Outrage Erupts as Nuremberg Zoo Cull Healthy Baboons Amid Overcrowding Crisis

Sat Oct 18 2025 16:08:05 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

A German zoo faces severe backlash after culling 12 healthy Guinea baboons due to overcrowding, igniting protests and legal actions.

The Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo in Germany has sparked significant outrage after culling 12 healthy Guinea baboons amid concerns over overcrowding in their enclosure. The decision has led to protests, arrests, and criticisms regarding the zoo's breeding policies, as animal rights groups argue alternatives should have been pursued instead.

In a shocking development, the Tiergarten Nürnberg zoo in southern Germany has culled 12 healthy Guinea baboons due to overcrowding, a decision that has drawn widespread criticism and protest. The animals were reportedly fed to the zoo's predators following their culling.

The zoo stated that attempts to control the population with contraceptive methods have failed, and overcrowding has led to increased conflict among the animals. However, animal rights activists have challenged the justification for the killings, asserting that a failure to manage breeding should not warrant such actions. Christoph Maisack from the German Legal Association for Animal Protection Law condemned the cull, emphasizing that allowing breeding to occur is not an acceptable reason for euthanization.

The Nuremberg zoo had announced its intention to cull some Guinea baboons last year after their population exceeded the capacity of 25 set by an enclosure opened in 2009. Previous attempts to relocate the animals to other zoos were unsuccessful as those facilities too had reached maximum capacity.

In the wake of the zoo's announcement to close for "operational reasons," several activists protested, leading to the arrest of seven individuals, including one woman who glued herself to the ground near the entrance. The zoo later confirmed that the culling had taken place and insisted that none of the baboons were pregnant or involved in scientific studies. The zoo's director, Dag Encke, described the decision as a "legitimate last resort," and stated that their actions adhered to the standards set by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).

Animal rights organizations have filed a complaint against the zoo, claiming the cull of healthy animals was both "avoidable and illegal." Advocates argue that the issue stems from years of irresponsible breeding practices. The controversy echoes past incidents where European zoos faced backlash for similar actions, such as a 2014 case in Copenhagen where a giraffe was culled for genetic reasons, sparking international outrage.