07/20/2025July 20, 2025Protestors decry planned baboon killings at Nürnberger zoo
Animal rights activists chained themselves to the baboon enclosure at a Bavarian zoo to protest against the planned killing of healthy animals on Sunday.
“With the planned killing of baboons, the zoo is setting a precedent that will enable other zoos to kill healthy primates at will in future, which has not been permitted up to now,” argued Emilia Schüler of the Animal Rebellion group.
She described the zoo’s plans as “not only a setback to animal rights, but an absolute crossing of red lines.”
Silent protest created little distruption
Six people carrying posters led a peaceful silent protest at the Nürnberger Tiergarten, police said. Five of the protesters chained themselves to the barrier around an enclosure.
As they were leading a silent protest they refused to communicate with officers and did not heed instructions by the zoo director to leave or use a protest venue outside the zoo, police added.
Since the action barely disturbed visitors and operations at the zoo, police and management agreed to refrain from using force to remove the protesters.
A protestor who had not chained herself to the railing ended her demonstration in the afternoon and was detained and processed before being released.
Shortly before the Tiergarten closed, the police again ordered the protesters to unfasten their chains and leave the park. If they failed to comply, they were warned that the fire department would remove the chains, which would incur corresponding costs.
The five remaining protestors removed the locks themselves at around 18:45 and once their identities were established and the police processed them, they were removed from the square.
The six individuals will face criminal charges on suspicion of trespassing.
Over-populated Guinea baboons were to be killed
In February 2024, the city-run Nürnberger Tiergarten zoo announced plans to kill some of its Guinea baboons because the group had become too large for the facility. It had led to an increase in conflicts within the group that led to animals getting injured, the zoo argued.
The facility says it has been trying for years to reduce the size of the Guinea baboon group and sell off animals, but without success so far.