Outcry after German zoo culled baboons due to overcrowding
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Outcry after German zoo culled baboons due to overcrowding
Outcry after German zoo culled baboons due to overcrowding. Contraceptive methods to control the zoo’s Guinea baboon population had failed, the zoo said. Seven animal rights activists were arrested on Tuesday after they entered the Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo in protest against the decision. The animals were shot, samples were taken for research purposes, then their bodies were fed to the Zoo’s predators. The zoo in Nuremberg had announced plans to kill some Guinea baboons last year, after its population exceeded 40 – more than the 25 that could be housed.
Contraceptive methods to control the zoo’s Guinea baboon population had failed, the zoo said
Christoph Maisack, head of the German Legal Association for Animal Protection Law, said letting the animals breed too freely “cannot constitute such a reason” for their killing.
Overcrowding had caused an “increase in conflicts” between the baboons and no alternative for re-housing them could be found, the zoo said.
Seven animal rights activists were arrested on Tuesday after they entered the Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo in protest against the decision. One woman glued her hands to the ground near the entrance.
A zoo in the southern German city of Nuremberg has culled 12 healthy Guinea baboons due to overcrowding in their enclosure, after which they were fed to predators.
The zoo in Nuremberg had announced plans to kill some Guinea baboons last year, after its population exceeded 40 – more than the 25 that could be housed by a complex completed in 2009.
Zoos in other countries that baboons had previously been sent to had also reached capacity and contraception measures had failed to slow the population growth, the zoo said.
On Tuesday morning, the zoo announced that it was closing for “operational reasons”, triggering demonstrators to climb over the zoo’s fence near the entrance, where they were arrested.
Later, the zoo confirmed that it had killed the baboons – none of which were pregnant females or part of scientific studies. The animals were shot, samples were taken for research purposes, then their bodies were fed to the zoo’s predators.
Dag Encke, the zoo’s director, said the decision came after “yearslong consideration”, and that the culling of animals can be a “legitimate last resort to preserve the population”.
Encke added that the action was in line with criteria set out by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
Animal rights groups have filed a criminal complaint against the zoo for culling baboons which were in “perfect health”.
A spokesperson for Pro Wildlife said the decision was “avoidable and illegal”, adding: “Healthy animals had to be killed because the zoo maintained irresponsible and unsustainable breeding policies for decades.”
European zoos have previously sparked controversy for culling animals.
In 2014, a zoo in Copenhagen culled a giraffe – named Marius – because his genes were too close to the other giraffes in the zoo’s breeding programme.
A post-mortem of the giraffe – during which the carcass was skinned, cut up and then fed to the lions – was broadcast live online.
Outcry after German zoo kills 12 baboons over space issues, feeds carcasses to predators
German zoo says it has killed 12 baboons due to overcrowding in their enclosure. Animal rights activists break into the zoo in protest. Police arrest seven demonstrators who briefly entered the zoo complex in Nuremberg. Zoo initially announced plans to kill some of its baboons in February last year, saying that their group had “reached a size that exceeds the capacity of the enclosure”.. The dead baboons had been fed to the predators in the zoo, the zoo said.
Police arrested seven demonstrators who briefly entered the zoo complex in the southern city of Nuremberg.
“We know that many will find this decision hard to understand, that it has annoyed, upset or infuriated them,” the management of the zoo said in a statement.
The zoo initially announced plans to kill some of its baboons in February last year, saying that their group had “reached a size that exceeds the capacity of the enclosure, which was already expanded in 2009”.
With the overpopulation causing “an increase in conflicts with corresponding injuries to the animals”, the zoo said that no suitable alternative to killing the animals could be found.
But this argument did not convince animal rights activists, who staged a protest at the zoo on Tuesday.
The zoo was closed on Tuesday for “operational reasons”, which the activists took to mean the zoo had been closed for the baboon cull.
One of those arrested was a woman who had briefly glued herself to the ground behind the zoo’s main entrance before being freed by police.
Speaking at a press conference, Director Dag Encke said that Nuremberg zoo was acting according to the criteria set out by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
They stipulate that culling the animals can be a “legitimate last resort to preserve the population”, Encke said.
The zoo’s chief biologist Joerg Beckmann said that pregnant females and those being observed as part of a scientific study had not been killed.
The dead baboons had been fed to the predators in the zoo, Beckmann said.
Animal rights groups filed a criminal complaint Tuesday against the zoo for killing the baboons when they had been “in perfect health”.
“Animal welfare laws permits the killing of vertebrates only if there is a reasonable cause,” said Christoph Maisack, head of the German Legal Association for Animal Protection Law (DJGT).
“Letting them breed too freely cannot constitute such a reason,” said Maisack. — AFP
Tiergarten Nürnberg Zoo Kills 12 Baboons Amid Overcrowding Controversy
The population of Guinea baboons at the zoo had grown to 43 individuals, exceeding the capacity of the building. This led to conflicts among the animals. Since 2011, 16 baboons were relocated to zoos in Paris and China. However, these zoos, as well as one in Spain, have reached their own capacity limits. Attempts to use contraception were discontinued several years ago due to lack of the desired effect.
In Nuremberg, Germany, the Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo announced the killing of 12 baboons despite numerous protests. This decision was the result of a problem with insufficient space for the growing group of animals.
Plans to cull the baboons were first announced in February 2024. The zoo stated that it had considered relocating some of the animals, but none of the proposals were implemented.
These actions sparked outrage among animal rights organizations, which organized protests outside the zoo. On Monday, the zoo administration announced its intention to begin preparations for the killing of the baboons, and on Tuesday the zoo was closed for the day for unknown reasons.
On Tuesday afternoon, the police reported that several activists managed to enter the zoo grounds, some of whom glued themselves to the ground before being detained.
Soon after, the zoo confirmed the information about the killing of 12 baboons, as reported by the German news agency dpa. Details of the incident have not yet been disclosed, but animal rights groups plan to file a criminal complaint.
The population of Guinea baboons at the zoo had grown to 43 individuals, exceeding the capacity of the building, which was constructed in the late 2000s for 25 animals along with their offspring. This led to conflicts among the animals.
The zoo reported that it had previously tried to address this problem: since 2011, 16 baboons were relocated to zoos in Paris and China. However, these zoos, as well as one in Spain, have reached their own capacity limits. Attempts to use contraception were discontinued several years ago due to lack of the desired effect.
Euthanasia of animals in European zoos is a common practice for various reasons. Some cases have caused widespread public outcry, such as in 2014 when a healthy two-year-old giraffe was killed at the Copenhagen Zoo, its carcass dismembered in front of spectators, including children, and then fed to the lions.
Sewage spill caused deadly train derailment in Germany, police say
Sewage spill caused deadly train derailment in Germany, police say. The train driver, another rail employee and one passenger died, while 41 people were injured. German Chancellor Freidrich Merz said he “mourn[ed] the victims” and offered his “deepest sympathy” to their families.Around 100 people were on board the train when at least two carriages derailed in a forested area.
Watch: Emergency responders at scene of German train derailment
The train driver, another rail employee and one passenger died, while 41 people were injured. On Sunday, German Chancellor Freidrich Merz said he “mourn[ed] the victims” and offered his “deepest sympathy” to their families.
The deluge is believed to have caused an overflow, triggering a landslide on the banks running next to the tracks.
Prosecutors said the train crashed between Riedlingen and Munderkingen near Stuttgart on Sunday following heavy rain in the area.
Three people have been killed and several others badly hurt after an overflowing sewage shaft caused a landslide that derailed a passenger train in south-west Germany, local authorities say.
In a post on X, he said he was in close contact with the interior and transport ministers, and had requested that they provide the emergency services with all the support they need.
In a statement shared on Sunday, Ulm police said the train was on a 90 km (55 mile) route between Sigmaringen and Ulm when it derailed.
They said the investigation into the cause of the accident was ongoing, and the site of the incident would remain closed.
Rail traffic will remain suspended and clean-up work will begin on Monday, they added.
Around 100 people were on board the train when at least two carriages derailed in a forested area around 18:10 local time (17:10 BST), German news agency dpa reported on Sunday.
Images of the crash show carriages turned on their sides and heavy emergency service presence as firefighters and emergency teams worked to gain access to trapped passengers. Fallen trees can also be seen at the scene.
In a statement, operator Deutsche Bahn said: “Our thoughts and sympathies are with the victims and everyone who now has to process this experience.”