On the other side of the Rhine, a German zoo recently caused controversy after considering, for lack of income, killing animals to feed others. A "shock" statement that testifies to the impasse in which some establishments find themselves.
Like many other animal parks, the Neumünster zoo in northern Germany has been hit hard by the confinement linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. The boxes are empty and, in the long term, the lack of means could threaten the survival of the animals which must be fed. The situation is such that the director of the zoo, Verena Kaspari, has considered an extreme solution in the event of an impasse.
“I would rather euthanize some animals than starve them to death , she explained to the German newspaper Die Welt. In the worst case, we may also have to kill animals to feed others. We've made a list of the ones we'll have to kill first “.
A "last resort solution considered very "unpleasant by the Director, well aware that this type of maneuver could in any case not really relieve the financial problems of the establishment.
These statements, of course, caused a lot of excitement all over Germany . The national association of zoological parks, which takes care of the Neumünster zoo, has expressed itstotal disagreement with this crisis plan while appealing for government assistance. For its part, the zoo has launched an appeal for donations to get through and overcome this crisis as best as possible.
Some have taken the lead, such as the Palmyre zoo, which has at least two months' stock of fodder and dry food to feed the animals. "With the bird flu cases in recent years, we had this type of situation in mind , explained a few days ago to the Parisian Pierre Caillé, the director of the zoo. It shouldn't last too long, but we have sound management and the cash to cope. The most important thing is that the animals always have the same level of care “.
Others, on the other hand, who are not necessarily financially strong enough, are more "hardcore".
This is particularly the case of the Sainte-Croix animal park in Moselle, which has just launched an appeal to the government following the latest statements by Emmanuel Macron revealing to us that large gatherings would not be permitted until mid-July. The president of the Moselle department, Patrick Weiten, wrote to Gérald Darmanin, Minister of Public Accounts, this Wednesday, April 15, calling "to the responsibility of the State so that a dedicated fund is deployed as soon as possible to the preservation of species and animal welfare “.
To deal with the confinement, the Amnéville aquarium, independent of the park, has also launched an online kitty to raise funds and ensure its survival.
