Mom Donates Her Daughter’s Pet Horse To Be Eaten by Lions at the Zoo So 'Nothing Goes To Waste'

The zookeeper embraced Chicago 57, cuddling and kissing him all the time. And then, the little pony was “gently euthanized” and put to eternal sleep. His flesh was going to end up in the dinner platter of a predatory lion. Chicago 57, the warmblooded German riding pony, was just 22 years old when he died. He was in pain. Insect bites had lacerated his flesh with festering wounds, and life had become a struggle. While roaming the grounds of his small farm in Assens, southwest Denmark, he had to remain dressed in a jacket and leg protection at all times. When Pernille Sohl, the farm owner, watched him suffer day after day, she had two choices. She could either take him to a doctor or donate him to Aalborg Zoo, according to a report by The Times UK.

Sohl chose the second option. The wound was too acute to be treated, plus he was not fit for spending time with people who visited her farm to heal their mental health issues. The zoo received Chicago 57 and “gently euthanized” him to feed his carcass to a predator. This might sound cruel, but it isn’t. This is a project Aalborg has initiated to mimic the natural food chain of predators.

Aalborg's pet donation project has received mixed reactions from people across the globe. Some of them have lashed back with fury, saying that it is unwise and too brutal to ask someone to donate their innocent pets so that they can be killed and eaten by predatory lions. But Aalborg Zoo believes otherwise. According to them, it is an intelligent way to mimic the circle of life with a pinch of salt sprinkled into it. In an Instagram post, the zoo mentioned that it is accepting donations of people’s pets, not to hurt anyone’s sentiments or slaughter innocent animals, but to mimic the natural food chain.

Even if the pets are not utilized for food, these predatory lions would eventually venture out into the jungles and kill other animals for food. The conscious delivery of deceased pets as food avoids these unpredictable scenarios. The pets are not alive at the time they are served to these lions. They are anesthetized and then euthanized. Currently, the zoo is accepting donations of ponies, chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs for the dietary requirements of lions and other predators. “We have a responsibility to imitate the natural food chain of the animals - in terms of both animal welfare and professional integrity,” the zoo noted on Instagram.

“It might sound very dramatic and bizarre that you would feed your pet to animals in the zoo,” the 44-year-old mom Sohl told The Times UK. “But they are going to be put down anyway, and it is not like they are alive when they are given to the predators.” She revealed that her daughter was just 13 years old when she agreed to donate Chicago 57 to the zoo, because “it made more sense” than taking him to a doctor.

And although the zoo’s initiative has been met with a counterblast, it is committed to implementing this version of the animal food chain. The outlets report that this year alone, the zoo has received a donation of 22 horses, 137 rabbits, 53 chickens, and 18 guinea pigs. “That way, nothing goes to waste, and we ensure natural behavior, nutrition, and well-being of our predators,” the zoo’s representatives shared with The Guardian. Donating a pet to this initiative doesn’t mean that you’re abandoning or discarding your pet. It just means you’re choosing to detach from your sentiment and doing the best and the most intelligent thing you could do for the environment and nature as a whole.

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