Danish zoo kills healthy giraffe

Warning: some readers may find the images distressing

A Danish zoo has sparked outrage after putting down a healthy young giraffe then chopping it up and feeding it to lions as visitors looked on.

The fate of 18-month-old Marius shocked animal lovers around the world, with thousands signing an online petition to save him and a billionaire offering to buy him and keep him in her Beverly Hills garden.

What do you think of the zoo's decision? Have your say in the comment's below?

A wildlife park in Britain even contacted the zoo to adopt Marius but said it had received no response.

Copenhagen Zoo said the action was necessary to prevent inbreeding and Marius was put down with a bolt gun after being anaesthetised.

Under European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) rules, inbreeding between giraffes should be avoided.

Castration is also considered cruel with "undesirable effects", the zoo said, and there were no programs to release giraffes into the wild.

Source: Euro News