Ok everyone, just another 5 cents ... I know that years ago this was discussed and I also know that this is a very controversial topic but i also believe it is very important! What are everyone thoughs on culling healthy animals to control zoo populations? Years ago I saw in a well-know zoo the culling of a troop of monkeys. All the animals were euthanisiated, from adults to days old babies. While I was already involved in Zoos it did shocked me! When I asked why not use contraceptionals or keeping sexes apart the answer was very simple and it did made all the sense! In wild animals, which all zoo animals are, the ritual of matting and breeding the young are one of the best stimoulous any animal can have (only the mother, parents or the whole group)! And I do believe that anyone here will agree that there is nothing better than providing the animals with that (basic and essencial) experience! Also, contraceptives are not yet well designated for wild-spp and sometime breeding a male/female after some years on contraceptives/not breeding maybe hard. Being said the above, I do agree that sometimes and in certain species birth controll should be used wiselly, namelly by separating sexes and/or contraceptional but this should not be the usual. And what to do with all the surplus? Personally I see no harm in using those to feed carnivores in the zoo or humane euthanasia. And on the plus side, whats more attractive to visitiors than a zoo full of babies growing?
Private owners tbh - also reduce imports for the pet trade. Killing Simian primates is akin to murder IMO: too close on the tree, too humanoid in their cognition and behaviours. Though I guess thats a special case.
That's quite shocking - euthanizing whole troop of monkeys (what species they were?). It somehow sounds more shocking, to humane kill monkyes than hoofed animals. I think, first of all, as zoos can supply enough carnivorous food, they should try to relocate surplus animals to almost any other zoo, that can provide minimal husbandry (enclosure) requirements for keeping that particular species. There are many small zoos in Europe that would be willing to take such animals. Surplus-holding zoos need to find effective way for finding such zoos. I would also prefer separation (not-allowing breeding and keeping till natural death) than euthanizing, even that will have to mean disruption of the most-usuall social arrangements (eg. keeping just females - if they are not fighting, a social arrangement that is maybe rarely seen in the wild).
Also, artifital ''cows'' (as in the process of sperm-collecting from bulls) can be provided, for example for male giraffes (or esentially for most mammals, birds and tortoises), so they can try to copulate and satisfy their copulation instict; welfare needs in that regard will be satisfied, without need for true copulation with female conscpecific.
