Rare piglets killed by zoo because they were ‘surplus’

The culling of two piglets by Edinburgh Zoo, because they were surplus to an international breeding program, has sparked outrage and prompted a campaign to help save the lives of others potentially under threat. Red river hogs Sammi and Becca were put down at the age of five months on the recommendation of the European Endangered Species Program (EEP). The zoo said it was advised by the program to cull the piglets rather than re-home them. It said there were no plans to put down the remaining three red river hog piglets born at the zoo last month. Animal activists criticized the move and said alternative homes should have been found for the hogs.

Sammi and Becca were born on August 14 last year, the first to be born since the African mammals arrived at Edinburgh Zoo in 2004. At the time Kathleen Graham, head keeper of hoofstock at the zoo, said: “We are thrilled that the red river hogs have bred this year. We hope that this is the first of many contributions our red river hogs make to the breeding program.” Animal protection charity OneKind – formerly Advocates for Animals – criticized the decision to put the two piglets to sleep and has set up a campaign on the issue of culling the hogs and to save the remaining piglets. Campaigns director Ross Minett said: “At OneKind we believe it is wrong for these healthy, harmless animals to be killed as part of a controlled breeding program.

“Sadly, this sort of practice does take place in zoos; which will surprise many people who believe that zoos are all about keeping animals safe from harm. If zoos are genuinely concerned about the conservation and welfare of animals then they should endeavor to protect them in their natural habitat.” He said that if the zoo was unable to care for the animals they should have been offered to a wildlife sanctuary or an alternative home found for them. A zoo spokeswoman said the pair were culled after the endangered species program “identified a surplus of the species”. She said: “If a species does not have breeding recommendation for the EEP, the EEP will advise the culling rather than re-homing of a species”.

Meanwhile, in a letter to The Scotsman, John Eoin Douglas from Spey Terrace in Edinburgh wrote:

I was most upset to read about the Red River Hog piglets at Edinburgh Zoo which were culled as they were "surplus to requirements".

The zoo's spokesperson described them as having been "euthanised" which of course means that they could not legally enter the human food chain.

It would have been much better if they had been sent for humane slaughter and then fed to staff and visitors – and especially good for the education of the zoo's younger visitors who so rarely get to make a tangible connection between animal and bacon sandwich in these days of pre-packaged supermarket fare.

Your report stated that more pigs were likely to be culled by the zoo so I hope that I will soon be able to enjoy home reared pork in the zoo's own Mansion House restaurant (when it re-opens).