Shall we follow the Danes?

MayBee70

Desdemona

Do away with Zoos. Anyone keen enough will go and look at animals in the wild perhaps.

Many species are becoming extinct in the wild. The breeding programmes that zoos pursue are the last hope for some of them. And in this country they no longer keep them in unsuitable enclosures.

I agree, Maybee but not all zoos do this and some of the animals at this particular zoo are not endangered, although this zoo does participate in breeding programmes for endangered species.

I can understand trying to get zoo-bred animals prepared for the wild could involve encouraging them to hunt for live prey, but pets such as dogs, cats, horses?
That would not seem to be a good idea, they need to learn to hunt for wild animals, not pets. .

Desdemona

Do away with Zoos. Anyone keen enough will go and look at animals in the wild perhaps.

Many species are becoming extinct in the wild. The breeding programmes that zoos pursue are the last hope for some of them. And in this country they no longer keep them in unsuitable enclosures.

Do away with Zoos. Anyone keen enough will go and look at animals in the wild perhaps.

I really wish I had not seen this. Made me feel sick.

Oh really RSALAN2002 !!!
I’m
Far better to ban zoos, animals should not be kept in captivity at all, they could do their own killing for their own food in their own environment

Hideous

Why euthanise? If zoos are trying to reproduce the natural environment they should feed their animals live "prey".

Sparklefizz

Shocking and horrible!! Plus I was shocked and upset by the item on the national news about people videoing themselves torturing cats. Horrendous! What is wrong with people???

I had no idea about this until I saw it on the news. However, it did worry me that other people that didn't know about it will now look it up or, worse still, worse still join in . I don't really think it should have been shown even with the warning.

Thank JaneJudge
That seem fine.

Asking for pets is quite different.

I was gazing at a view not far from here which is a Neolithic burial site, complete with flat stone where human bodies were laid out after death so that birds etc could consume the remains.

Perhaps we're more squeamish these days.

Having had to part with many pets at the end of their lives & feeling the sadness that accompanies this I am disgusted by the thought of a predatory animal eating any of my pets! Yes they may need food but not like this as how many animals are taken from the streets for this purpose? Stray dogs & cats, foxes, feral cats, cats allowed out & never coming home, rats, mice & other little wild animals would be taken without anyones knowledge. Sorry people but this is sickening when I think of my little girl cat that I had to let go a while back! Thank the Gods this did not happen to her!

Have just read an article in daily Mail reporting a zoo in Germany fed 12 of its culled baboons to the lions… sounds gruesome yes but that’s the circle of life and we need to accept it… on a trip to our local safari park we witnessed the keepers feeding the big cats the heads of male dairy calves, was pretty traumatic but we humans need to face the bare facts of our dairy/food industry!

I've used AI as it's quicker, but this is an overview

In UK zoos, some animals are given live feed (prey that is alive when fed), but this practice is tightly regulated by welfare laws and ethical guidelines. Live feeding is generally avoided in front of the public, especially with vertebrates, due to animal welfare concerns and public sensitivity.

Here’s a breakdown of what animals may receive live prey, under what conditions, and what types of prey are used:

🐍 Reptiles (Snakes, Lizards)
Commonly given live insects (e.g., crickets, locusts).

Occasionally live rodents, but usually pre-killed frozen-thawed mice/rats are used due to welfare concerns.

Live feeding of vertebrates (e.g., mice) is not standard in UK zoos and may only happen under exceptional veterinary or behavioral enrichment circumstances.

🦎 Amphibians and Insectivores
Frogs, geckos, small lizards, and similar species are fed live invertebrates like:

Crickets

Mealworms

Locusts

Waxworms

🐟 Aquatic Animals (Fish, Turtles)
Predatory fish or aquatic reptiles (e.g., turtles) may be given live feeder fish or invertebrates (shrimp, worms).

Still, pre-killed feed is often used in public displays.

🦅 Birds of Prey
Typically fed pre-killed animals (chicks, rodents), but sometimes live invertebrates (e.g., mealworms).

Rarely, live vertebrate prey is used for training or enrichment behind the scenes.

🦁 Big Cats, Canines, and Other Carnivores
NEVER fed live vertebrate prey in UK zoos.

Receive carcasses or pre-killed animals for enrichment and nutrition.

May get live invertebrates for enrichment (e.g., bears eating live insects in logs).

⚖️ Legal and Ethical Framework
Animal Welfare Act 2006 (UK): prohibits unnecessary suffering.

Zoo Licensing Act 1981 and BIAZA Guidelines: discourage live vertebrate feeding unless necessary and under veterinary supervision.

Summary:
Animal TypeLive Feeding Allowed?Type of Live Feed
ReptilesYes (invertebrates mainly)Crickets, locusts, rarely mice
AmphibiansYesSmall insects
FishYes (occasionally)Feeder fish, invertebrates
Birds of PreyRarely (insects)Mealworms, not live mammals
Big CarnivoresNoPre-killed only

If you're asking about public viewing of live feeding, it's not typically shown with vertebrate prey in UK zoos. Some zoos offer "feeding demonstrations" with dead prey or allow you to watch reptiles catching live bugs.

Actually, according to Google some British zoos use live animals as fodder too.

I guess if some are more or less private zoos that’s at least better than the iffy conditions that some countries turn a blind eye to.

Oreo, it's allowed in this country too but there are guidelines regarding fencing and enclosire type (although still too small imo) and there are safety systems in place to electrocute/control escape from enclosure. Some people in the UK have massive collections of exotic mammals

I know it’s a different topic, but recently I have been reading about India and the huge numbers of big cats kept as either pets or allowed to roam around their gardens by the owners.
There’s footage of a lion popping over a wall in the middle of a town and it immediately attacks a woman and her children.
There are also lots kept in the US and who knows how many other countries allow this.Time it was all stopped both for the animals sakes and humans.

The European Lynx,for example, is not endangered so why is it in the zoo for people to gawp at? It should be free then it could live a normal live and catch its prey.

Allira

Anyway, predators in a zoo are hardly have a natural experience whatever they do, are they?

I dislike zoos generally unless they have breeding programmes for endangered species or huge areas where the animals can live a reasonably normal life.

It doesn’t help their hunting instincts if only dead animals are on offer.
How do we know that lumps of meat aren’t preferable to big cats anyway?
Imagine if we had to eat the skin with a banana or a Snickers through a wrapper?
Hmmm, am having second thoughts on the pet giving to zoos now.

Anyway, predators in a zoo are hardly have a natural experience whatever they do, are they?

I dislike zoos generally unless they have breeding programmes for endangered species or huge areas where the animals can live a reasonably normal life.

Romola

Leaving aside the question of the morality or not of zoos, I can't see what the problem is about dead pets providing food for other animals.
Our cats and dogs are given food made from the carcases of dead horses, many of which have been pets or at least respected members of a team.

They don't want dead pets.

They want live pets which they say they will euthanise then feed to the predators to enable them to have a more natural experience of dealing with their food.
How do we know they won't feed Tiddles or Rover live to the predators?

Can you imagine taking a trusting dog or cat there?

foxie48

There is so much worse that can happen to a pet animal than being euthanised by a vet and fed to another animal. I get very annoyed seeing pets being kept alive because their owner can't deal with having them pts. IMHO the best, last thing an owner can do is to give their much loved pets a decent, timely death. It's what I would wish for myself.

Yes I tend to agree tho I hope you don’t wish for yourself to be eaten by tigers?😄
When I first read about this scheme at first I felt 😲 but on thinking about it, if the pets are going to be euthanised anyway?
The circle of life.
It would be very difficult to take a live pet to the zoo and hand it over tho wouldn’t it?

Leaving aside the question of the morality or not of zoos, I can't see what the problem is about dead pets providing food for other animals.
Our cats and dogs are given food made from the carcases of dead horses, many of which have been pets or at least respected members of a team.

All equines have passports and once they have received any drugs that compromise their use as a meat product they are signed out of the food chain. Owners can also choose to do this without drugs being involved.

This is absolutely horrifying to donate pets to zoos for food purposes.

This world is horrendous ! If it is not starving children and arresting migrants and torturing them in Cecot, it is a disgrace of humanity to want to feed wildlife with pets !!!!!!!!!!!!

I would like to know more about just how the donated animals will be "gently euthanised". Presumably, the zoo management will not want their carnivores eating meat that's loaded with barbiturates.