Efforts to control the population through birth control methods have ultimately failed. Since no other zoos have agreed to take in the surplus baboons, the possibility of culling some of the animals is now under consideration, drawing sharp criticism from animal welfare organizations.
As zoo director Dag Encke explained on Monday during the television program “Frankenschau aktuell,” the zoo had attempted for years to limit the number of animals by administering contraceptives to female baboons. However, this measure did not achieve the desired long-term effect.
Contraceptives proved only temporarily effective and disrupted social structure
According to Encke, the substances used led to infertility in the female baboons for only about three years. After this period, their ability to reproduce returned. Moreover, the birth control strategy significantly disrupted the social structure of the baboon group, causing the zoo to abandon this approach.
More than 45 Guinea baboons with no zoos willing to take them
The group at Nuremberg Zoo now numbers over 45 Guinea baboons, which is far too many for the available enclosure space. As a result, territorial disputes and conflicts among the animals have increased. As is common in cases of overpopulation in zoos, efforts were made to transfer individual animals to other zoological institutions. However, the search for new homes worldwide has so far been unsuccessful.
Culling legally possible but sparks protests from animal rights groups
According to Nuremberg Zoo, a final decision on the selective killing of animals to reduce the population has not yet been made. An animal welfare commission is expected to discuss the issue. In principle, such a measure would be legally permissible under current regulations.
Last Sunday, around 60 animal rights activists protested against this possibility. The organization Pro Wildlife announced it would file criminal charges in the event of any culling. From the perspective of the animal welfare organization, the proposed measure would violate Germany’s animal protection law, which considers the killing of animals without a “reasonable cause” to be a punishable offense.
Sources: dpa
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