Outrage after German Zoo Culls Healthy Baboons Due to Lack of Space 

A zoo in the southern German city of Nuremberg on Tuesday killed 12 healthy Guinea baboons and fed them to predators due to overcrowding, prompting animal rights groups to protest and also file criminal complaints against the zoo’s management, Deutsche Welle reported.  

Seven animal rights activists were arrested Tuesday after breaking into the Tiergarten Nürnberg to protest the killing. Other protesters chained themselves to the entrance and the baboons’ enclosures. One woman glued her hands to the ground near the entrance, the BBC wrote. 

Zoo officials said overcrowding had led to increased conflicts between the baboons, and after failed attempts to transfer the animals to other zoos and unsuccessful contraception measures to slow group growth, culling them was the only option. 

Animal rights groups strongly opposed the move and threatened to sue the institution’s management, arguing that overcrowding was the result of “irresponsible and unsustainable breeding policies” and that the culling was “avoidable and illegal.” 

Several groups have already filed criminal complaints for killing baboons that were in “perfect health.” They have asked lawmakers to implement stricter oversight of zoos and their breeding practices. 

The zoo had already announced the culling plan in February 2024, saying its troop of baboons had grown to 40 but the zoo’s facilities were only equipped to house 25 primates. 

Zoo director Dag Encke specified that neither expanding the space nor releasing the animals into the wild was an option and defended the decision, saying it was taken under criteria set out by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), according to which killing the animals can be a “legitimate last resort to preserve the population.” 

The German Animal Protection Association warned in a statement that other animals could be culled, arguing that the zoo is responsible for the well-being of its animals and needs to ensure that well-being even in case of overcrowding.  

Encke also noted that animals are regularly culled and fed to predators like lions and tigers, with some being bred solely for that purpose. 

Other zoos in Europe have previously sparked outrage and legal complaints for killing animals. In 2014, a zoo in Copenhagen culled a giraffe because its genetic makeup was too similar to other giraffes in its breeding program, a move that was heavily criticized around the world.