There's no logic to it, but I'm on Marius' side. Let him live!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26098935

Maybe a stupid question.. If it is Marius getting frisky with the ladies that they're trying to avoid, can't they just castrate the little fella?

It seems a very good suggestion (although I doubt that Marius would concur).

I am sure he will would choose that over being fed to the cats

He won't be having a laugh if they castrate him. Or a giraffe for that matter.

They should return him to the wild, in the Scandinavian forests. As Sting said, if you love someone, set them free. Preferably with their balls still attached.

I don't particularly like zoos at the best of times, but surely part of their existence is to showcase, save, breed and educate, and then of course make some money.

Destroying a healthy and reasonably rare animal seems daft to me. Sure, transport is stressful (and they never worry about that when bringing in new animals ), but it doesn't sound like they have worked hard to resolve an issue that I'm struggling to see as an immediate problem anyway.

Well Marius got done for this morning, and the article gave a fairly good explanation why. He wasn't prime breeding stock and it costs money to keep animals in the zoo. The wildlife park in Holland and the zoo in Yorkshire who made last minute bids to accept him should consider why they waited until the last minute instead of blaming Copenhagen. Noah only had room for two.

at least the big cats will be well fed

and why did UK zoo wait so long to make an offer .. it seems more like a last minute plea

Hey kids, let's go to the zoo today and watch the nice people there chop up a dead giraffe and feed it to the tigers...yay... fun times. Ice cream anyone?

Are they rare?

As a species overall at the moment no they are not, they are listed as least concern IUCN, however there are 2 sub-species that are endangered.

Giraffa camelopardalis ssp. peralta (common names of Niger Giraffe, Nigerien Giraffe, West African Giraffe) which has an estimated population of 200-250 individuals.

The other sub-species is Giraffa camelopardalis ssp. rothschildi ( Rothschild’s Giraffe, Ugandan Giraffe) with an estimated population of of less then 670 individuals and declining.

Total population as a species including the above, estimates are around 80,000+ individuals. (depending on source.)

Yeah, not exactly a fun day out in my book. Let's hope it turns a few of those youngster into conservationists.

fair enough, was just curious. The assumption was made that they are.

The linked article said they reproduce well in captivity, which must have influenced the decision to kill him. Even so, it seems like a waste. More ammunition for those who would like to eliminate zoos as well. Thinking about the times I've been to zoos or seen exotic animals at the circus I have to wonder what it's worth. I'm undecided.