Marius the giraffe killed, butchered and fed to lions as children watch

http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/09/marius-the-giraffe-skinned-and-fed-to-lions-as-children-look-on-4296818/


Sunday 9 Feb 2014 3:59 pm


Warning: Some people may find the images below upsetting

Marius the giraffe skinned & fed to lions as kids look on


Zoo visitors, including young children, look on as Marius is skinned (Picture: AFP/Getty)

The healthy young giraffe put down in a zoo to prevent it from breeding has been skinned and fed to lions in front of members of the public, including young children.

Eighteen-month-old Marius was shot in the head with a bolt pistol this morning at Copenhagen Zoo despite a petition calling for him to be spared attracting more than 20,000 signatures.

Other zoos offered a home for Marius, while a private individual said they would pay €500,000 (£415,000) for the giraffe, but all offers were rejected.


Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look onMarius was killed despite being perfectly healthy
(Picture: AFP/Getty)

After the young giraffe was killed, zoo visitors were invited to watch his autopsy, before his remains were given to the zoo’s lions.

Spokesman Tobias Stenbaek Bro said the zoo had seven giraffes left, many of whom had similar genes for breeding as Marius.

The giraffe was killed as the zoo is a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, which has strict rules on interbreeding.

Its membership also meant it could only sell the giraffe to a zoo or organisation that followed the same rules.
Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on


The zoo rejected offers to rehome Marius (Picture: EPA)

The Danish zoo’s scientific director Bengt Holst said: ‘The most important factor must be that the animals are healthy physically and behaviourally and that they have a good life while they are living whether this life is long or short. This is something that Copenhagen Zoo believes strongly in.’

Animal Rights Sweden said Marius being put down illustrated why it was against zoos full stop.

‘It is no secret that animals are killed when there is no longer space, or if the animals don’t have genes that are interesting enough. The only way to stop this is to not visit zoos,’ the group said.

‘When the cute animal babies that attract visitors grow up they are not as interesting anymore.’
Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on


Marius’ carcass was fed to lions at the zoo (Picture: AP)

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

I saw that news item and was absolutely horrified. I mean, it's not like the creature was in the wild and had a chance according to Nature's laws. And surely they knew his genetics when he was born, right? So why was there no effort to re-wild him? And the refusal to sell him to another place where he could live was just barbaric.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

That's just sick. :O

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

It's a pretty bad sign, almost like a marker event, especially when kids were allowed to watch. This act sends them a pretty clear message that the Universe isn't a safe place. Coupled with the public being accustomed to high violence and accepting torture, it seems like programming is complete. It also reminds me of a live goat decapitation during a "God of war" (I think) game event.

Personally, I also find it highly hypocritical for all those organisations who are supposed to preserve animals to engage in such "selective" activities, no matter the excuses they may give. It would be best to let the animals be where they were and leave their fate in the hands of Nature, considering the cycle of life, periodic extinctions, etc. They could do pretty well on their own, it seems.

Here is Moscow's zoo response on the event:

_http://en.ria.ru/russia/20140210/187401154/Moscow-Zoo-Condemns-Slaying-of-Copenhagen-Giraffe.html
The Moscow Zoo said Monday that the public killing of a giraffe with a bolt gun in the Copenhagen Zoo was “unwarranted cruelty.”

Moscow zookeepers acknowledged in a Facebook statement that the death of the 18-month-old giraffe named Marius was necessarily to prevent inbreeding.

But the animal could have been killed less brutally, the statement said.

Moreover, the giraffe’s parents should not have been allowed to breed if the offspring would be undesirable, the Moscow Zoo said.

Marius was killed by a bolt shot into his head on Sunday. Dozens of children, some aged 6 or 7, attended the killing, billed as an educational event.

The corpse was then autopsied in front of the public as part of the program, and the meat was fed to lions, tigers and leopards.

The Copenhagen Zoo said the giraffe had to be disposed of because he was a close relative of most other giraffes in European zoos, which goes against the rules by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria that prohibit inbreeding.

Between 20 and 30 animals a year are slain in the Copenhahen Zoo for the same reasons, without any media hype, the zoo said.
About 27,000 people signed an online petition to keep Marius alive, but to no avail.

The Moscow Zoo, which dates back to 1864, itself was mired in scandal last August, when a blogger accused it of mismanagement and cutting needed research programs.

The zoo administration dismissed the allegations, and the accuser later retracted most of the accusations, but not before outcry erupted in the Russian blogosphere.

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Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

This is just revolting!

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

I agree, pretty sick. I heard it in the news this morning but it was left out that the Giraffe was fed to a lion. Beside in Germany died an ice bear today in the zoo who ate a jacket of a customer, however how the jacket got in there is unknown.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

I don´t really understand what is so bad about it.
Giraffes are not endangered species to my knowledge (are they?), and lions eat meat.

Why is it worse to slaughter a giraffe than a cow?

And is it so bad for children to understand that beef don´t grow in the supermarket?

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

@Miss K.

The way I see it, mother nature has created a role for each and every creature on this planet. Yes, humans eat cows and there are plenty of them on this planet. Giraffes are not endangered but not quite the same number as cows and humans certainly don't eat them as far as I know. We put creatures like giraffe in zoos for our own entertainment, education and amazement. This automatically establishes a contract with that creature where in return of it's services we provide it with a fulfilling life, protection from predators, food and shelter. It's not much different from the relationship humans have with their pets. We give them names, an identity and refer to them as 'he' or 'she' rather than 'it'.

Killing and skinning a healthy giraffe in front of other humans makes it a de-humanising act and breaks the above said contract. It shows disrespect for the creature's life. This would apply to any creature be it a cow or giraffe.

As far as children go, they are too young to be learning where the meat in the supermarket is coming from and the publicised skinning is certainly not the way to do it.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

Thank you, Sid, for articulating what I was feeling but was unable to say. I was just totally appalled by the faithlessness of the act. Just inhuman and inhumane.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

It is simply a crazy and salvage act, gratuitus. But nothing surprises me anymore from this humanity that is going down the drain, I am afraid.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

loreta said:

It is simply a crazy and salvage act, gratuitus. But nothing surprises me anymore from this humanity that is going down the drain, I am afraid.

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Agreed Loreta. I am at loss for words at such a disgusting and inhumane act.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

I could barely believe what I was reading. The zoo experience is one thing, the death of zoo animals is another. But killing a healthy animal for what, is justified how? They disregarded the thousands of petitions (at least there's some people with empathy & a conscience) calling for a halt, & then proceeded to enlarge the zoo experience by inviting children (by way of the adults) to directly engage in the spectacle. Not only is that shameless, it's disgraceful IMO. Look how they "tried" to cover themselves with the whole "membership" line, who in their right minds would be a member of such organizations that allow for this, with weak justification.

[Animal Rights Sweden said Marius being put down illustrated why it was against zoos full stop.]

‘It is no secret that animals are killed when there is no longer space, or if the animals don’t have genes that are interesting enough. The only way to stop this is to not visit zoos,’ the group said.

‘When the cute animal babies that attract visitors grow up they are not as interesting anymore.’

This was neither entertaining nor was it educational, yet more evidence of the deeply warped nature of modern humans who are facing a pathological abyss. Did we ever actually leave the dark ages? I agree with the great post by Sid.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

Keit said:

It's a pretty bad sign, almost like a marker event, especially when kids were allowed to watch. This act sends them a pretty clear message that the Universe isn't a safe place. Coupled with the public being accustomed to high violence and accepting torture, it seems like programming is complete. It also reminds me of a live goat decapitation during a "God of war" (I think) game event.

Personally, I also find it highly hypocritical for all those organisations who are supposed to preserve animals to engage in such "selective" activities, no matter the excuses they may give. It would be best to let the animals be where they were and leave their fate in the hands of Nature, considering the cycle of life, periodic extinctions, etc. They could do pretty well on their own, it seems.

Click to expand...

Yes, thanks for sharing those thoughts, Keit.
The universe is dangerous and wonderful, I think. But unless the parents are really mature and have some clue of what is happening, will be traumatized as the children. Maybe it's a higher pitch in the return of fascism. People who saw it, could have been traumatized, and this may be a form of collective pathological education. The famous way to educate the masses it's with pain, generate a memory in them from make them suffer. Now they can follow the leader, or PTB, and tougher immigration laws, economics, and other thefts of rights and freedoms, while climate change increases. That is, that follow the authority it is another way to go to death itself, as the giraffe can be a representation of normal people. It's voluntarily led to death. But to do that, first people should be traumatized and full of afraid, to follow such authority, if not want to end up like the giraffe.
Thank you also to you, Sid. Very agree. What they have done in the zoo is a de-humanising act!.

Edit: Clarity.

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

This is just so sick! Hard to find words.

Thanks Keit and Sid for your thoughtful posts. This does seem to be another marker, as Keit said, to where we are - so much pathology, cruelty, sadism. How much more will people take of this kind of crap?!

Miss.K, as Sid said, there is a big difference between killing animals to eat them and this kind of sick thing (also "hunting for sport"/killing animals with high tech weapons to hang on the hunters wall is totally sick). Even killing animals for food has acceptable and unacceptable practices. It should always be done with respect, least suffering, and after a fulfilling life that's as natural as possible.

The vegans and vegetarians don't seem to be able to differentiate between these important points. And since agriculture kills way more animals of all species and all OTHER lifeforms as well, it certainly is NOT a solution. Grazing on grass and being properly cared for, animals for food are the best solution all around, including human nutritional needs. But this has a REAL purpose and can't be avoided. The death - and the manner - of this beautiful giraffe is something completely different. It is totally sick!

Re: Marius the giraffe skinned and fed to lions as children look on

I think this is getting very emotional, perhaps what Gurdieff means by the horses running with the wagon. Let´s take a deep breath and look at it objectively, and remember the facts rather than adding more emotional language. I´ll try to explain:

First the headline: "Marius the giraffe skinned & fed to lions as kids look on"

As you can see in the pictures, the Giraffe (who I doubt were aware that it´s name was Marius) has not been skinned, the skin is still on (an awful waste of beautiful giraffe skin one might add, as I think the lions don´t eat the skin, at least not lions that are well fed with healthy young cows meat everyday)

the short and not very informative article repeats the word "skinned" and "children" 6 times, and the name Marius 12 times. (the word "young" 4 times and then adding "18 months old", and "killed when genes are not interesting enough" and "cute animal babies"and when they "grow up they are not as interesting anymore"

It kind of gives the picture of a little (human/giraffe) boy named Marius who is being skinned alive and feed to lions for the entertainment of the mob, because the evil zookeepers who only wants to make money and can´t see (as we all can from the picture) that little Marius is (as all giraffes) very very cute still, and this set´s the scene for the emotional horses (or should I say giraffes) to run amok.

I think we should stop here for a moment and try to find out what the problem, this "sick thing" really is:

Is it the killing of a healthy animal in order to avoid inbreeding?
Is it the killing of a domesticated young male animal in a limited territory in order to avoid that the alfa male kills it?
Is it the killing of a healthy animal in order to avoid overpopulation?
Is it the killing of a healthy animal in order to feed the lions?
Is it the killing by a shot to the head with a bolt pistol, instead of a lethal injection in order not to ruin the meat?
Is it the killing of a healthy giraffe instead of a healthy cow?
Is it the killing of an animal who some human has named Marius?
Is it the killing of an animal who we know the sex of and thus not refer to as "it"?
Is it the cutting of the meat of an animal (the killing was not done in public) in front of children for educational purposes, well announced before it happened so that all who were there knew what to expect?
Is it that some parents think that it is good for their children to understand where meat comes from, so they brought their children to this well announced event?
Is it the killing of a domesticated animal for food for other animals instead of humans?
Is it the not wanting to sell an animal that is a flock animal to a private rich person for that person to have it as a pet?
Is it not to want to sell an animal to zoos that don´t live up to certain standards of animal welfare, and avoidance of inbreeding?
Is it killing a domesticated animal of the species of a wild african animal, who is not endangered species, and who breeds well in captivity, instead of spending huge amounts of money and resources, not to add the stress of relocation for the animal, to try to teach the domesticated animal to be wild for a while before the wild lions kills it?
Is it allowing domesticated animals to breed and thus have a slightly more natural life than if they were sterilised and only have eating as diversion in their life, if it means that sometimes one will be killed (and used for food for other animals)?
Is it that when we kill a domesticated animals they don´t have the chance of running, because we trick it to think were nice, and it is safe, so that it is dead before realising the danger?
Is it that mother nature has not meant for giraffes to be food for lions, because cows are greater in number due to humans breeding them?

If a family in the countryside had 2 cows named Bella and Sunflower, and a bull named Fernando, and Bella had a female calf named Rose, and Sunflower had a male calf named Marius, and the family also had a dog named Pluto, and all the family loved their animals, and gave them nice grass to eat, and scratched them behind the ear each day, but the dog and the humans ate meat, so when Marius was 18 months old, and Fernando started beating him up, he was one day while being scratched behind the ear given a shot to the head with a bolt gun, and thus killed before realizing he was in danger, and his meat cut up while the parents would teach the children what part of the body was the heart and the lungs and the liver etc., and some of the meat was fed to the dog while the children watched the dog eat it?

Would that family be shameful barbarians?

Should they have done everything in their power to find another place for Marius to live and instead buy meat for themselves and the dog, that comes from other young bulls (or could be cows, as they don´t know the name and sex of it, -"it" might not have had a name but a number tattooed somewhere instead) and have it cut and packed beforehand and tell their children that meat is something that grows in the freezer, so that they would´t seem like shameful barbarians who kill animals?
At what age should the children learn that what they ate their whole life was beings like Bella, Sunflower, and Fernando, and Marius who had moved away?

Which scenario would teach the children to have buffers when it comes to thinking of animals as beings on one hand, and meat on the other, and which would teach them that death is a part of the circle of life, and to be kind and proud paleo eating animal lovers, who respect the life given for their dinner?

my 2 cents