Giraffe slaughtered at Copenhagen Zoo and fed to other animals
He was only 18 months old but Marius the young giraffe at Copenhagen Zoo had to go. Despite a campaign to save him he was shot in the head.
Officials outlined the reasons as a lack of space and the need to comply with European rules on in-breeding. The animal had to be put down to ensure a healthy giraffe population, they stressed.
After the shooting, there was a public carving of the carcass.
A British zoo had offered to give Marius a home and an online petition resulted in more than 25,000 signatures.
Instead he will provide the meals for other animals in the zoo with officials confirming the carcass would be fed to its lions, polar bears and tigers.