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Mom Explains Why She Doesn’t Regret Giving Her Daughter’s Pony To Zoo To Become Lion Food
A mom has sparked international debate after revealing she donated her teenage daughter’s beloved horse to be food for lions at a local zoo.
She’s defending her controversial decision as both compassionate and practical.
Pernille Sohl, 44, from Denmark, faced the difficult choice of what to do with her daughter’s ailing German riding pony, Chicago 57, in 2020.
Rather than opting for traditional euthanasia at a veterinary clinic, she chose to take the 22-year-old horse to Aalborg Zoo in northern Denmark, where it would become food for the facility’s predators.
Chicago 57 had been suffering from severe eczema triggered by mosquito bites that worsened dramatically during the summer months.
The condition left the pony with painful open wounds and forced him to wear protective jackets and leg guards just to move comfortably.
As his quality of life deteriorated beyond recovery, Sohl knew difficult decisions lay ahead.
“I gave Angelina the various options and she chose the one with the zoo, because it made the most sense,” Sohl told The Times, referring to her daughter, who was 13 at the time.
The teenager had previously witnessed a veterinary euthanasia and found it distressing. This time, she wanted her beloved pony’s passing to serve a greater purpose.
“She wanted Chicago 57 to benefit other animals,” Sohl explained. “She wanted to follow the food chain.”
Aalborg Zoo, one of Denmark’s major tourist attractions welcoming nearly 500,000 visitors annually, has operated an unusual donation program since its founding in 1935, per People.
The facility accepts healthy animals that need to be rehomed or euthanized, using them as natural prey for its carnivorous residents.
In 2024 alone, the zoo received donations of 22 horses, 137 rabbits, 53 chickens, and 18 guinea pigs.
All animals are humanely euthanized by trained staff before being fed whole to lions, tigers, European lynxes, and other predators.
“Predators need whole prey – including fur, bones and organs – as it contributes to both enrichment, nutrition and wellbeing,” the zoo states on its website, per MSN, emphasizing their commitment to replicating natural feeding patterns.
The program extends beyond Aalborg, with Copenhagen Zoo accepting around 50 horses annually and Jyllands Park Zoo operating a similar initiative. However, cats and dogs are strictly prohibited from all programs.
When Chicago 57’s time came, Sohl was present for the procedure at Aalborg Zoo. The pony was euthanized with a bolt gun while a zookeeper provided comfort, stroking and kissing the animal during his final moments.
“There was a zookeeper standing there cuddling and kissing him – as if it was me standing with him,” Sohl recalled. “I got to say a final goodbye.”
The experience left such a positive impression that Sohl later attempted to donate another horse, Quantus, to the program.
However, the animal exceeded the zoo’s maximum storage capacity of 147 cm and was instead processed for dog food.
While Sohl emphasizes that her decision wasn’t financially motivated, Denmark’s tax system does provide small incentives for animal donations.
Donors receive 100 Danish kroner (approximately $14) for each small animal and 5 kroner (50 cents) per kilogram for horses.
With adult horses typically weighing between 380-1000 kg, this can represent a modest financial return.
The practice has generated fierce debate both locally and internationally. Supporters like Sohl view it as a natural continuation of the food chain that prevents waste and provides enrichment for zoo animals.
Helen Hjortholm Andersen, another Danish pet owner, donated her 20-year-old Shetland pony Paprika to Jyllands Park Zoo when the animal could no longer walk following a seizure.
Faced with what she described as ‘grotesquely high’ costs for traditional body disposal, she chose the zoo option.
“The idea that she could be of benefit made sense,” Andersen explained, per Vice. “We like the idea of the cycle of life, and that a pony can help to create life for other animals. We would do it again.”
However, critics have been vocal in their opposition. When Aalborg Zoo recently posted a Facebook appeal seeking more animal donations, the response was so hostile that administrators were forced to disable comments.
“We understand that the post awakens feelings and interest, but hateful and malicious rhetoric is not necessary,” the zoo responded to the backlash.
Despite the controversy, Sohl remains firmly convinced she made the right choice for Chicago 57 and her family.
“It might sound very dramatic and bizarre that you would feed your pet to animals in the zoo,” she acknowledged.
“But they are going to be put down anyway, and it is not like they are alive when they are given to the predators.”
Chief zoologist Anette Sofie Warncke Nutzhorn at Aalborg Zoo defended the long-standing practice, telling Danish media: “We have always done it, as long as the zoo has existed. The debate has surprised us, but we are happy to take it and stand by it. We are put into the world to talk about nature and ecosystems.”
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