Nuremberg Zoo Kills Foxes

Nuremberg Zoo has been taking action against foxes on its grounds for many years.

Foxes trapped in live traps and shot

The wild animals are caught there in live traps and subsequently shot by hobby hunters. The zoo cites the protection of smaller animals such as ducks as the reason for killing foxes. Zoo director Dag Encke recently defended this practice in a media report with the claim that killing is part of species conservation. However, PETA sees this primarily as profit-driven: who is allowed to live at Nuremberg Zoo apparently depends on the usefulness of the species for display purposes. The animal rights organisation considers the argument of species conservation to be a pretext, as zoological institutions contribute almost nothing to it. In addition to native wild animals, unwanted “surplus breeds” are also killed at the zoo. The animal rights organisation is calling for an immediate ban on fox hunting at Nuremberg Zoo and in Bavaria in general.

Nuremberg Zoo is once again demonstrating its contemptuous attitude towards animals. Killing native free-living fox cubs while simultaneously posing as champions of species conservation is utterly absurd. Apparently, every animal at the zoo that is not suitable for display must fear for its life. The zoo is located in a woodland area. Wild animals must be granted their natural habitat, for they have a right to life, just as humans do.

Biologist Dr. Yvonne Würz, PETA’s specialist advisor on animals in the entertainment industry

Zoo has killed healthy animals on multiple occasions

The zoological facility has been under criticism for years: animals with behavioral disorders, the dolphin lagoon disaster including massive environmental contamination, or so-called “surplus killings.” PETA recalls that the Nuremberg Zoo has repeatedly killed healthy animals in recent years – up to 60 animals per year between 2013 and 2015. In 2017 and 2018, this included a total of eight critically endangered Mhorr gazelles and other animals belonging to endangered species.

Animal welfare organizations point out that the killing of “unwanted” animals – sometimes due to a lack of space – is common practice in zoos. As recently as August of this year, male lion Subali was killed for “veterinary reasons” – shortly after zoo director Encke had publicly announced his intention to have the animal killed due to its alleged inability to reproduce and a lack of space.

Fox hunting is cruel and unnecessary

PETA fundamentally opposes fox hunting. In Germany alone, approximately half a million foxes are killed each year as part of recreational hunting. Many of them are literally crushed in snap traps or die a slow, agonizing death as a result of missed shots.

Recreational hunting also has no effect on the fox population. Losses are quickly offset by immigration and rising birth rates. According to renowned experts such as biologist Professor Dr. Josef Helmut Reichholf, wildlife populations regulate themselves through environmental factors such as weather conditions, food availability, and disease. Furthermore, the fox ensures the survival of its prey species by taking weak and sick animals, thereby eliminating sources of disease. The fox tapeworm likewise cannot be used as justification for mass killings, as it is one of the rarest parasitic infections in Europe.