In a shocking turn of events, the same zoo that recently killed a giraffe has killed four lions. The zoo, which is located in Denmark, received a large amount of criticism following the death of its giraffe, and will likely see similar treatment after killing lions.

It is puzzling why a zoo that has been criticized for a similar event recently would do such a thing to a group of lions. The zoo responsible for the recent deaths of the innocent animals is the Copenhagen Zoo, and has received outrage from people worldwide for its recent actions.

Some people even took to social media to call the zookeepers serial killers and murderers following both incidents, and the giraffe, who had the name of Marius, was only 18 months old. They proceeded to feed the dead giraffe to lions, and the lions that feasted on his remains were among those that were recently killed.

According to CNN, The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, which is a body governing 345 institutions said that the Copenhagen Zoo had not broken its codes of conduct when killing the four lions, and that it “has been consistent in its approach to animal population management, and high standards of animal welfare.”

The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria also mentioned that the zoo supports natural cycles of reproduction and cub rearing, but that the lions are not a part of a breeding program. In case anyone is interested in signing, a petition has also been started telling the Copenhagen Zoo to stop killing healthy animals.

Someone needs to stop the @CopenhagenZoo from killing more animals #disgusting

— Monica (@monicaxx) March 27, 2014

The justification for euthanizing the four lions was that there was a younger lion being brought to the zoo, who they needed to make way for. The zoo has attempted to justify the killings of the two parents, ages 14 and 16, and their cubs, on the grounds of genetic purity and conservation, otherwise the older male may have tried to breed with one of his offspring.

There was also a risk that the older male could try to breed with one of the females that were his offspring. According to a statement that the Copenhagen Zoo had originally posted on their website, “If the zoo had not made the change in the pride now, then we would have risked that the old male would mate with these two females — his own offspring — and thereby give rise to inbreeding.”

Due to the recent events at the Copenhagen Zoo, the international image of Danish people has also been tarnished, and many people have been referring to them as the giraffe killers, and now they have killed lions as well, which should only make things worse.

@DSWT @dmcn @CopenhagenZoo There is no good justification for killing healthy animals when there are alternatives

— Anita McMillan (@anita_m) March 27, 2014

I think we'll cancel our plans to go to the zoo. #Copenhagen.

— Queen of the Damned (@ChelseaCain) March 26, 2014

Tell Copenhagen Zoo, stop killing healthy animals! http://t.co/MRRWIkX0s7 Signed the petition, sign too and help end this #AnimalCruelty

— Eleni (@eleni_karatzia) March 27, 2014

The zoo claims to have killed the lions to make room for a new lion, and to prevent inbreeding, but some people have argued that they could have simply sent the lions to another zoo, rather than having to kill them. What do you think? Was it justified?

Image via Youtube