Outrage in Germany Following Culling of Baboons at Nuremberg Zoo

Sun Oct 19 2025 20:08:10 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The controversial decision to cull healthy Guinea baboons due to overcrowding has sparked protests and legal actions from animal rights activists.

The Nuremberg Zoo's culling of 12 healthy Guinea baboons amid overcrowding has resulted in public outcry, protests from animal rights groups, and arrests. Critics argue that zoo breeding policies contributed to the decision, raising significant ethical concerns.

A zoo in Nuremberg, Germany has come under fire after the controversial culling of 12 healthy Guinea baboons due to overcrowding in their living space. The decision, which involved feeding the killed animals to predators, has ignited significant outrage both locally and internationally.

Protests erupted following the announcement, leading to the arrest of seven animal rights activists who attempted to enter the Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo. One activist even resorted to glueing her hands to the ground outside the entrance. The zoo claimed that overcrowding had resulted in an "increase in conflicts" among the baboons and stated that they found no viable options for rehoming the animals.

Christoph Maisack, from the German Legal Association for Animal Protection Law, criticized the zoo for allowing the population to breed too freely, asserting that this could not justify such an extreme measure as culling. Concerns were also raised about the zoo's past plans to address the growing baboon population, which had surpassed the capacity of its 2009 facility designed for 25 animals.

Due to restrictions at other zoos, which had also reached their capacity limits, contraception efforts to manage the population’s growth had proven ineffective. When the zoo chose to close its doors on the day following the culling, activists rushed to protest, resulting in their arrests.

Zoo director Dag Encke defended the decision, calling the culling a "legitimate last resort" to maintain the population’s health, in line with European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) standards. However, animal rights organizations have filed criminal complaints, arguing that killing healthy animals was avoidable and indicative of poor breeding policies maintained by the zoo over many years.

This incident marks another controversial chapter in the ongoing debate regarding the ethical practices of zoos, touching upon similar instances in Europe where culling decisions have faced public backlash. In 2014, for example, a Copenhagen Zoo faced international condemnation after it culled a giraffe named Marius for being genetically similar to others in its breeding program.