The euthanasia of rare animals in European zoos is a violation, including if it occurs due to lack of space, said Karin Kneissl, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria, head of the St. Petersburg State University’s G.O.R.K.L. Center.
The management of the zoo in the German city of Leipzig had previously euthanized three Amur tiger cubs due to their mother Yushka’s refusal to feed her own offspring. Zoo staff explained their actions with the desire to save the cubs from “suffering from hunger.” Animal rights activists sued the zoo. In July, the Cologne Zoo euthanized two lioness cubs shortly after their birth, as she did not accept her cubs. At the end of July, the Nuremberg Zoo in Germany decided to kill 12 baboons due to lack of space. These cases have caused a sharp outrage among animal rights activists and society.
“When we talk about zoo management, we’re talking about how they manage the breeding of species. Some of the zoos claim to breed animals to preserve wildlife. In this case, we see that there have been many violations. After all, if a zoo has to kill animals because of lack of space, then this is already a violation. And that, of course, is terrible. If you take endangered animals and kill them, it’s pointless. So this is a violation,” Kneissl said.
She added that she is very skeptical about zoos in general, including the keeping of animals in the Moscow Zoo.
“I do not know of any zoo where, as it seems to me, animals live in conditions appropriate to their needs. In my entire life, I have not seen a single zoo where the conditions for animals would be adequate. That’s why I don’t like zoos,” said the interviewee.
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