Neumunster Zoo

Neumünster Zoo in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany has had to make plan for how to feed the animals if the virus gets any worse than it already is. The current plan includes slaughtering some of the animals in order to feed other animals.
The Neumünster Zoo is home to the biggest polar bear in Germany, Vitus,  which stands at a whopping 12 feet tall. It also has over 100 species of animals and over 700 animals. Due to the coronavirus, they are losing large amounts of money since there have been no visitors and there is a disrupted supply chain to give the animals the food they need, which may leave them with no other option than to feed some animals to other animals..

 “If — and this is really the worst, worst case of all — if I no longer have any money to buy feed, or if it should happen that my feed supplier is no longer able to supply due to new restrictions, then I would slaughter animals to feed other animals,” Verena Kaspari, the zoo director of Neumunster Zoo, told CNN.

The emergency plan is a bit unclear as to the order in which the animals would be slaughtered, although it is confirmed that the last animal to be slaughtered would be Vitus, the polar bear. There is no physical form of the plan to be seen by anyone. 

Zoos in Germany are a big part of the culture with a reported 5 million visitors per year. They have all been closed due to the coronavirus.

“Some zoos can access funding from the local government, Kaspari explained, which can cover up to 10% of the expenses,” said DW, a German international broadcaster.

So with the disrupted food supply chain and a disrupted income, zoos such as the Neumunster Zoo in Germany are running out of options, and the animals have to be fed one way or another.