Until now, contraception has been the method of choice for zoos to avoid surplus animals. Researchers are now calling for a paradigm shift: zoos could preserve their breeding populations, raise awareness of conservation challenges and improve animal welfare and their carbon footprint by allowing animals to reproduce naturally and culling surplus animals.
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Unlike animals in the wild, animals in zoos are not limited by food shortages or predators, allowing individuals to live much longer than they would in the wild. This poses a challenge for zoos, as it puts pressure on their finite holding capacities.
As a result, many zoos restrict animal breeding for both logistical and financial reasons. Other zoos have risked a public backlash by culling surplus animals: Ten years ago, the culling of Marius, a healthy two-year-old giraffe, sparked an international debate about what zoos should do with their surplus animals, with many people upset at the idea of euthanizing healthy animals.
