A Simian Being Akin to Humans
In a shocking turn of events, a newborn chimpanzee at the Zoo by the Sea in Bremerhaven, Germany, was euthanized just two days after its birth. The mother, Lizzy, rejected the baby chimpanzee, a situation that has occurred before with Lizzy and her adult daughter Donna in 2018, resulting in the euthanization of their offspring as well.
The incident has sparked controversy, with PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, expressing their dissatisfaction with the zoo's explanation for the euthanization. PETA's specialist for animals in zoos and circuses, Yvonne Wuerz, stated that hand-rearing can affect animals, but it is not unique to this case. She also criticized the idea that zoo breeding helps in the preservation of species, arguing that if the natural habitat is lost, it's too late for the animal species anyway.
Zoo director Heike Kück claimed that hand-rearing the euthanized chimpanzee would have resulted in a 'malformation that would have a negative impact on the animal's social behavior for life.' However, there are cases of malformed apes that have been successfully resocialized.
The state veterinary office is currently investigating the circumstances of the death, and PETA plans to file a criminal complaint with the Bremerhaven public prosecutor's office. This case is part of a series of reports of killings of potential crowd-pleasers in zoos this summer.
The father of the baby chimpanzee is a chimpanzee named Dumas, who was surgically re-fertilized after being sterilized 20 years ago. The grandmother of the euthanized chimpanzee, named Jenny, grew up in a pub and on a ship before moving to the Bremerhaven zoo in 1983. Jenny has been living in the Bremerhaven zoo for 39 years and has raised two sons.
The question of whether the life of the euthanized baby ape would have been worthwhile remains relevant, with PETA stating that it would have been a sad life in captivity. Chimpanzees, our closest relatives, share 98.7% of our genetic material and have been advocated for to receive a new form of recognition from humans: Admission into the 'Community of Equals.'
The Zoo by the Sea argues that it is their legal task to preserve animal species through breeding programs. However, PETA's demand is the end of breeding in zoos. This controversy comes at a time when a commentary by several German zoo directors advocating for more breeding and culling of zoo animals was published at the end of December 2024.
The zoo has expressed sadness over the incident on their social media platforms, but the name of the PETA specialist who criticized the migration of newborn primates in the Bremerhaven Zoo is not mentioned in the available search results. The name of the baby chimpanzee has not been disclosed.
This is a developing story and more information will be released as it becomes available.
