Surplus baby giraffe named Marius killed with a bolt gun at Copenhagen Zoo and fed to the lions
- Marius was shot with a bolt gun at Copenhagen Zoo
- Spokesman said they were unable to find Marius a home at another zoo
- Thousands had signed petitions appealing for a change of heart
- Yorkshire Wildlife Park reportedly put in a last-ditch offer to take Marius in
PUBLISHED: 10:45 GMT, 9 February 2014 | UPDATED: 11:37 GMT, 9 February 2014
Zookeepers in Denmark have killed a young giraffe after deeming him 'surplus' to requirements, it was revealed today.
Marius, Copenhagen Zoo's 18-month-old giraffe, was shot with a bolt gun and will be chopped up for the other animals' dinner.
Thousands of people had signed petitions appealing for a change of heart over Marius, but the campaign failed.
Marius (centre) was shot with a bolt gun and will be chopped up for the other animals' dinner
An 18-month-old giraffe named Marius was put down on this morning at Copenhagen Zoo
Bengt Holst, the zoo's scientific director, told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet that Marius needed to be killed to prevent inbreeding and keep the giraffe population down.
'You have to accept that there is a surplus of animals that cannot be included in the genetic chain without causing inbreeding problems,' he said.
The zoo is part of a European breeding programme for giraffes and is bound by rules over inbreeding to keep animals healthy.
Marius was killed with a bolt gun rather than lethal injection so the meat is not contaminated. The carcass will partly be used for research and partly to feed carnivores at the zoo.
Yorkshire Wildlife Park - which has a state-of-the-art giraffe house and the capacity for an extra male - reportedly put in a last-ditch offer to take Marius in.
The director of a wildlife park in the Netherlands, Robert Krijuff, whose last-minute offer of a place was also rejected, said: 'I can't believe it. We offered to save his life. Zoos need to change the way they do business.'
The animal was deemed 'surplus' before it was put down by zookeepers in Copenhagen
Animal rights campaigners in Denmark tried to save the healthy young giraffe at Copenhagen Zoo from being destroyed
The zoo is part of a European breeding programme for giraffes and is bound by rules over inbreeding to keep animals healthy
But Mr Holst said all zoos had been considered and there was no place for Marius - including at Yorkshire where, he said, any space should be reserved for a genetically more important giraffe.
The campaign to save him, he said, had gone 'much too far'.
Animal rights campaigners have described the move as barbaric and have accused the zoo of being unethical.
Maria Evans, who started an online petition, said the giraffe 'deserves to live'.
She added: 'The zoo have produced him so it is their responsibility to find him a home, no matter how long it takes. They must not be allowed to take the easy option.'
Copenhagen Zoo has previously killed bears, tigers and zebras to stop overbreeding, according to Ekstra Bladet.
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