A Danish zoo has sparked debate online after it asked residents to donate their pets to help feed its predatory animals. A facility in the city of Aalborg reportedly issued the eyebrow-raising request in a weirdly cheerful Facebook post last week. "Did you know that you can donate smaller pets" to the zoo, they asked their followers, explaining their program wherein public-provided chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs are fed to its animals that require "full prey" akin to what they "would naturally hunt in the wild."

Lest one fear that their beloved bunny or other precious pet might be merely tossed into an animal's cage to fend for itself, the zoo stressed that the donated creatures are "gently euthanized by trained staff" before being turned into "fodder." Arguing that the program ensures that "nothing goes to waste," they called on residents who have an animal that "has to leave here for various reasons" to participate in their imitation of "the natural food chain."

The macabre program, which also accepts horses, should a resident wish to make a particularly large donation, reportedly drew mixed reactions online. One aghast individual responded by calling the concept a "sick invention," while another defended the practice, recounting how they participated in the process and found it to be a "peaceful and calm" conclusion for their animal's life. After word of the strange request spread beyond the boundaries of their Facebook page, the zoo was forced to shut down comments on the post due to "hateful and malicious rhetoric" that arose from the debate.