Zoo admit they will feed their animals to each other if things get worse amid coronavirus
Over the Easter weekend, zoos were expected to have been crowded however they have become desolate amid strict coronavirus lockdowns.
A zoo director in northern Germany has revealed that some of their animals may have to soon be fed to others due to dried up funds.
“We've listed the animals we'll have to slaughter first,” Verena Kaspari from Neumünster Zoo explained to German newspaper Die Welt.
While Ms Kaspari said killing animals would be a desperate last resort, exotic animals have large appetites and leave wide dents in finances.
“If it comes to it, I'll have to euthanise animals, rather than let them starve,” she said.
“At the worst, we would have to feed some of the animals to others.”
Neumünster is not covered for state emergency funding according to Ms Kapari who estimates the zoo’s projected loss of income will be about NZD$313,00 between the months of March and June.
A number of zoos in Germany including Neumünster are asking for government aid worth NZD$178 million to just keep them afloat.
The Association of Zoological Gardens says zoos are unique and unlike many other businesses as they cannot minimise costs during people-droughts like the one they are currently suffering under quarantine, as animals still have to be fed and cared for.
Lost turnover in a standard German zoo is estimated to be around NZD$894,000 per week, says Jörg Junhold, Chief of the Association of Zoological Gardens.