UK zoo offers to rehome giraffe facing death in Copenhagen

A UK zoo has offered to rehome a two-year old giraffe from Copenhagen Zoo after it emerged it will be put down.

The zoo said it has no choice and has to destroy the animal due to EU rules on inbreeding. It also said the young giraffe, Marius, could be a danger to other bulls.

According to the BBC, Yorkshire Wildlife Park near Doncaster has contacted the zoo after learning about Marius's plight. John Minion, joint managing director of the park said:

Zoo animals are killed every year to avoid in-breeding, but Copenhagen Zoo said it has never put down a giraffe.

They added that it was not an option to send Marius to a national park in Africa as he could be seen as a prey because of his attachment to humans. Marius will be put to death by a bolt gun and then dissected before being fed to the other animals, the Zoo said.

An online petition, set up to save the giraffe, has already received over 24,000 signatures.