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Leipzig Zoo under criticism: Three tiger cubs die – PETA demands consequences!
Three tiger cubs were euthanized at Leipzig Zoo after their mother refused care. Animal rights organization Peta is outraged.
Leipzig Zoo under criticism: Three tiger cubs die – PETA demands consequences!
Three tiger cubs had to lose their lives at Leipzig Zoo today, and the waves of discontent were rising. A serious debate has arisen over the fate of the cubs, which were born on Wednesday evening but had to be euthanized after just a few days due to neglect by their mother. The animal rights organization Peta announced that it would take legal action against the zoo and called for an immediate halt to the breeding programs for Siberian tigers.
The tiger mother, the Amur tiger “Yushka”, turned away from her offspring hours after birth, which is not uncommon for inexperienced animals. The zoo explained that this rejection could occur in the animal kingdom and that hand-rearing was not possible given species-appropriate wildlife management. Zoo director Jörg Junhold tries to justify the decision: “The behavior is not unusual for inexperienced animals.” During the time without maternal care, the tiger cubs became increasingly weak and starving, which led veterinarian Andreas Bernhard to make a decision that was considered unpleasant but necessary - to spare the little ones the suffering of starvation.
Animal welfare and breeding programs
Peta, on the other hand, sees the breeding and keeping of tigers in zoos as ineffective for species protection and describes the rejection of young animals by animal mothers as a purely zoo phenomenon. In the past, many European zoos have been criticized for their treatment of animals, including Nuremberg Zoo and Aalborg Zoo. Leipzig Zoo itself also hit the headlines in 2023 when a healthy zebra stallion was slaughtered and fed to lions.
The discussion about animal husbandry and breeding programs in zoos is not new. Since the “Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species” came into force in 1975, zoos have had to care for their own offspring. Breeding programs like that EEP (European Endangered Species Programs) were developed to avoid inbreeding and genetic defects. It is important that zoos cooperate with each other and exchange animals to preserve biodiversity and meet animal welfare practices.
For the future, Leipzig Zoo plans to continue breeding with mother tiger “Yushka” in order to preserve the species. The debate about the responsibility of zoos with regard to animal husbandry and breeding is far from over. It seems that the voices of critics are becoming louder and it remains to be seen how the zoo and animal welfare organizations will react to the current incidents.