Marius the giraffe put down and fed to lions at Copenhagen Zoo

Despite outcry from animal rights activists and offers to rehome the animal, Marius the giraffe was led into a yard and shot in the head by zookeepers at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark on Sunday morning. After being shot he was publicly dissected in front of dozens of tourists, including children, before his carcass was fed to lions. The healthy 18-month-old giraffe was shot because his genes were too similar to other animals in the breeding pool, according to a statement on the Copenhagen Zoo website. Several offers to save the animal was received by the Danish zoo, including one from Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster.