Zoo kills 12 baboons despite protests from animal rights groups
Independent2 days
German Zoo Kills 12 Baboons Despite Protests Over Space
Above: A spokesperson for Animal Rebellion stands in front of the Nuremberg Zoo on July 29, 2025. Image copyright: Daniel Löb/picture alliance/Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
Zoos masquerade as conservation sanctuaries while perpetrating systematic cruelty. Animals endure lifelong psychological torment in spaces millions of times smaller than their natural ranges, forced breeding through brutal artificial insemination, and premature death from captivity-induced diseases. These entertainment facilities prioritize profit over welfare, killing "surplus" animals when convenient — revealing their true nature as prisons, not protectors.
Narrative B
Modern zoos must abandon their entertainment-first mentality and prioritize genuine conservation. With only 0.1% of revenue typically spent on biodiversity protection — 100 times less than recommended — most facilities remain profit-driven spectacles exploiting animals for public amusement. True ethical zoos dedicate substantial resources to species preservation, habitat restoration, and meaningful education, not merely housing attractions in inadequate enclosures.
Narrative C
Modern zoos serve as Noah's arks for our dying planet. Thirty-nine species exist solely because zoos prevented their extinction, while 700 million annual visitors forge crucial connections with wildlife. These living laboratories pioneer conservation breakthroughs, fund global protection efforts, and respond to ecological emergencies like fungal pandemics. Without zoos, countless species would vanish forever into oblivion.