. He added that he feels it’s his duty to depict a realistic portrayal of animals in nature, "not to make nature into a Disney World.”
Ok, but where in the natural world do giraffes conduct their own selective breeding?
But hold on, hold on, now riddle me this: If Marius was a nameless prepackaged tiger to-go meal would there be such an outrage? Or was it the very public manner of his ultimate end that’s spurred this controversy? Challenge your protests and ponder this: how much more of a sh*t storm would have been on Copenhagen’s hands if this had happened in secret and then word got out? The reasons "justifying" Marius' disposal may be hard to fathom -- we all want to believe there is purpose and depth to our lives and the execution of a cute baby animal…just—phew! – kinda throws that notion out the window.
In the end, the animal didn’t have to die. It's grusomely tragic that Marius' life was deemed less worthy than the costs of finding him a safe and happy home. The final word was that Marius was killed because of his already well represented genes—an arguably Twilight Zone-esque spin on a sad situation.
Image: commons.wikimedia.org
