[Taxacom] Killing of zoo giraffe to avoid inbreeding

[Ken Kinman]

Hi Mike,
       Well, the point is that there were offers to rehome him to another zoo.  And this is a young giraffe in a zoo, not a cow on a farm.  If they had cut up a cow or deer in public to feed to the lions, that is one thing.  But a zoo giraffe is another.  I think this zoo is in for future funding problems for making a public spectacle of the whole thing.  Can you imagine the outcry if a whooping crane was killed to avoid inbreeding?                   
                     -----------------Ken
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:41:42 -0700
> Subject: Re: [Taxacom] Killing of zoo giraffe to avoid inbreeding
> From: mivie at montana.edu
> To: kinman at hotmail.com
> CC: taxacom at mailman.nhm.ku.edu
> 
> Everybody should chill.  Every farm kid sees animals killed and butchered,
> and then we ate them.  No trauma. This has happened since we came down
> from trees and started hunting.  Big deal,  watch the video, the kids were
> engaged and interested.  Nothing bad happened, just city people  being
> strange.
> 
> Mike
> 
> > 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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> 
> -- 
> Michael A. Ivie, Ph.D., F.R.E.S.
> Montana Entomology Collection
> Marsh Labs, Room 50
> NW corner of Lincoln and S.19th
> 1911 West Lincoln Street
> Montana State University
> Bozeman, MT 59717
> USA
> 
> (406) 994-4610 (voice)
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>