The Copenhagen Zoo put down a healthy 2-year-old giraffe known as Marius, inciting outrage in Denmark and abroad, on Feb. 9. Notwithstanding an online petition to spare the giraffe’s life, which received more than 20,000 signatures, Marius was shot. Following an autopsy, his carcass was dismembered in front of a crowd that included children and fed to the zoo’s lions. Copenhagen Zoo administrators maintained that killing Marius was necessary to prevent inbreeding among its giraffes. They held that sterilization was implausible, as was transferring the creature to another zoo.

Marius’ death illustrates zoos’ obsession with the genetic makeup of animals. Zoo officials assert that they killed Marius because they believed he was taking up space that could be used to house a more genetically diverse animal. This incident is not the first time that lust for genetic diversity has resulted in animal cruelty. A few years ago, a zoo in northern Germany killed three tiger cubs they considered to be genetically useless.

This preoccupation with genetics extends to domesticated animals as well. Since designer dogs became popular with the creation of the labradoodle in the 1980s, the quest to create the perfect dog has resulted in animals with heart issues, genetic disease, organ failure, cancer and physical disabilities. The artificial nature of genetic manipulation contributes to pain and suffering in animals across the board.

While Marius was shot because he was not genetically favorable for breeding, zoos also commonly put down animals simply because there is not enough space for them. With modern methods of sterilization, overpopulation in zoos should not be so problematic. However, zoos continue breeding adorable baby animals to display as main attractions. The fundamental flaw with zoos is they allow customer demands to blind them from giving their animals the attention and care they require. Until zoos place their animals before their revenue, killing animals for convenience will continue to be a common practice.

In an interview with All Things Considered, an NPR program, the Copenhagen Zoo Scientific Director Bengt Holst astonishingly defended the public autopsy as an opportunity “to educate people.” This line of argument in an era of smartphones and sensitivity was sure to be treated with contempt. At the time of the killing there was already a group of protestors at the zoo gates. The zoo’s management should have realized that conducting a live broadcast would anger incensed animal rights activists. Copenhagen Zoo rests on the support of the public — zoo officials failed to recognize this fact. Although there was a scientific argument for executing the giraffe, common sense and ethical standards should have prevailed.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Feb. 11 print edition. Email the WSN Editorial Board at [email protected].