A zoo in Denmark has so kindly agreed to take residents’ unwanted pets. But be aware, your little fluffy is not going to get to roam the property free. I mean he sort of could, as the contents of another animal’s belly. This Copenhagen zoo wants your pets, so they can feed their animals.
Back in 2014, a zoo in Copenhagen came under fire for euthanizing a giraffe and then feeding it to their lions. Later, the same zoo euthanized multiple lions. In the case of the giraffe, it was to avoid inbreeding. In the case of the lions, it was to avoid a young lion, introduced to the area coming through and viciously doing the same. In both cases it was an appeal to the natural order, an order that we as humans have disrupted with our zoos and captivity.
So our focus now turns to the Aalborg Zoo.
You might have come across this story, sensationalized, with copy that makes it seem as they are expecting your donate your beloved family dog for the cause. When in reality, the call is for livestock and animals that are often raised for food. Maybe you would say this is a bad look for the zoo, given how far this story is reaching outside the tiny country of Denmark. Maybe you would think this is a crisis. But is it?
How does the way this story is being covered play into the image of the zoo? Does suggesting that predators eat small prey fall outside the expectations for beliefs associated with a zoo? What instead can an appeal like that do for the reader? How could having that message out there, making a direct link to the “natural order” affect people’s understanding of the role of the zoo in our world? Could what might be seen as a wild social media story be a good thing in the end?
Would you consider this is PR crisis for the zoo? If so, what would you suggest they do?
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