A bid to save a young giraffe from destruction at Copenhagen Zoo has failed, and the giraffe was put down on Sunday morning.
Marius the giraffe who was shot dead and autopsied in the presence of visitors to the gardens at Copenhagen zoo on February 9. Photo: AFP
The BBC reported that thousands of people had signed an online petition appealing for a change of heart over the two-year-old, called Marius.
The zoo said it had no choice because of its duty to avoid in-breeding.
Marius was killed by a bolt gun, not a lethal injection, which would contaminate the meat.
A post-mortem examination was broadcast live on the internet.
A crowd of visitors, including children, watched as the carcass was skinned, cut up and fed to the lions.
The zoo's scientific director, Bengt Holst, told the BBC he had received death threats but would not alter his style of animal management.
