[Taxacom] Killing of zoo giraffe to avoid inbreeding

[Ken Kinman]

Dear All,       As you may have heard, a young giraffe at the Copenhagen Zoo was killed yesterday in order to avoid inbreeding.  That despite offers from other zoos to rehome him.  Although I can understand the zoo's rationalization, I don't understand what harm would have come from shipping him off to another zoo if he would be a zoo display animal (not a breeder).     
     Anyway, I guess this is common practice in zoos to avoid inbreeding in other mammals.  However, displaying the dead animal to a crowd (including children), much less reportedly cutting it up in front of said crowd, was probably very unwise.  Especially a young giraffe.  But on the other hand, death threats against zoo officials certainly are not called for.  In any case, I suppose a civil debate is in order about just how strict a zoo's inbreeding protocol should be in such cases (as well as the displaying of such a dead animal in public).  
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/10/world/europe/denmark-zoo-giraffe/                                                                                                                                    --------------------Ken Kinman                 
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