A Danish mother made headlines after donating her daughter’s pet pony to a zoo — where it became food for lions.
Pernille Sohl, 44, gave her daughter Angelina’s German riding pony, named Chicago 57, to Aalborg Zoo in northern Denmark after the animal was euthanized in 2020 due to long-term health issues. The donation was part of the zoo’s program that accepts deceased animals to feed their carnivorous species in an effort to simulate a natural food chain.
“It might sound very dramatic and bizarre that you would feed your pet to animals in the zoo,” Sohl told The Times UK. “But they are going to be put down anyway, and it is not like they are alive when they are given to the predators.”
Aalborg Zoo has publicly called for the donation of “healthy animals that need to be given away for various reasons,” such as rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, and horses. These animals are humanely euthanized before being used as food for predators like Asiatic lions, Sumatran tigers, and polar bears. The zoo argues this approach supports animal welfare and professional ethics by encouraging natural behaviors in their carnivores.
On its website, the zoo states that even horses are accepted — as long as their bodies fit within the facility’s refrigeration system. Donors are eligible for tax deductions, and the zoo emphasizes that “nothing goes to waste.”
Chicago 57, who died at age 22, had suffered from a severe form of summer eczema triggered by mosquito bites. The condition caused painful open wounds that risked infection, requiring the pony to wear protective gear. Sohl explained that the decision to donate his body was made by her daughter, then 13, after being given a choice.
“She wanted to follow the food chain,” Sohl said. “She wanted Chicago 57 to benefit other animals.”
Sohl, who runs a small farm that offers therapeutic interaction with horses for children with mental health challenges, said she was present during the pony’s euthanasia. “There was a zookeeper standing there cuddling and kissing him — as if it was me standing with him,” she recalled.
She later attempted to donate another horse to the zoo in 2024, but the animal was too large to fit in the facility’s storage. That horse’s body was instead used to produce dog food.
The zoo has faced international scrutiny in recent weeks after a Facebook post seeking animal donations went viral. Despite the backlash, the zoo says it has already received 22 horses, 137 rabbits, 53 chickens, and 18 guinea pigs this year alone. However, it clarified that it does not accept cats or dogs as donations.