Culling animals in zoos is the process of segregating animals from a group according to desired or undesired characteristics; the process often ends with the segregated animals being killed. Several reasons are given for culling in zoos, including a lack of space, the genes of the culled animals are over-represented in the zoo population, the (young) animal might be attacked or killed, or the culled animals have contracted a disease. [1] [2] [3] Mark Bekoff, an American biologist and ethologist coined the term "zoothanasia" to describe zoo culling. [4] [5]
Because animals in zoos are killed for many reasons, such as old age or disease, just as pet animals are often euthanized because of health problems, it is beyond the scope of this list to identify every case where an animal is killed in a zoo. The list focuses on controversial, unusual or otherwise noteworthy cases where the incident was reported in national or international sources.
![]() |
The following is a list of animals where their culling and euthanisation in zoos and wildlife (safari) parks has been covered by the general media.
Country | Zoo | Species (Common name) | Species (Taxonomic name) | Year | Number | Reason given by zoo | Source |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | Maryland Zoo | African elephant | Elephas africana | 2024 | 1 | Elderly animal | [6] |
United States | National Zoo | Asian elephant | Elephas maximus | 2024 | 1 | Elderly animal | [7] |
Denmark | Aalborg Zoo | African elephant | Elephas africana | 2024 | 2 | Elderly animals | [8] |
Scotland | Camperdown Wildlife Centre | Wolf | Canis lupus lupus | 2023 | 4 | Agitation after the death of pack leader | [9] |
Switzerland | Basel Zoo | Orangutan | Pongo pygmaeus | 2022 | 1 | Zoo did not wish to hand rear infant after mother's death | [10] |
Taiwan | Taipei Zoo | Giant panda | Ailuropoda melanoleuca | 2022 | 1 | Suffering multiple seizures brought on by gemistocytic astrocytoma lesions on his brain [11] | [12] |
Denmark | Copenhagen Zoo | Wolf | Canis lupus lupus | 2020 | 3 | Make space for playground area | [13] |
Denmark | Copenhagen Zoo | Lion | Panthera leo | 2014 | 4 | Make space for new animal | [14] |
Denmark | Copenhagen Zoo | Giraffe | Giraffa camelopardalis | 2014 | 1 (Marius) | Prevent inbreeding | [15] |
Denmark | Odense Zoo | Lion | Panthera leo | 2014 | 2 | [16] | |
Germany | Magdeburg Zoo | Siberian tiger | Panthera tigris altaica | 2010 | 3 (cubs) | Cubs were hybrids [17] [ better source needed ] | [16] |
England | Woburn Safari Park | Rhesus macaque | Macaca mulatta | 2000 | 215 | Infected with a virus | [18] |
Switzerland | Bern Zoo | Namibian lion | Panthera leo | 2007 | 2 (cubs) | Insufficient space | [19] |
England | Paignton Zoo | Peacock | 2007 | 7 | Complaints from neighbours about noise | [20] | |
Denmark | Copenhagen Zoo | Leopard | Panthera pardus | 2012 | 2 (cubs) | Genes were over-represented | [21] |
Denmark | Copenhagen Zoo | Lion | Panthera leo | 2014 | 4 (including 2 cubs) | To make space for another male | [22] |
Australia | Adelaide zoo | Greater flamingo | Phoenicopterus roseus | 2014 | 1 | Arthritis | [23] |
Canada | Assiniboine Park Zoo | Polar bear | Ursus maritimus | 2008 | 1 | Multiple organ failure | [24] |
United States | Central Park Zoo | Polar bear | Ursus maritimus | 2013 | 1 | Inoperable tumour | [25] |
Spain | Barcelona Zoo | Western lowland gorilla | Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2003 | 1 | Skin cancer | [26] |
Netherlands | Dolfinarium Harderwijk | Walrus | Odobenus rosmarus | 2013 | 1 | Shoulder-joint problems | [27] |
Germany | Leipzig Zoo | Virginia opossum | Didelphis virginiana | 2011 | 1 | Age-related health problems | [28] |
United States | Wild Adventures Theme Park | Asian elephant | Elephas maximus | 2011 | 1 | Deteriorating health | [29] |
United States | Oklahoma City Zoo | Sea lion | 2010 | 1 | Lung cancer | [30] | |
New Zealand | Auckland Zoo | Asian elephant | 2009 | 1 | Arthritis and foot abscess | [31] | |
Australia | Southern Ash Wildlife Centre | Koala | 2009 | 1 | Urogenital chlamydiosis | [32] | |
United States | Birmingham Zoo | Western lowland gorilla | Gorilla gorilla gorilla | 2008 | 1 | Heart disease | [33] |
United States | Santa Barbara Zoo | Rothschild's giraffe | G. c. rothschild | 2008 | 1 | Deteriorating health | [34] |
United States | Dallas Zoo | Western lowland gorilla | 2008 | 1 | Inoperable tumour | [35] |
Whipsnade Zoo, formerly known as ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, is a zoo and safari park located at Whipsnade, near Dunstable in Bedfordshire, England. It is one of two zoos that are owned by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats.
Jack Bushnell Hanna is an American retired zookeeper and director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Commonly nicknamed "Jungle Jack", he was director of the zoo from 1978 to 1992, and is viewed as largely responsible for elevating its quality and reputation. His media appearances, particularly with David Letterman, James Corden, Good Morning America, and Maury Povich made him one of the most notable animal experts in the United States.
Animal euthanasia is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable conditions or diseases, lack of resources to continue supporting the animal, or laboratory test procedures. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress. Euthanasia is distinct from animal slaughter and pest control.
The Berlin Zoological Garden is the oldest surviving and best-known zoo in Germany. Opened in 1844, it covers 35 hectares and is located in Berlin's Tiergarten. With about 1,380 different species and over 20,200 animals, the zoo presents one of the most comprehensive collections of species in the world.
Copenhagen Zoo is a zoological garden in Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1859, it is one of the oldest zoos in Europe and is a member of EAZA. It comprises 11 hectares and is located in the municipality of Frederiksberg, sandwiched between the parks of Frederiksberg Gardens and Søndermarken. With 1,571,331 visitors in 2019 it is the most visited zoo and one of the most visited attractions in Denmark. The zoo is noted for its new Elephant House designed by British architect Sir Norman Foster. The zoo maintains and promotes a number of European breeding programmes.
Wilhelma is a zoological-botanical garden in Stuttgart, southern Germany, located in the Bad Cannstatt district in the north of the city on the grounds of a historic castle. Wilhelma Zoo is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Baden-Württemberg, seeing more than 2 million visitors annually.
Culling is the process of segregating organisms from a group according to desired or undesired characteristics. In animal breeding, it is removing or segregating animals from a breeding stock based on a specific trait. This is done to exaggerate desirable characteristics, or to remove undesirable characteristics by altering the genetic makeup of the population. For livestock and wildlife, culling often refers to killing removed animals based on their characteristics, such as their sex or species membership, or as a means of preventing infectious disease transmission.
La Palmyre Zoo is a zoo in Les Mathes, Charente-Maritime, near Royan, in southwestern France. It was created in 1966 in the forest of la Coubre by Claude Caillé. Extending over 18 hectares, including 14 of landscape garden, it offers the visitor the opportunity of observing more than 1600 animals of all kinds, divided into 145 species, over a distance of more than 4 kilometres (2.5 mi).
The Greenville Zoo is a zoo in Greenville, South Carolina, which opened in 1960.
Hacienda Nápoles was an estate built and owned by Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar in Puerto Triunfo, Antioquia Department, Colombia, approximately 150 km (93 mi) east of Medellín and 249 km (155 mi) northwest of Bogotá. The estate covers about 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) of land. Following Escobar's death in 1993, many of the original buildings on the property were demolished or reconditioned for other uses.
A zoo is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes.
Kolmården Wildlife Park is a zoo that opened in 1965 overlooking Bråviken bay in Sweden. It is the largest zoo in Scandinavia, includes the first dolphinarium in Scandinavia, which opened in 1969 and has daily shows, and the world's first cable car safari. The wildlife park also has a birds of prey display and a seal show. In the Marine World area is a roller coaster called "The Dolphin Express". Another, larger, roller coaster in the park is Wildfire.
Barcelona Zoo is a zoo in the Parc de la Ciutadella in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The zoo used to be internationally known as the home of Snowflake, the only known albino gorilla, who died in 2003.
Al Ain Zoo, also "Al Ain Wildlife Park & Resort" [1] or simply "Al Ain Wildlife Park" ,[3] is a 400-hectare (990-acre) zoo located in the foothills of Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates. It is primarily composed of ungulates and herbivores, such as Arabian antelopes. It also holds oryx, eland, gazelle, and lechwe, as well as the rare white lion and Nubian giraffe. There are 68 species of mammals, 88 species of birds and 35 species of reptiles available in the 50 hectares of zoo houses.
The Skopje Zoo is a 12-hectare (30-acre) zoo near City Park in Skopje, North Macedonia. It is home to 500 animals representing 85 species.
Dresden Zoo, or Zoo Dresden, is a zoo in the city of Dresden, Germany. It was opened in 1861, making it Germany's fourth oldest zoo. It was originally designed by Peter Joseph Lenné.
Bamboo was an Asian elephant who resided at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington prior to being moved to the Oklahoma City Zoo in 2015. She was at the center of controversy for several years. Her reputation as a troubled elephant, allegedly due to past abuse and an inadequate life at the Zoo, caused animal rights activists such as Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants to fight for the release of the Zoo's elephants to a sanctuary. According to the Zoo's website, Bamboo weighed 8,800 pounds and was the most inquisitive of its three elephants. Bamboo died of euthanasia in 2022.
Marius was a male giraffe living at Copenhagen Zoo. Though healthy, he was genetically unsuitable for future captive breeding, as his genes were over-represented in the captive population, so the zoo authorities decided to euthanize him. Despite several offers to adopt Marius and an online petition to save him, he was killed on 9 February 2014. His body was then dissected and necropsied in a public educational class and then fed to the zoo's lions. The event received worldwide media coverage and generated responses from several organisations and individuals, including death threats to staff at the zoo.
The Opel Zoo is a zoo in Königstein im Taunus, Hesse in Germany.
Peanut, also known as P'Nut, was a male eastern gray squirrel. Found and rescued as a kit by Mark Longo in 2017, he was the subject of a popular Instagram account. On October 30, 2024, Peanut was seized from Longo's home by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and euthanized soon after for rabies testing. Peanut's death created an outcry on social media, condemnation from various lawmakers, and the introduction of a bill aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future.