Stable owners in Denmark are so keen to give their dead horses to Copenhagen zoo for lion meat they have been left with a six-month long waiting list.
Horse owners wanting their departed steeds to go to good use at the famous zoo, now have to wait up to half a year, such is the popularity of the disposal method.
A waiting list for donating dead animals to the zoo is currently up to six months, reports broadcaster TV2.
Copenhagen zoo is so inundated with offers of dead horses for their lions, there is now a six-month waiting list
Horses are typically put down by their owners before being collected by the zoo, says the report.
The method has become so popular, suggests the owner of one stables, because otherwise it costs at least 1,700 kroner per animal to dispose of.
The Daka disposable company, which uses the dead animals to produce biodiesel according to the report.
Karina Fisker, owner of the Vorning Hestepension stables, said that donating animals to the zoo can be both cheaper and more ethical.
‘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,’ said Fisker, who has used both Daka and the zoo to dispose of animals.
While saying goodbye to horses can be difficult, Fisker said that she found comfort knowing they were in professional hards, reports the Local.
Horse owners wanting their departed steeds to go to good use at the famous zoo, now have to wait up to half a year, such is the popularity of the disposal method. A waiting list for donating dead animals to the zoo is currently up to six months, reports broadcaster TV2
‘Horses are our one and all. Like with many dog owner, the whole thing is very emotional,’ she told TV2.
A Copenhagen Zoo spokesperson, Jacob Munkholm Hoeck, said the zoo was very grateful for the considerable interest.
Admitting that supply often outstrips demand, he also said the backlog depended on seasons too.
‘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.’