A Danish mother has sparked outrage after donating her daughter’s sick pony to be fed to lions at Aalborg Zoo. Pernille Sohl said the horse was due to be euthanized, so she chose to give it as “whole prey” to the predators. “It might sound dramatic, but they aren’t alive when given to the animals,” she said.
Aalborg Zoo has urged residents to donate unwanted pets, saying it supports natural predator diets. In the past year, donations have included 22 horses, 53 chickens, 137 rabbits, and 18 guinea pigs. The animals are euthanized by trained staff before feeding.
Donors receive around $15 for small pets and up to $780 for large animals like horses. Another donor, Helen Hjortholm Andersen, gave her Shetland pony to a different zoo, saying, “We like the idea of the cycle of life.”
