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Denmark horse owners in queue to donate dead animals to lions

The Local Denmark
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Denmark horse owners in queue to donate dead animals to lions
Photo: Iris/Scanpix

The number of horse owners offering to donate departed steeds for Copenhagen Zoo to feed them to lions has grown so much, there is currently a six-month waiting list.

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Horse owners wanting to donate dead or injured animals to Copenhagen Zoo to eventually be used as feed for carnivores now have to wait up to half a year, so popular has the disposal method for the animals become.

A waiting list for donating dead animals to the zoo is currently up to six months, reports broadcaster TV2.

Horses are generally put down at their homes before being collected by the zoo, according to the report.

Donating horses to the zoo is one of only two options to owners following their deaths.

The other option is to contact the Daka disposable company, which uses the dead animals to produce biodiesel at a cost of at least 1,700 kroner per animal, according to TV2’s report.

Karina Fisker, owner of the Vorning Hestepension stables, said that donating animals to the zoo can be both cheaper and more natural.

“For me, it’s 75 percent economics and 25 percent ethical. When horses are eaten by lions they become part of the food chain. When Daka collects a horse, it can take up to a week, and the horse can begin to decompose. That is disgusting,” Fisker, who has used both Daka and the zoo to dispose of animals, told TV2.

READ ALSO: Danish zoo invites kids to watch lion dissection

Although parting with horses is a difficult process for many owners, Fisker said that she found it comforting to know that the animals were in professional hands after their death.

“Horses are our one and all. Like with many dog owners… the whole thing is very emotional,” she told TV2.

Copenhagen Zoo press spokesperson Jacob Munkholm Hoeck told TV2 that the zoo was grateful for the considerable interest.

Although the number of horse owners willing to donate animals has increased, demand is also dependent on season, Hoeck said.

“Often, older horses have had their last summer on the grass, and when they have to go back into stables, owners consider whether the time has come for them to be put down. Then they call us,” the spokesperson said.

READ ALSO: Swedish racer defends eating own dead horse

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