The Nuremberg Zoo baboon cull has ignited widespread public outrage after the zoo euthanized 12 healthy Guinea baboons. The zoo cited overcrowding, failed birth control methods, and lack of space in other zoos as reasons behind the controversial decision.
The zoo, located in the Bavarian city of Nuremberg, had announced earlier this year that its baboon population had exceeded manageable levels. Designed to house around 25 primates, the facility had seen numbers swell to 43, leading to increased aggression and injuries among the animals.
According to the zoo’s deputy director, Jörg Beckmann, the cull came after years of failed contraceptive measures and unsuccessful efforts to transfer animals to other institutions. “We reached out to multiple zoos — including in Paris and China — but none could accommodate more baboons,” Beckmann told reporters.
Despite public backlash and a small-scale protest on the day of the Nuremberg Zoo baboon cull — during which several activists breached the zoo’s perimeter and one glued herself to the ground — the controversial killings proceeded as planned. Deputy director Jörg Beckmann emphasized that none of the euthanized baboons were pregnant or part of ongoing scientific research. He added that the remains of the animals would be used as food for other carnivorous species within the zoo.
Defending the Nuremberg Zoo baboon cull, zoo director Dag Encke stated in a press conference that the decision followed “years-long considerations” and was deemed necessary to ensure both the long-term health of the baboon population and adherence to animal welfare laws. “Overpopulation in confined enclosures can cause chronic stress and physical harm,” Encke said, “which could ultimately breach the very regulations designed to safeguard animal wellbeing.”
However, animal welfare organizations and legal experts strongly disagreed.
Pro Wildlife, a leading advocacy group, condemned the cull and filed a criminal complaint against the zoo. “What we feared has happened,” the group said in a statement. “This tragedy is the result of irresponsible breeding practices maintained for decades. It was entirely avoidable.”
Christoph Maisack, head of Germany’s Legal Association for Animal Protection Law, noted that German animal welfare law permits euthanizing vertebrates only under “reasonable cause.” He argued that overbreeding alone does not constitute a valid legal justification.
This incident recalls previous controversies in European zoos — including the 2014 killing of a healthy giraffe named Marius at Copenhagen Zoo, which drew international criticism after the animal was dissected publicly and fed to lions in front of children.
As scrutiny grows over captive breeding policies, the Nuremberg Zoo faces not only public outrage but a potential legal showdown — one that may reshape the ethical debate over wildlife management in European zoos.
