[Taxacom] Killing of zoo giraffe to avoid inbreeding

[Michael A. Ivie]

Ken,

I can imagine that every animal in an accredited zoo has a set of
restrictions on it that goes on for miles.  So, another zoo offered to
take it.  Would those zoos be accredited for the giraffe in question? No
zoo in the  breeding program for conservation of this subspecies would
have wasted their resources on it. The alternate zoos would probably not
be permitted to have a specimen from that breeding program.  Sending it
off to some random "hey, we'll take it" is probably not as good as it
sounds.  Roadside zoos might be worse that a bolt to the head.  Who would
bear the costs, which would be really high?  Would that be the best use of
those funds?  Giraffes from zoos are not needed for release into the wild,
there are too many  of them, and it was a good use of the meat.

At least they did not hide what they were doing, it is very much out in
the open, and I think and important lesson about captive breeding
programs.

I can imagine that some Whoopers have been killed if they were too
inbreed, but they are endangered as a species, inbreed zoo giraffes are
not.

Mike


> 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)
>> (406) 994-6029 (FAX)
>> mivie at montana.edu
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> http://taxacom.markmail.org
>
> Celebrating 27 years of Taxacom in 2014.
>


-- 
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)
(406) 994-6029 (FAX)
mivie at montana.edu