Visitors outraged after zoo feeds one of its giraffes to lion

A post from the Ostrava zoo in the Czech Republic was met with outrage after they revealed that the remains of one of their elder giraffes were fed to their carnivorous animals. They also showed a picture of a lion devouring their 19-year-old Rothschild giraffe's corpse after the animal had been put down.

Ostrava Zoo spokeswoman Šárka Nováková said, "A nineteen-year-old female collapsed in the afternoon - she fell, was unable to stand up again and was breathing with strain. During the examination, a threaded pulse, clouded echoes of the heart, cyanotic mucous membranes and distinctive lung oedema were detected.

The official statement continued, "Clinically, everything pointed to heart failure. Due to the overall condition, hypoxia, age and stress of the animal, euthanasia was approached. A subsequent autopsy showed pericarditis, amount of gel discharge in the heart cavity and bearing necrosis on the surface of the flabby heart muscle."

The post sparked criticism from viewers who were distressed to see the graphic picture. One commenter had this to say, "I do not consider the photo choice the happiest. Maybe some nice snapshot of the same giraffe happily walking around the zoo?"

Another had the same sentiment, "Very sad ... even if it's the law of nature, the photo is out of place..."

In their Facebook post, the zoo defended its actions and pointed out that "meat from more than 300kg animal was used as food for domestic animals and other carnivores, as it would happen in nature."

Rothschild's giraffes are one of the most endangered distinct populations of giraffes. They are named after the London zoologist Lionel Water Rothschild, and Woburn Safari Park reports that they have a life span of 20 years.

The zoo also shared, "We currently have two young giraffes - one male and one female, breeding will certainly continue and expand."

Other commenters appreciated the zoo's actions and supported their utilization of the giraffe's remains as food for the other animals. One wrote, "This is life, what do you think a lion does for a living?" while another said, "The giraffe lived a good life, even in captivity. It's good that meat was put to use."