Woman donates daughter’s pet horse to zoo, officials feed it to lions, sparking outrage

The pony, a 22-year-old German riding horse named Chicago 57, had long been suffering from a severe skin disease, eczema. (Representational image: Unsplash)

A bizarre and emotional incident from Denmark has sparked outrage worldwide. A woman donated her teenage daughter’s beloved pet pony to Aalborg Zoo, where it was euthanised and later fed to lions as part of the zoo’s natural feeding programme.

The pony, a 22-year-old German riding horse named Chicago 57, had long been suffering from a severe skin disease, eczema. Its condition worsened during the summers, with mosquito bites leaving painful open wounds that often risked infection.

Despite efforts to protect it with jackets and leg covers, the pony’s health continued to decline, causing constant suffering. In 2020, it was decided that Chicago 57 would be put down.

Pernille Sol, 44, the mother of 13-year-old Angelina, said she let her daughter decide how to handle the pony’s body. The teenager was given options such as burial or donation for research but ultimately chose to donate it to the zoo. Angelina believed this was “a part of the natural food chain” and felt the pony’s body should be useful to other animals.

According to Pernille, zookeepers treated Chicago 57 with compassion during its final moments, stroking it gently and bidding farewell as if it were a member of the family. The pony was euthanised peacefully before being given to the lions as food.

In a statement, Aalborg Zoo defended the decision, explaining that it aims to maintain the natural food chain by feeding carnivores in a way that mimics the wild.

The zoo regularly accepts donations of small, unwanted animals such as rabbits, chickens, and guinea pigs, which are first euthanised and then given to predators including lions, polar bears, and Sumatran tigers. Horses are also accepted as donations, with owners even offered tax benefits. “Nothing is wasted; everything is used to support the natural food chain and the welfare of predators,” the zoo stated.

However, the move has triggered widespread criticism on social media, with thousands calling it insensitive to feed a child’s pet to lions. Some argued that such practices could have a negative psychological impact on children, while others questioned the ethics of using domesticated pets in zoo feeding programmes.